Neeko

Nobody in Ixtal knows where Neeko originally came from, and that mystery is much of her appeal. She is a member of a vastaya tribe thought to have vanished long ago. Her signature gift is copying the look of nearly anyone nearby, even sensing the emotions that person is carrying. This helps her tell allies from enemies more quickly than most, yet it also means the stranger beside you could be someone else entirely.

The confusion she creates is a disguise she can set aside, not a lasting lie. Once someone threatens her, Neeko sheds the act and fights with the raw spirit magic hidden beneath. Blooming Burst launches a seed that flowers again when it kills a target or strikes a champion. Shapesplitter grants extra damage on every third attack and lets her release a decoy duplicate of herself. Tangle-Barbs fires a root that expands and speeds up with each enemy it hits along the way. Her ultimate, Pop Blossom, can be readied without anyone noticing while she is in disguise, then bursts into a knockup and stun on landing. Nidalee, another Ixtal native who conceals her real form, has more in common with Neeko than a casual jungle traveler would expect.

Neeko is usually played as a Mage or Support, most often in Mid lane, and like most Ixtal natives she runs on mana. Ixtal remains cut off from the rest of Runeterra, a jungle nation that keeps its command of elemental magic mostly out of sight. Neeko moves through the world the same way, staying unseen until she decides otherwise. Sloppy disguises tend to warn enemies, so the ability pays off when used sparingly rather than constantly. Hiding behind minions does little to stop her, since Tangle-Barbs gains size and power the more minions it passes through, and Pop Blossom’s setup stays concealed for as long as she is disguised, giving no warning before it lands.