Riot Games have detailed the newest champion that is about to join League of Legends roster and eventually revealed that Neeko is indeed lesbian, after several fan inquiries. She also brings a new, possibly annoying mechanic to the game.
Sadly, it seems like gaming and games' audiences are focusing more on political issues lately as opposed to games being better and innovative. This also turned out to be the case with Neeko, the upcoming addition to League of Legends.
League of Legends featured the mimic mechanic only once, in a time-limited game mode, through an item that wasn't a good fit for every champion. Neeko brings that mechanic back, as she will be able to assume the form of any allied champion until combat breaks the illusion.
Ever since she was announced, Neeko became the talk of the town, not because of the potentially game-changing mechanic, but because she openly flirted with female champions, while showing disgust towards male ones. Fans noticed this and started asking Riot about Neeko's sexuality, and the writer in charge that she is indeed a lesbian.
Granted, League of Legends features a staggering number of 142 champions, with none of them being openly gay. There used to be rumours circulating about Taric and Ezreal, but all of these happened from fan opinions - Riot Games never officially confirmed them. Neeko will officially be the first one to break this barrier.
There is also the unfortunate timing of Neeko's release, as releasing a lesbian champion could be seen as Riot's attempt to quickly remove the stigma of sexism at the company, initiated by the controversies from the past few months.
Riot Games
Back to the topic of Neeko's mimic abilities, she can project an illusion of herself, be it in her regular form or the assumed one. This means that if Neeko has an allied Shaco, she can mimic his form, project a clone of herself, then Shaco can use his ultimate and the enemy team will be seeing quadruple.
This mechanic can also be used to protect Neeko's carries, as she seems to be geared toward a support role. Seeing three Vaynes or Kog'Maws instead of one, could potentially throw a wrench in the enemy team's gears, as the hyper carries would be allowed a moment of safety that would allow them to decimate enemy teams.
In any case, Neeko will be an icebreaker of sorts, by both introducing a powerful new champion mechanic, as well as the first lesbian champion in League of Legends.
League of Legends - showcase of several champion splash arts
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