Sure there’s Ahri, Jinx, Garen, and Vi, but there’s no League of Legends champion that’s quite as iconic as Teemo. The adorable Swift Scout is one of the MOBA’s most beloved (yet simultaneously hated) characters, and in the right hands he’s an absolute menace. His visual style, however, is a little clunky, and as a result Riot has been working on an extensive ASU (art and sustainability update) over the past couple of years. Shown off yesterday in an extensive dev update, the new Teemo will drop with League of Legends patch 14.20, but it’s a rework that’s proven divisive.
For those who have to Google Riot’s League of Legends development terminology every time there’s a rework, ASUs are focused on improving a champion’s base model, skins, and visual effects (abilities, auto-attacks, and so on). Teemo, having released in 2009, has certainly looked a little out-of-date when compared to the MOBA‘s newer models, but in the wake of the ASU’s official reveal, it seems like some players preferred it that way.
Back in 2023, Riot noted that one of the core goals with Teemo’s ASU was to make him “the face of fear.” This meant, well, showing more of the Yordle misfit’s face, versus the top-down view of just his hat. “We want Teemo’s personality to show through his facial expressions. Especially when you’re spamming your emotes!” writes technical artist David ‘Duncnasty’ Jeka.
The new Teemo model certainly shows off his fuzzy little visage, but it’s become a point of contention with fans. “I think seeing his hat only gave him much more aura,” writes one player on X (formerly Twitter). “A rare miss from the designers. Should have still mostly been hat,” another responds.
Others are slightly disappointed that his signature waddle is a little more bouncy – after all, having a bloodthirsty Yordle slowly but surely making his way down the lane towards you, blow gun in tow, was a pretty terrifying sight. “There’s something extra tilting about the way he wobbles that’s not quite captured in the new,” one Redditor notes.
But, on the other side of the coin, some have called it Riot’s “best ASU yet.” “As someone who originally played this game because I was a kid who thought Teemo was cute, this did not let me down. Everything from the more magical aspect to the emote spam, it’s all great.”
While I do think the overhauled visuals and splash art are much needed (Amumu next, please Riot) I will miss the big hat. It made everything a little more ominous – especially the laughter; who knows what he was thinking?
The Teemo ASU drops with League of Legends patch 14.20, currently set for Wednesday, October 9. Note that, when the ASU launches, Teemo’s Badger, Happy Elf, and Recon skins will increase in price from 520RP to 750RP “due to the increased quality bar of those skins.”
In the meantime, however, check out our LoL tier list if the Worlds hype train has lured you back onto the Rift. Or, if you’re looking to pick up some more cosmetics, here’s a rundown of all the League of Legends skins that are currently on sale.
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