No other champion enjoys the kind of infamy attached to Teemo’s name. Whether you know him as a cute little yordle or the devil himself, there’s no doubt that he is one of the more popular picks in the game especially in lower elos. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing the Swift Scout.

Anyone who’s ever played League of Legends probably has their own horror story on how they lost a game because of Teemo. And who could blame them? Teemo is such a versatile champion that you can actually play in all five roles; even as a Jungler. However, we believe that he thrives best in the Top Lane so that’s where this guide will focus on. As a Top Laner, Teemo has superb lane control thanks to his kit. He can infinitely kite immobile tanks and can even out duel strong duelists. Overall, Teemo is a very fun and easy champion to play that can snowball hard and give nightmares to the enemy team.

Abilities

Teemo’s whole kit is all about dealing sustained damage from afar. True to his lore, you play Teemo with guerilla-like tactics: using vision control and range to whittle his opponents’ health bars.

Passive – Guerilla Warfare

If Teemo stands still for 1.5 seconds without being damaged, he becomes Invisible.

If Teemo does not take damage for 1.5 seconds while in brush, he will stealth. This effect can occur while moving. Teemo can move around in brush without breaking his stealth. Upon breaking Camouflage by attacking or moving (out of brush). Teemo gains the Element of Surprise, granting Attack Speed for 3 seconds.

Guerilla Warfare pretty much sums up what Teemo is all about. There are tons of creative ways you can use the stealth and surge of attack speed from this passive ability. 

Q – Blinding Dart

Deals magic damage and blinds the target.

Blinding Dart is Teemo’s primary damaging ability. It effectively counters ADCs and other basic attack focused champions. When built with the right items, this ability can deal a huge amount of burst damage.

W – Move Quick

Passive: Teemo’s Movement Speed is increased unless he has been damaged by an enemy champion or turret in the last 5 seconds.

Active: Teemo sprints, gaining twice his normal bonus for 3 seconds. This bonus is not lost when struck.

Move Quick is your main mobility spell. Although it isn’t that useful these days (which is why it’s probably maxed last) it’s still pretty handy for repositioning or even escaping in clutch situations.

E – Toxic Shot

Passive: Teemo’s basic attacks poison their target, dealing magic damage upon impact and magic damage each second for 4 seconds. The total damage is increased by 150% against monsters.

Toxic Shot is Teemo’s source of sustained damage. It increases his DPS and will be maxed first in every game. It helps you clear waves and last hit minions easily while also increasing your dueling capabilities.

R – Noxious Trap

Tosses a stored mushroom as a trap that detonates if an enemy steps on it, spreading poison to nearby enemies that slows Movement Speed, reveals them and deals magic damage over 4 seconds. Traps last 5 minutes and take 1 second to arm and stealth. If a thrown trap lands on another trap, it will bounce further before planting.

Noxious Trap’s primary use is for map control. It lasts for a maximum of 5 minutes which is a massive amount of vision & time when used properly and placed in ideal locations, especially if the enemies are not clearing them out effectively around objectives like Baron Nashor and Dragon.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to items, your focus on Teemo should be to increase his overall damage output by buying ability power items.

Starting Items

Since Teemo is a mage, he starts the game with a Doran’s Ring. It gives you everything you need to make it out of the early laning phase including mana, ability power, and sustain. 

Mythic Item

For your Mythic item, you have two solid choices and both of them are extremely viable. The first and better option, in our opinion, is Liandry’s Anguish. This item increases all your major stats while also improving the sustained damage you deal from all your abilities. The burn effect stacks really well with Toxic Shot and Noxious Trap. On the other hand, you have Riftmaker which gives you similar stats but it’s more focused on giving you sustain. Overall, what you choose should depend on your preference but if you’re unsure, you can’t go wrong with Liandry’s Anguish.

Full Build

After purchasing your desired Mythic, upgrade into tier 2 boots. Since Teemo is a mage, go for Sorcerer’s Shoes. Next, increase your on-hit magic damage and attack speed by getting Nashor’s Tooth. Increase your damage based on your target’s health by getting Demonic Embrace and Shadowflame. Finish off your build with a Zhonya’s Hourglass for the ability power, armor, and overall survivability it provides.

Runes

For runes, go with the Precision tree and take Press the Attack as your keystone. This will increase your overall damage output once you hit enemy champions three consecutive times. Next, take Triumph for the sustain, Legend: Alacrity for the attack speed, and Coup De Grace to help you deal more damage to low health enemy champions. For secondaries, take Bone Plating and Overgrowth from the Resolve tree. Bone Plating will reduce the damage you receive from enemies while Overgrowth will increase your health when minions or monsters die near you. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. Try placing Noxious Traps on key areas around maps like near walls or around the entrance of a brush. This will ensure that anyone passing through them will be hit by the shrooms.
2. Teemo is countered by Vladimir, Olaf, Akali, Aatrox, and Mordekaiser. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For summoner spells, always take Flash and Teleport. Flash is the go to utility spell that gives you another form of escape while Teleport allows you to have a better global presence around the map.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Teemo in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!