Deadlock Yamato Guide: Build, Abilities & Tips (Oct 2026)

🎯 The core idea

Yamato is a sticky spirit assassin who wins by landing Power Slash, then using Shadow Transformation to reset her whole kit. Take Flying Slash to tier 2 early for its +35 spirit power burst, push Power Slash to tier 3 next, and build sustain and melee items so you survive long dives. Hunt the enemy gun carry, and always be on the map with your ultimate ready.

• free costs nothing
• cheap small cost
• setup needs preparation
• grind pays off slowly
• skip the thing to stop doing

Who Yamato is and which patch this covers

Yamato (Kaori, a former Seventh Moon crime boss who took her late brother's name) is a close-range assassin. Her base stats on the wiki are 730 health, 1 health regen, 8.2 m/s move speed and 3 stamina. Her gun, Sister's Lament, is a five-pellet spreadshot with 63 DPS that falls off between 20 m and 46 m. Its alt-fire is the "bomb" the source video tells you to spam in lane. It costs 3 ammo, explodes on impact, can't crit, and deals 50 damage on a direct hit plus 0.7 for every boon you own.

The source video (P2's 5-minute starter guide) sums up her strengths: tanky for an assassin, bursty, and very hard to escape once she is on you. Her weaknesses are poor jungle and wave clear, a very committal kit, and a heavy dependence on her ultimate and on good item choices. She is also the natural enemy of gun carries, with Infernus as the one exception the video names.

Which patch this covers. P2's video was uploaded July 3, 2026, after the June 30 Soul Urn and Unstable Rift update. It came out before three later changes: the July Flying Slash nerfs, the September 16 balance patch and the September 29 City Never Sleeps map rework. Its gameplay is all on the old map. So this yamato guide takes every ability number from the wiki. The item build comes from a newer video, FredTheFinch's "This Yamato Build Has TOO Much Healing" (October 17, 2026), read from his on-screen item bar. A second post-rework video fills in the gaps: LukieVibin's "Yamato Guide in 5 Minutes" (October 1, 2026) for mechanics and combos. Yamato's wiki history lists no balance changes after September 16. The September 29 patch only fixed a bug, and the October 5 and October 14 patches did not touch her. That makes this the current yamato build for City Never Sleeps and for October 2026.

Power Slash: her main damage tool

Power Slash charges for up to 1.4 seconds, then fires a long sword strike. At full charge it deals 145 damage with x1.85 spirit scaling, over a 22 m slash. Cooldown is 12 s, and you take 60% less bullet damage while you charge it. Press Ability 1 or Fire early to release it sooner, but the wiki shows how much that costs you. Releasing in the "blue flame" window (0.35–0.85 s) deals 30% damage, the "red flame" window (0.85–1.4 s) deals 50%, and only a full charge deals 100%.

free LukieVibin's main tip: don't click Power Slash early as if it were a timing minigame. Let it finish on its own, and the slash turns red when you got full damage. The wiki adds that charging slows you to 1.3 m/s. Dash first, then press the ability straight away, and you keep much more momentum, especially with a ground dash. You can also press Parry while charging to fire the slash and parry at the same time. That trick came in with the March 6, 2026 patch.

Flying Slash (formerly Flying Strike): engage and spirit burst

Flying Slash throws a grappling hook at an enemy within 26 m, reels Yamato in, and slashes on arrival. It deals 66 light melee damage (x1.2 scaling since September 16) and slows the target by 40% for 2.5 s. Cooldown is 36 s. Older guides call it yamato flying strike; Valve renamed it in March 2026 and changed its damage from spirit to light melee. That's why it triggers melee items such as Melee Lifesteal and Lifestrike.

Correction to the video. P2 recommends rushing tier 2 for a big spirit boost. That's still the right call, but the July 28, 2026 patch cut the bonus from +40 to +35 spirit power. The same patch cut tier 3 from 2 extra charges to 1, and the July 9 patch shortened the range from 28 m to 26 m. The wiki also confirms that once hooked, the grapple goes through walls and holds at any distance. It only breaks if the target dispels it or becomes invincible. Press 2 or Space in flight to cancel, as the frame above shows. LukieVibin says you still get the spirit buff when you cancel the grapple at the last moment, and that cancelling just before you arrive and double-jumping keeps a lot of momentum. The wiki doesn't cover the cancel buff, so treat that part as the video's claim.

Crimson Slash: heal, slow and fire-rate cut

Crimson Slash hits everything in a 13 m arc in front of you. It deals 55 damage (x0.37 spirit) and cuts the enemies' fire rate by 30% for 4 s. If it hits at least one hero, you heal 55 (x1.04 spirit). Cooldown is 16 s, and there is a 0.3 s delay between cast and hit.

Two practical notes from LukieVibin, both consistent with the wiki's wording. First, the heal triggers once per cast, not once per hero, so hitting three heroes doesn't triple it. Second, after a dash you no longer need to crouch to change its direction. It now goes wherever you're looking. In lane, its fire-rate cut is your best answer to gun-heavy opponents.

Shadow Transformation: the ultimate that makes Yamato work

Yamato channels for 1.5 s, invincible, and then transforms for 5 s. Her abilities are refreshed and become 60% faster, and she is immune to negative status effects. She also gains 30% bullet resist and 30% spirit resist. Each hero kill heals her for 15% of max health and adds 2 s to the duration. Cooldown is 150 s, raised from 130 s by the June 30 global ultimate change.

The 60% speed-up is bigger than it sounds. The wiki notes that a full Power Slash charge drops from 1.4 s to 0.56 s, and Crimson Slash's delay drops from 0.3 s to 0.12 s. P2's rule of thumb: land at least one Power Slash before you press 4, so the refresh gives you a second one. You can also press it the moment you see an enemy CC ultimate coming. LukieVibin adds that he uses it to cleanse effects already on him, such as a DoT. The wiki only says "immunity", so test the cleanse yourself before you rely on it.

Yamato skill order and ability upgrades

None of the videos shows a full point-by-point upgrade path. This order combines what P2 and LukieVibin say with the upgrade costs above.

setup Hold Tab to spend ability points, as the HUD prompt in the frame shows. Points come from souls, so spend them as soon as the lane gives you a quiet second.

Yamato build: items by phase

FredTheFinch's October 17 game is the most recent Yamato build we found with a clear item bar. He calls it a healing build, and his end-of-game healing chart backs that up: about 40,000 healing in a 34-minute match. The order below is read from his HUD at several points in the match. Prices and effects are from the wiki.

In Fred's own healing breakdown, Crimson Slash healed the most (about 14,500). Radiant Regeneration (about 12,400) and Lifestrike (about 7,700) came next. That's why this build leans so hard on short cooldowns. On stream, he picks out Juggernaut as an item that helps against almost every enemy.

setup P2's advice still applies to every yamato late game build: buy for what your team is missing. If nobody can frontline, take more vitality (green) items. If your team can't finish fights, lean harder into spirit damage. Buy Healbane (1,600) or anti-heal earlier if the enemy has strong healing.

Yamato laning: calculated aggression

P2 describes her lane as calculated aggression. Before Power Slash is unlocked, poke with the alt-fire bomb and look for Crimson Slash trades. Once you have Power Slash, use it to poke, punish a bad position, or follow up when your lane partner lands CC. LukieVibin goes further: once you own Mystic Shot and Restorative Shot, fire the alt-fire each time those items come off cooldown. Pair that with Power Slash whenever it's up and you can dominate most lanes.

free Trade when your cooldowns are up and theirs aren't. Flying Slash at tier 2 is the signal to play much more aggressively, because every engage now also powers up your next Power Slash and Mystic Shot.

skip Don't grapple in before about half health on the target when your ultimate is down. P2 calls her extremely committal: once you fly in, you usually can't get out.

Yamato combos

LukieVibin's on-screen combos (RC = right click, the alt-fire):

• Basic: 2 → RC → 1 → RC → 3 → RC → Ult. Flying Slash in, then weave an alt-fire after each ability so Mystic Shot and Restorative Shot fire too.
• In ultimate: after the transform, repeat 2 → RC + melee → 1 → RC + melee → 3 → RC + melee. He says right click into melee cancels part of both animations, and that you can melee freely in the form because you can't be parried.
• Refresher combo: with the Refresher item, use the whole rotation, press Refresher, then repeat it. That's four sets of cooldowns in one fight.

setup The wiki's notes back up the timing: in ultimate, a fully charged Power Slash takes only 0.56 s, so you rarely need to release it early.

Mid game: farm, gank and hunt carries

After lane, P2 splits your plan by whether your ultimate is up. Without it, hold a lane, catch waves and break boxes. Skip most jungle camps, since her clear is poor. P2 makes exceptions only for Sinner's Sacrifice and small tier 1 camps. With it up, go looking for kills. Prioritize gun carries, because they can't escape you and anti-carry is your job. Check where their team is first so you don't dive into all five.

LukieVibin adds that she is one of the best chasers in the game in the mid to late game. Harass carries who are trying to farm without fighting, especially in their own jungle with your ultimate up. Be greedy enough to stay relevant, but expect to be your team's second or third richest hero, not the first.

City Never Sleeps note. P2's footage is all on the old map. The September 29 rework renamed neutral camps to Haunts and added Tough Crates that only open to a heavy melee. It also added Steam Vents that give invisibility and regen while you stand on them. Sinner's Sacrifice and the renamed Buff Containers can now also drop spirit resist, ability range, bullet resist and move speed. The video's map routes therefore don't carry over, but the advice to farm boxes and lanes over big camps still holds. Fred's post-rework game plays the same way: lanes, crates and fights, not big jungle camps.

Teamfights and objectives

In teamfights, your job is the one P2 states at the end of his video: remove the enemy's main source of damage. Wait until their CC is used or baited. Then Flying Slash onto the carry and land a full Power Slash, then press 4 to reset and finish them. Kills during the ultimate add 2 s each and heal 15% max health, so one kill often carries you into the next.

P2 calls her an objective demon. During the ultimate she is immune to CC and has 30% bullet and 30% spirit resist (tier 3 adds another 30% of each). That makes her a strong choice for diving into Walker and Guardian fights or contesting the Soul Urn. Plan around the 150 s cooldown, or 130 s with tier 2: know when the next big fight is coming and have the ultimate ready for it.

Contesting the Mid-Boss

P2 rates Yamato as one of the best heroes for contesting the Mid-Boss when her ultimate is up. Jump in, press 4, and parry the enemy's heavy melees, more than once if they swing out of sync. At worst, he says, you should steal one Rejuvenator if the enemy tries to take the boss while you are alive. In the frame above, Fred is hitting the post-rework Mid-Boss, and he says he rarely loses Mid-Boss fights on her. LukieVibin's tip that you can't be parried during the ultimate makes the contest even safer.

How to counter Yamato (and what counters her)

Yamato counter play comes down to her commitment. These counters come from the wiki's ability notes:

• Break the grapple. The wiki lists Flying Slash as "Disabled by Slowing Hex". It also notes that dispel effects (such as Dispel Magic) and invincibility (such as Ivy's Stone Form) break the hook.
• Bait the ultimate. Shadow Transformation is 1.5 s of invincibility followed by CC immunity, so CC thrown at her during the form is wasted. Save stuns for before she presses 4 or after it ends.
• Cut her healing. This build heals tens of thousands per game, so Healbane or other anti-heal hurts it badly.
• Silence her. Silencer's bullets build up to a silence and also cut her outgoing spirit damage by 25%. Fred mentions on stream that a Silencer hurt him in this game.
• Out-range her. Her gun falls off from 20 m, and Crimson Slash only reaches 13 m. Kite her before she commits Flying Slash.

When you play Yamato, flip the list. Track enemy dispels and Slowing Hex before you engage, and buy into anti-heal or Silencer only when you have to.

How this guide was fact-checked

• From the deadlock.wiki Yamato page and update history: base stats, the Sister's Lament alt-fire numbers, every ability's damage, scaling, range, cooldown and upgrade tier, Power Slash's charge windows, the grapple-break rules, the Shadow Transformation speed-up details and the patch history. We also checked the September 16, September 29, October 5 and October 14, 2026 patch notes.
• From the wiki item pages: cost, tier and effect of every item in the build table. That includes the Backstabber-to-Stalker rename and which items upgrade from which.
• From the videos on screen: the item order (read from FredTheFinch's HUD at about 5:30, 9:20, 12:40, 16:20, 19:40, 23:00 and 26:20, plus his end-of-game healing chart), LukieVibin's combo text, and P2's matchup advice and Mid-Boss tips.
• Corrections made: Flying Slash tier 2 now gives +35 spirit power, not the +40 in force when P2 recorded. Its tier 3 now gives 1 extra charge, not 2, and its range is 26 m. Its light melee scaling rose to 1.2 on September 16, and Crimson Slash tier 3 gained +0.4 heal scaling. P2's map and jungle advice predates the City Never Sleeps rework, so we noted what changed.
• Attributed to the videos and not on the wiki: keeping the Flying Slash spirit buff on a cancelled grapple, Shadow Transformation cleansing effects already applied (the wiki only says immunity), and the one-heal-per-cast detail for Crimson Slash.

What this guide doesn't answer

• Exact matchup tables for every hero: none of the sources tests matchups one by one, and we didn't want to guess.
• A pure gun or pure spirit Yamato build: we found newer videos on both (Lomein's gun build, FredTheFinch's spirit build), but they weren't fact-checked here. The healing build above is the one we verified item by item.
• Where she sits on the tier list: that's covered in our separate Deadlock tier list.
• New Haunt camp locations and Tough Crate routes: those belong in a map guide, not a hero guide.
• Street Brawl item drafts: the wiki lists her draft odds, but that mode works differently from a standard match.