Hello everybody, my name is AisBuax and welcome to my Neeko guide. I am ranked as Gold 2 at the moment of writing this guide, being also my highest rank this Season/year 2018. My highest MMR was PLATINUM 5, when I was only Gold 3.

I play League of Legends since Season 3, and to be honest, until S7 I was a hardstuck Bronze. No reason to lie about that. :)

I left Bronze, the ELO hell, after I played only 90%+ of my games as Warwick and carrying my team, since I play mostly solo and not duo. Then, this season, I left Silver by playing Jinx, one of my mains (which I have a build for, go check it out =) ). In the preseason, in the very same year, I am closer to Platinum, so in only 2 years I've climbed from a hardstuck Bronze 5 to almost Platinum 5. Maybe I am not Challenger, but I think I've learned enough that I could share with you in these builds!

So, without any other words, here goes my Neeko guide. Enjoy :)

PROS

+ Good ganker. + AOE burst, good CC. + Her passive and W gives her good engage/escape potential. + Can deal a good amount of damage.

- Squishy. - Depends on her team. - Hard to catch back if you fall behind. - Her ability ranges are not so big.

CONS

Since patch 8.23, the Dark Harvest runes, as you could probably see, are the most played (in my personal opinion). Even if you are playing middle, ADC, jungle, or even a not tanky top, these runes started to be a viable choice because of their strong, powerful burst of damage. Now, I am going to detail the runes and why you should pick them:

Dark Harvest
PASSIVE: Damaging a champion below 50% of their maximum health by any mean deals 40 − 80 (based on level) (+ 5 per Soul) (+ 25% bonus AD) (+ 15% AP) Adaptive damage and reaps 1 Soul. This cannot happen again for 45 seconds, resetting to 1.5 seconds on champion Damage rating takedown.
ADAPTIVE DAMAGE: Deals either physical or magic damage depending on your bonus statistics, defaulting to physical damage.

I prefer these runes, as I said above, because of the big, even huge damage potential. They are perfect for securing kills, and in teamfights, it will reset almost instantly if you get an assist/kill, in order for you to continue fighting with this rune up and ready.

Taste of Blood
PASSIVE: Damaging an enemy champion heals you for 18 − 35 (based on level) (+ 20% bonus AD) (+ 10% AP).

Take these runes in order to heal yourself after you damage an enemy champion (so it does NOT work on jungle monsters, etc.). The heal will not be as big as you'd think/want, but it certainly makes and will make a difference if you escape low HP after a fight. Then you will understand the true power of this rune :).

Ghost Poro
PASSIVE: Entering a brush instigates a 1-second channel that, upon completion, swaps your current trinket for a Totem Ward icon Ghost Poro. You may move while channeling but must remain within the brush for the duration and you will be interrupted by damage. When you leave the brush, the Ghost Poro trinket is lost and you swap to your previous trinket. The Ghost Poro can be placed at your feet, granting Sight icon sight over a 450-unit area for 300 seconds, or until you place a new one.
If an enemy enters brush with a Ghost Poro in it, they scare it away, making it ping its team and putting it on a 60-second cooldown.
Whilst either you or your Ghost Poro is in enemy territory (slightly after the other half of the map), gain 3 − 12 (based on level) bonus Attack Damage or 5 − 20 (based on level) Ability Power (Adaptive).

You should take this rune mostly because you are playing as a jungler. You can place it either in the river, or in the bush behind your red buff, everywhere you want to. It gives you vision until the enemy enters the bush, which is pretty useful if you are playing vs an aggresive jungler which likes to invade you, so you can keep track of his moves.

Ravenous Hunter
Heal for 1.5% (+ 2.5% per Bounty Hunter stack) of the damage dealt by your abilities, on-hit effects and items, up to 14% at 5 stacks. Benefits from Heal power.
Earn a Bounty Hunter stack for champion Damage rating takedowns, up to one per unique enemy champion.

Celerity
Movement speed bonuses are 8% more effective on you. This does not affect the ENHANCED MOVEMENT effect from boots items.
It is good because it bonuses your Shapesplitter movement speed. And, for example, if you have a Zilean in your team and he gives you the bonus movement speed, it will be empowered because of this rune. Pure example, mainly it helps your Shapesplitter !

Gathering Storm
PASSIVE: Gain increasing Adaptive Force every 10 minutes that grants a total 4.8 / 14.4 / 28.8 / 48 / 72 / ∞ (based on minutes) bonus Attack Damage or 8 / 24 / 48 / 80 / 120 / ∞ (based on minutes) Ability Power.
As it says, you will get Ability Power every 10 minutes. The longer the game lasts, the much AP it will grant you. Very useful and a must-have, in my opinion.

+10 Adaptive (6 AD or 10 AP)
+10 Adaptive (6 AD or 10 AP)
+15-90 HP (lvls 1-18)
In order to give you some bonus AP which is very helpful in the early game phase, and also some bonus HP. You can replace the bonus HP with the magic resist if their team has more than 3 champions AP, or if their team is full AD you can get the armour. But the HP is very good if their team is balanced.

SUMMONER SPELLS - FLASH: The most basic summoner spells and one of the most used in League of Legends, which helps you evade in case of emergency, even over a wall. It is also used for securing kills, people that try flashing away from you, just use it and secure the kill. SMITE: This is the summoner spells used by people playing jungler (mostly). Some people love taking this summoner spell even if they do not play jungle, in order to secure the rift scuttlers and drakes/barons. Focusing on your role, buying the jungler item will empower this summoner spell in a specific way. In this guide, we are using the Stalker's Blade, which empowers our Smite into a Chilling Smite, which slows down the enemy, helping you evade or chasing the enemy in order to secure your kill. Smite can be used in various ways, for example while fighting in the river, if you are getting low HP and the scuttler is near you, you can use Smite it in order to get some HP and win the fight. Learning how to Smite properly takes practice, so you will not miss it while doing baron and the enemy jungle will come and steal yours. If you are facing this situation where you have to beat the other jungler at smiting the objective in order to secure it, be patient and just smite when it is enough low HP, and try not to leave it with 10-100HP because it will be stolen.

In this chapter we are going to talk about Neeko's abilities: what they do, what do we max in our abilities sequence (and why), and how to use them properly.

Inherent Glamour
INNATE: Neeko is offered a selection of Champion icon allied champions to take their appereance for up to X seconds. Once selected, there's a 2.5 seconds delay before another champion can be selected.
Damaging or taking damage from enemy champions or casting either Blooming Burst Blooming Burst or Tangle-Barbs Tangle-Barbs breaks the illusion and puts Inherent Glamour on cooldown.

This is our passive. We have the option to change our appereance into one of our allies, after a 2.5 from selecting which one we are going to transform into. While transformed, when we cast our R, it will not be seen charging, making our enemies harder to escape from it. We can use the passive into ganks, confusing the enemy. In teamfights, we can transform into the team's ADC / carry, making the enemies focus us first, leaving our powerful ally to deal the damage and secure the teamfight.

Blooming Burst
ACTIVE: Neeko propels a seed into a target area, which blooms after a short delay, dealing Ability power magic damage to enemies within.
MAGIC DAMAGE:
80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 (+ 50% AP)

If the burst kills an enemy unit or damages a champion or large monster, it will bloom again to deal magic damage. This cannot happen more than twice per Blooming Burst.
MAGIC DAMAGE:»
40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 (+ 20% AP)

This is the ability that we will max, because it is the ability that deals the damage in our kit. It is good at clearing creep waves, because once we kill a creep, the ability will deal damage again (but less damage than the first time). It is to be mentioned that this will happen no more than twice.

Shapesplitter

PASSIVE: Neeko resonates with spiritual energy every third basic attack, dealing bonus magic damage and granting her Movement speed icon bonus movement speed for 1 second.

BONUS MAGIC DAMAGE:
50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+ 60% AP)
BONUS MOVEMENT SPEED:
20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40%
ACTIVE: Neeko becomes invisible for 0.5 seconds, sending a temporary clone of her Inherent Glamour current form sprinting in a target direction for 2 seconds.

Both Neeko and the clone gain bonus movement speed for 2 seconds.

BONUS MOVEMENT SPEED:
20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40%

As you can see, every third basic attack we will deal bonus MAGIC damage and it will boost our movement speed, that being the passive. The active ability will make a clone of Neeko (or the transformed Neeko) after making us invisible for 0.5 seconds and giving us movement speed. The clone will go in the selected target direction for 2 seconds. This ability is good mostly for escapes, but if you think about it, if you are ganking while transformed in the specific ally, the enemy will see the same champion three times if you use Shapesplitter, and if he did not keep track of who is who, he will probably hit the wrong target.

Tangle-Barbs
ACTIVE: Neeko slings a magical spiral in a target direction, dealing magic damage and Root icon rooting enemies it passes through for 0.5 seconds.

MAGIC DAMAGE:
80 / 115 / 150 / 185 / 220 (+ 40% AP)
The last champion hit is rooted for longer. If Tangle-Barbs hits at least two enemies, it grows in size and speed, and the root duration against the last champion hit is further increased.

EMPOWERED ROOT DURATION:»
0.7 / 0.9 / 1.1 / 1.3 / 1.5

This ability looks like Ezreal's W, if you ask me, but only visually. It will deal damage on hit, and it will also root the enemy or enemies, if there are more behind our target. The 'sling' will grow in size and speed after 2 enemies hit. It is a good ability for teamfights, and also for stunning(rooting) the enemy while ganking!

Pop Blossom
ACTIVE: Neeko begins Channeling herself with spiritual essence over 1.25 seconds. If Neeko is Inherent Glamour disguised, enemies won't see her channel.

Neeko shields herself for X seconds, increased for each enemy champion nearby, as she leaps into the air for 0.75 seconds, during which enemies are slowed by 40%.

SHIELD:»
50 / 80 / 110 (+ 50% AP)
Upon landing, Neeko bursts with spiritual energy, dealing magic damage and stunning nearby enemies for 1.25 seconds.

MAGIC DAMAGE:
250 / 425 / 650 (+ 130% AP)

Basically, it is best to be transformed with your passive before using your R, because the enemy won't see it charging. You will leap into air for 0.75 seconds, gaining a shield depending on how many enemies are near you, then pop on the ground and deal magic damage and stunning the enemies. Pretty OP, right? This ability is very good in teamfights, as you probably thought of.

These boots are great if you are AP because of the flat magic penetration they give us.

This item is a must-have because you are playing jungler. It empowers your damage vs monsters, and gives the Chilling Smite.

Morellonomicom

This item gives us AP and HP also, making us more stronger, since we are a squishy champion. It also has a good passive, that grants us +15 magic penetration. It is a very important item for Neeko's build.

This item gives us AP, %10 CDR and also +600 mana, which makes us sustain better and fight longer, without worrying about our mana. Also, it's passive helps us clear a lane from creeps more efficiently.

Their team has 3 tanks and yours has only 1? You deal 0 damage to all of them? Do not worry! Buy this, and make them feel sorry for questioning your true power. This item will grant you a powerful 40% magic penetration, making even the biggest tank run back for help.

This item must be bought the last, in my opinion, because it gives 40% more AP, increasing our ability power by a HUGE amount. The difference will be seen in the damage we deal, because our AP will basically be doubled after buying this item.

Neeko was born on a remote and largely unknown island, far to the east, where the last members of an ancient vastayan tribe remained isolated from the rest of the world. They were called the Oovi-Kat, and could trace their lineage generation by generation back to the legendary Vastayashai’rei—the ancestors of all vastaya.

The Oovi-Kat were peaceful beings, of unrivaled potential. Their harmonious society blended seamlessly with the spirit realm, so that their sho’ma—their spiritual essence—could intermingle with other beings through mere proximity, and even help them mimic other physical forms. No secrets existed between the Oovi-Kat, but few were as curious, resilient, or energetic as young Neeko.

She developed a fondness for games, hiding trinkets and thoughts to see if others could find them. Her inquisitive nature knew no bounds, and she was pure and innocent in her charmed existence.

But it was not to last. Cataclysm loomed on the horizon.

Thanks to the quick thinking and self-sacrifice of the Oovi-Kat elders, Neeko escaped the death of her homeland. She clumsily took the form of a bird, and fled the smoldering destruction, feeling the screams of her people fading into the ethereal gulf between realms.

Days later, desperate and exhausted, Neeko plummeted into the sea. She clung to driftwood, entirely at the mercy of the currents, until an odd silhouette rose into view. She could hear voices carrying over the waves, and so she swam toward the strange structure.

With the last of her strength, she crept aboard what turned out to be a mercantile vessel destined for Harelport. Neeko rested where she could, calling out into the spirit realm for her lost tribe. She felt only scattered, sad echoes in response, and images of towering, dead trees that lay somewhere over a fragile horizon…

When Neeko emerged from the ship into the city, it was a strange and unfamiliar new world. All her senses tingled. Many a creature, even another Oovi-Kat, might be afraid in that situation—but not Neeko. The society bustled with unique personalities, strangers with a vast array of motives and shapes. This was a place of countless stories and experiences, and it entranced her completely.

Before she could get far, she was spotted by a vastayan sailor named Krete. Neeko could not understand all his words, but he demanded to know which tribe she belonged to. Neeko reached out with her sho’ma, mimicking his face and expression to make her peaceful intentions understood, but Krete did not seem to like this at all. Overwhelmed by his darkening thoughts, Neeko fled into the crowd, altering her shape many times until she escaped.

Surrounded by lush, tropical greenery in the hinterlands beyond Harelport, Neeko grappled with her recent experiences. She simply could not understand how anyone might rely solely on words as their singular form of communication. It seemed so… limiting?

Seeking solace, she took on the shape of the sleek jungle cats she encountered among the trees, and tried to run with them. Neeko loved being fast and agile, and their bright, keen eyes reminded her of home—until, quite unexpectedly, the leader transformed into a beautiful, strong, dark-haired woman. After a tense standoff, she introduced herself as Nidalee, and reluctantly accepted Neeko into the group.

Neeko hesitated to entrust the truths of the Oovi-Kat to others, but she felt a deep kinship with Nidalee, because she suspected this bestial huntress might share some forgotten connection with the vastayan race. Their friendship blossomed, and for many months they roamed the wilds together.

But the towns and cities, with all their flaws, still called to Neeko. Her ancestors came to her in dreams, showing her the pale branches of those dead trees, over and over. The trees needed color, to bloom again—of that much, Neeko was certain. She asked her friend to join her on this new journey, but Nidalee could not be persuaded.

Crestfallen, but determined, Neeko set out alone.

Her old life among the Oovi-Kat may be lost forever, but Neeko envisions a magical future—a larger tribe of like-hearted vastaya, yordles, humans, and whatever other creatures might share her dream. As far as she is concerned, everyone has the potential to find a place in her new tribe. She has pledged to seek these souls out, to befriend them, and defend their sho’ma with her life.

To know Neeko is to love Neeko, and to love Neeko is to be Neeko.

Neeko is a fun champion with huge potential, even if you play her middle and not jungle, she can deal huge amounts of damage. I find her more fun on the jungler role since her ganks can be a very fun, interactive, special.
I trully believe in Neeko's power and what she can do for her team, if she is played in the right hands, and by this guide I hope I gave you a clear view about some `more-or-less` basic points about Neeko play-style and gameplay.

I will keep updating this guide by every patch, at this moment she is only available on PBE and I am waiting for her as well to be officially released on the public servers!

CHANGELOG:

03.12.2018 - PATCH 8.23
GUIDE POSTED: NEEKO NOT RELEASED ON PUBLIC SERVERS.