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Teemo

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Teemo
League of Legends character
First appearance2009
First gameLeague of Legends
(Alpha Release)
In-universe information
SpeciesYordle
OriginBandle City

Teemo is a playable character in the video game League of Legends. Depicted as a tiny furry creature from the fictional Yordle race, Teemo was among the first characters created for the game.[1][2]

Concept and development

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Teemo was released alongside League of Legends among the first roster of characters available, during its alpha launch.[1] Teemo was originally conceived of as part of the fictional Yordle race, to typify the "small and mighty" archetype. As one of the first Yordle characters, Teemo helped establish a mold for many other characters in the game.[2] Teemo was originally designed to be a fast moving scout with utility abilities, but developers determined that he needed to play a more DPS oriented role to be a viable pick. Developers added damaging abilities, such as poisoned traps and poison darts, which allow Teemo to damage enemy players over time. His various abilities have contributed to his early reputation as among the most annoying characters to play against.[2] Despite his high damage abilities, Teemo lacks useful crowd control and team fighting capabilities, which prevents his use at the highest levels of competitive play.[3]

Teemo's story remains simple, but has been revised at least 4 times over the game's history, with various stories characterizing him as a warm character who will suddenly transition into a cold-blooded killer.[1]

Appearances

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Teemo's first appearance was in League of Legends, where he debuted as among the first characters.[1] His abilities during a normal game include poisonous blow darts and mushroom traps. He also has camouflage and speed buffs.[1] In 2024, Teemo received a major visual update to both his base character model and various cosmetic skins along with a new voice actor, quotes, and a unique personalized theme song.[4] Designers attempted to focus on highlighting Teemo's mischievous gameplay in the new design.[5] Specifically, they focused on additional details such as Teemo's facial and walking animations to emphasize Teemo's mischief when performing emotes.[5] Reactions to the update were mixed.[5]

Teemo also appears in the games League of Legends: Wild Rift[6] and Bandle Tale.[7] Additionally, Teemo appears as an easter egg in the Netflix television series Arcane.[8]

Reception and legacy

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Gothus teemo, a species of crab named after the character.

Teemo originally had a reputation among fans for being among the most annoying characters in the game, but has also become one of the unofficial mascots of the game.[1][9] His contrasting abilities and appearance were sources of Internet memes among the League of Legends fan community.[10] One common meme among the community jokingly compared Teemo to the devil. Eventually, developers acknowledged the meme and created a devil outfit cosmetic skin.[1]

Though he maintains a reputation for being annoying, Teemo's actual viability as a competitive character in the game has varied.[11][3] In competitive League of Legends, Teemo is considered a "meme pick", with a "brief and sporadic history at Worlds".[3]

In 2024, a species of crab was named after Teemo due to having a similar small size and coloring.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Gilliam, Ryan (2018-03-16). "The history of Teemo, The Swift Scout". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  2. ^ a b c LeJacq, Yannick (2015-06-11). "How Riot Made Teemo The Biggest Troll Champion In League Of Legends". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  3. ^ a b c Kelly, Michael (2022-10-02). "A brief history of Teemo at the League World Championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  4. ^ Ribiero, Sofia (2024-09-25). "After 15 years, a Teemo rework is coming to League of Legends!". esports.gg. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  5. ^ a b c Bergin, Lauren (2024-09-24). "League of Legends' most polarizing champion finally gets his rework, but it's proven divisive". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  6. ^ van den Bosch, Jef (22 January 2021). "Teemo added to Wild Rift in Yordle Expedition". esports.com.
  7. ^ Sinha, Ravi (18 January 2024). "Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is Out on February 21st". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  8. ^ Buchalter, Jake (2021-11-23). "All The Champions That Appeared In Arcane, Ranked". Game Rant. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  9. ^ Gera, Emily (2015-04-12). "A New Reason For League Of Legends Fans To Hate Teemo". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  10. ^ Thair-White, Lee Terry (2021-03-26). "League Of Legends: 10 Memes That Prove Teemo Is The Worst". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  11. ^ "League Of Legends Is Buffing The Master-Troll Champion Teemo...Again". Kotaku Australia. 2015-10-14. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  12. ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (2024-07-11). "Teemo in the wild: Scientists name newly discovered species in honor of LoL champ". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  13. ^ Wright, Irene (16 July 2024). "'Coral pink' sea creature — just millimeters wide — discovered. It's a new species". Miami Herald.
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