Neeko vs Taric Counter Pick

128 games on patch 16.13.1 is a shallow record, and 38.3% is a heavy reading to take from it, but the direction matches what these two kits do to each other. Taric is built to survive exactly the front-loaded magic burst Neeko produces.

• Cosmic Radiance grants nearby allies invulnerability after a delay, and that delay can be timed against the preparation phase of Pop Blossom.
• Bastion passively raises an ally’s armor and shields on cast, stacking on top of Taric’s own 40 armor at level one and 113.1 at eighteen.
• Starlight’s Touch heals from charges built by Bravado attacks, so poke that does not kill is recovered between waves.
• Dazzle stuns after a brief delay, punishing any attempt to close from 550 range into melee.

Durability sharpens the problem. Taric brings 645 health at level one against 610 and deals mixed damage rather than pure magic, so Neeko cannot answer him with one resistance while he itemizes cleanly against her single damage type. She keeps the health lead at eighteen, 2,378 to 2,328, and the mobility edge is nil at 340 apiece. He is rated 3 for difficulty and Neeko 5, so the harder champion is also the one behind. Pulling Taric away from his carry with Tangle-Barbs is the clearest opening, since Bastion holds only while the ally stays close.