Neeko: League of Legends New Trickster

Riot Games has revealed their newest champion addition in Neeko: the curious chameleon, and with a kit loaded with creative outplay potential, she is here to shake up the rift. Neekos’ passive is Inherent Glamour, which allows here to become a clone of any allied champion regardless of their position on the map. This passive clone persists as long as Neeko doesn't take or deal damage or cast any other spells, even allowing her to continue last hitting minions without breaking the disguise. Her Q is Blooming Burst, which appears to be her main damage spell and the first ability you will want to max. I fires a seed at target location which pops for damage and if you kill a minion or manage to hit an enemy with this spell the ability will pop 2 more times for damage equal to the first proc.

Neekos’ W has potential to be her main source of outplays. Passively it is a three hit system similar to many other champions in the past, with the third hit dealing bonus damage and granting a burst of movement speed. But the active part of the ability allows her to create a clone of her self, similar to Shaco or Leblanc, and send it running in any target direction. And of course this will create a clone of an ally if Neeko is currently cloaked in her passive. Imagine a mid lane Neeko steeping out of vision for a second only so that a second later three of the same jungler to come running out at you.

To add more damage and utility, he E ability is a line skill shot snare which can pass through two targets, snaring both, and land on a third. For each target this spell passes through the spell increases in speed and root duration. So the trading combo will be an E snare quickly followed up by a Q to that all three pops have time to land, and time will not be a factor because so far on the PBE her rank five, third hit E root duration is a full three seconds. Her ultimate is called Pop Blossom, and it begins with a short channel of a large area of effect circle around her followed be her jumping into the air, slowing all enemies in the circle then slamming back down damaging and rooting all enemies. In addition, if you are currently disguised by your passive the enemy team will not see the channel and wind up of your ultimate, allowing very little time for them to escape once they realize its you.

The gameplay applications of all these small synergies between her abilities are vast. Baits, escapes and a general confusion for the enemy team are all at your finger tips if you play this champion well.

So far I have enjoyed playing her as a roaming style mid, the wave clear on her Q is good enough to allow you to push in and head to a side lane, disguised as anyone else on your team of course, and get off a gank on what is sure to a be a confused enemy team. And even after lane phase is over, her transformations will still come in handy. You can walk around the map a bit more safely if you disguise yourself as your 35k health tank, deterring the enemy from wasting time trying to assassinate you. Or you can delay a Baron dance by pretending to be your jungler and threatening with your non existent smite, or take it a step further and take spell book to swap to smite and really leave them puzzled as to who the real jungler is.

The options are limitless and that's what makes this champion so fun to play. Riot has managed once again to make the game feel fresh and exciting and I can not wait to get back on the PBE and find more uses for this champion.