WTF 2 Shen’s !? Yes, it’s an old League of Legends meme, but now it’s also what the enemy team might rage in all chat in their ranked games very soon. Enter: Neeko, the Curious Chameleon. Neeko is League’s 142nd champion release, an AP mage that can shape-shift. If you take joy in making the enemy team question their sanity, you may have found yourself a new main.
Passive: Inherent Glamour
Inherent Glamour allows Neeko to shape-shift, taking on the form of a teammate and even copying their health/mana bar to make it look convincing. Think of Trickster’s Glass from the Black Market Brawlers game mode if it was a built in passive. When Neeko takes damage or uses her Q/E ability, she changes back to her original form with an increased cooldown. Baiting out flashes, sneaking barons, and going in for assassinations, how well you utilize this passive determines whether you are mediocre or a god on Neeko.
Q: Blooming Burst
Blooming Burst is Neeko’s main waveclear and harass tool. Neeko tosses out a seed roughly the size of a Syndra ball at a target location, dealing AOE damage. If it kills a minion or damages a champion/large monster, it can detonate two more times after a brief delay, dealing reduced damage each time. You are going to want to max this ability first if you take Neeko into a solo lane. Using this on rooted or stunned targets will ensure they get the full pain from it.
W: Shapesplitter
Shapesplitter has two parts, a passive and an active. It’s passive gives Neeko bonus magic damage on every third auto attack that she uses, giving briefly faster movement speed as well. Shapesplitter’s active however, makes Neeko even more deceptive. It’s a skillshot that makes Neeko invisible with increased movement speed while sending a clone of her current form into the direction you fire it. The key here is current form, which means if you copy someone’s form and use the active it will send out a copy of that form instead of your base form. A perfect 1 point wonder for escapes, outplays and the like.
E: Tangle-Barbs
Tangle-Barbs is a skillshot that damages and roots each enemy it passes through. If it passes through two enemies, the barbs increase in size, damage, and root duration, giving the longest duration to the last enemy champion hit. Has synergy with her Q so you can ensure the full damage from it. Max this second for the increased damage and CC duration when you decide to gank. If you are the enemy and you get hit last by it, go and take a long coffee break because chances are when you return you will still be rooted (3.0 second max CC duration).
R: Pop Blossom
Meeko’s ultimate, Pop Blossom, will pop the health bars of the whole enemy team in the right situation. Neeko charges for a couple of seconds, leaps in the air, and upon impact nukes every champion in the area around her while stunning them. It’s similar to Nunu and Willumps ultimate in size but Neeko can move while she channels it. The best part is that when you take on the disguise of another champion, they can’t see you channel it making for a deadly surprise. The enemy Lucian might not want to attack a Rammus, but it may be too late for him to find out that it’s a trick on his mind.
First Impressions
It may be hard, but don’t take it personally when Neeko deceives you, she just wants to stick up for her new friends. Her former tribe, the Oovi-Kat (chameleon-like Vastaya), were completely erased. She has always been naturally inquisitive and curious, but a journey to a brand new land with all kinds of different characters amps that up tenfold. Neeko makes a wonderful addition to League of Legends, not only with her lore but with her unique, creative gameplay as well. She may take some time getting used to, but the ceiling for this champion is your imagination. With enough games under your belt, you might be able to trick and treat yourself to some sweet, sweet LP.
Featured Image Courtesy of Riot Games
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