Neeko

No one in Ixtal can say for certain where Neeko comes from, and that’s largely the point. She belongs to a vastaya tribe considered long lost, and her defining trait is the ability to take on the appearance of almost anyone around her, right down to picking up a trace of what that person is feeling. It lets her sort friend from foe faster than most, but it also means the person standing next to you might not be who they appear to be at all.

That uncertainty is deliberate camouflage, not permanent deception. When someone means her harm, Neeko drops the disguise and answers with the primordial spirit magic underneath it. Blooming Burst throws a seed that blooms a second time on a kill or champion hit, Shapesplitter adds bonus damage to every third attack while letting her send out a decoy clone, and Tangle-Barbs slings a root that grows larger and faster the more it connects along its path. Pop Blossom, her ultimate, can be prepared invisibly while she’s disguised, then erupts into a knockup and stun once she lands. Champions like Nidalee, another Ixtal native who hides her true form, share more with Neeko than most people passing through the jungle would guess.

Neeko plays as a Mage or Support, most often in Mid lane, and like most Ixtal natives she draws power from mana. Ixtal itself stays isolated from the rest of Runeterra, a jungle nation that keeps its mastery of elemental magic largely hidden, which mirrors how Neeko prefers to move through the world unnoticed until she chooses otherwise. Disguising herself carelessly tends to put enemies on alert, so the ability rewards patience over frequent use. Standing behind minions offers little protection against her, since Tangle-Barbs only grows larger and more dangerous the more it passes through, and the preparation for Pop Blossom stays hidden for as long as she remains disguised, leaving no warning before it lands.