These Pokémon-Like Creatures Might Get This Noob To Try League of Legends

Alright, I'm going to drop a big bomb here. So, please go easy on me. I've never played League of Legends. Yes, yes, I know. This is a massive gap in my pop culture and video game knowledge, but back in 2009, when League of Legends was originally released, I was finally getting over a World of Warcraft obsession, and I wasn't looking to dedicate myself to a new online game. Finally, I hadn't committed to the esports thing yet.

I mean, if you could have witnessed how many hours I've logged in WOW's Warsong Gulch PVP capture the flag, you'd understand! But, I'll admit, after recent events, my curiosity has been piqued. If you've been following my recent posts, then you're aware of my love of Pokémon. I've been on the road to Pokémon mastery since the 5th grade, and I'm not slowing down any time soon. This week Polygon released an interesting article about League of Legends adding "Pokémon like pals" to the fray.

Taking a page from Pokémon, League of Legends fans will soon be introduced to the new jungle pets. Players in the jungle role can purchase an egg containing the Noxian Embercat, Ixtali Ixamander, or Ionian Cloudleaper. As the player kills monsters in the jungle, the pet grows into a stronger version of itself that grants a powerful buff. This sounds a lot like Pokémon to me, and if it is, I'm all for it. I've always been a fan of collecting and building up pets. In WOW, I was a hunter, so I had an animal companion I would raise and unleash upon my enemies. Still, even before then, I was into Digimon, Tamagachi, and even Gigapets which all required me to collect and raise little creatures.

Each jungle pet will have its own play styles and stats. Noxian Embercat will play more aggressively and deal bonus damage, Ixtali Ixamander will serve as a defensive tank for their teams, and Ionian Cloudleaper will provide bonus movement speed to move around the map more quickly. I'll be interested to see if they add more pet pals based on the success of these initial three. It's pretty clear how their color schemes of red, blue, and green represent the original starting Pokémon choices of Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They're definitely trying to emulate Pokémon here. Let's just see how far they go.

So, maybe it's time I finally jumped in and got involved with one of the world's largest esports. With over 100 million registered users, there's got to be something here that I'm missing, and this preseason patch seems like a good spot to jump in and test my metal.

💬 What are your favorite esports games, and what do you think of Riot's new addition of jungle pets? Let me know, and let's chat about it.