Neeko in League of Legends: A Balanced New Champion
Since the release of mini-patch 8.24b, Neeko has been live in League of Legends for one patch. We played her extensively over the last two weeks to see if she’s balanced.
Initially, there were concerns that Neeko might be overpowered based on PBE impressions. However, PBE meta is different from the live game, and it turns out we were wrong. Neeko is not overpowered; she’s actually balanced.
Neeko’s playrate in the mid lane, her primary position, is at five percent according to stats site Champion.gg. This is relatively low for a new champion. But the real kicker is her winrate, which is almost exactly 50 percent. Usually, new champions tend to have winrates around 40 percent (difficult or weak champions) or 55 percent and above (too strong or too easy). Neeko’s playrate and winrate, both at five percent, place her right in the middle, which is ideal.
Initial concerns about Neeko’s power were due to her impressive AP scalings and ease of landing damage. However, she has clear weaknesses as well. She struggles when her Q ability is on cooldown, she can be easily dived, and she’s very squishy. These weaknesses balance out her strengths, making her a well-rounded champion.
Neeko excels as a tower sieger because of her fast and hard-to-dodge Q ability. However, if your team focuses on quick engagements and teamfights, you can easily overcome her. One impressive aspect of her design is her ability to fulfill multiple roles, such as jungle and support, without feeling too strong or too weak in any of them. As long as you know how to play her and the role she’s in, you’ll be just fine.
Of course, our stance may change once professional players start using her in the regional leagues starting in January. But for now, Neeko is perfectly balanced where she is.