Description
Unit Pairing joins two of your units into a pair that changes what one or both of them get.
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You set it up yourself on the board by dragging one unit onto the other. So it is a placement choice, not something combat does for you.
Two separate pairings turn up.
Taric: Dragging an ally onto your strongest Taric pairs them. From then on Taric's Ability reads both units. The shield goes off the first time either one of them drops below half Health. Both of them deal the bonus magic damage on their next attacks.
Big Furry Friend: Dropping a champion onto the Big Furry Friend makes that champion its Rider. The Rider is the unit that collects the bonus Health and Attack Speed the trait hands out. A holder of the matching emblem who is riding the Big Furry Friend gains a further helping of Attack Speed, Armor and Magic Resist.
What benefits from Unit Pairing (4)
Champions that benefit from Unit Pairing (1)
1 champion · paste in the game's Team Planner
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Emerald Radiance Passive: The first time Taric or his paired ally drops below 50% Health, unleash emerald energy from both of them, granting 270 / 501 / 14212 Shield to allies within 3 Hexes for 3 / 3 / 99 seconds. Active: Restore 275 / 450 / 3000 Health. Taric and his paired ally deal 130 / 200 / 1000 bonus magic damage on their next 2 attacks.
Traits that benefit from Unit Pairing (2)
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Drag an ally onto your strongest Taric to pair them, granting the ally powerful bonuses from Taric's Ability.
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Gain the Big Furry Friend. Drop a Sprykin on the BFF to pick its Rider.
Emblems that benefit from Unit Pairing (1)
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- +15 Armor
- +15 MR
- +10% AS
The holder gains the Sprykin trait. If the holder is riding the BFF, gain an additional 20% 15 15
Gain the Big Furry Friend. Drop a Sprykin on the BFF to pick its Rider.
- 3
- The Rider gains 15% and 15%
- 5
- 40% 35% , and 50% of the BFF's Ability applies to your Sprykin champions.
- 7
- 55% 55% , and 100% of the BFF's Ability applies to your Sprykin champions.
See also
Frequently asked questions
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What does it mean to "pair" two units, and how do I set a pairing up?
Pairing joins two of your units so one effect reads both.
You set it up yourself. Drop one unit onto its partner. So it is a choice about where units go, not something combat does.
Partner rules depend on the effect:
- One pairing takes an ally dragged onto your strongest copy of its champion.
- The other takes only a unit with the matching trait. An emblem gives that trait to any unit, so it can ride too.
Note: No source lists any ally the first pairing refuses.
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Does the pairing happen on its own if I never drag a partner?
For the linked kind, the game can pair it for you. Riot's patch notes say it can be auto-paired. No source says when this happens or how it picks the partner.
No source says whether the ridden kind picks a rider by itself.
Riot's notes list two fixed bugs with auto-pairing:
- The passive failed in the first fight after an auto-pair.
- The passive sometimes failed with an auto-assigned partner.
Note: Drag the partner yourself, so you know who it is.
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Do the two paired units merge into one, or have to stand next to each other?
It depends on the kind.
The linked kind keeps two separate units, each with its own Health. Its shield bursts out of both bodies and covers allies near either one. No source asks them to stand adjacent, and spacing them out may cover more of the board.
The ridden kind sits together. The rider sits on top of the mount. Both still have health bars, but normally only one shows.
Note: A partner standing alone shields few allies.
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Which of the two paired units actually gets the bonus?
It depends on the kind.
The linked kind pays both units:
- Either one can set off the shield, which bursts out of both.
- Both deal bonus magic damage on their next attacks.
- Riot's preview says the heal restores both. The client text names no target.
The ridden kind gives the rider extra Health and Attack Speed. Higher trait tiers pass part or all of the mount's Ability to your units of that trait.
Note: An emblem holder riding the mount also gains Attack Speed, Armor and Magic Resist.
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Does the paired ally's own Ability Power change the bonus damage?
Not as far as any source says. The bonus damage scales with the pairing champion's own Ability Power, and both units' empowered attacks use that ratio. Do not count on partner items to raise it.
The shield is a flat base plus a share of max Health. Riot says Health items on the pairing champion make it stronger. No source says whose Health counts when the partner sets it off.
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The shield fires "the first time either of them" drops low. Does it fire twice?
No. It fires once per fight.
The ability text gives the pair one "first time" rule. Whichever unit crosses the Health line first uses it up. The other one crossing later does nothing.
The shield then bursts out of both units at the same moment. That is why it can look like two triggers.
Note: No source says whether an ally standing near both bursts gets shielded twice. Do not plan around stacking it.
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Who should be the linked partner: a tank, another frontliner or the carry?
There is no single right pick. It is a trade-off.
- A frontliner takes damage early. So the shield fires sooner, close to the allies who need it.
- A fast attacker uses the bonus damage quickly, because it lands on its next attacks.
- A fragile backliner sets the shield off when divers reach it. The burst then helps your back line, not your front.
Note: Riot's launch preview says the heal also lands on the partner. If so, a partner that keeps taking damage gets the most from it.
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Who should ride the mount: a tank or a carry?
It depends on what you need the rider to do.
- The rider's Health and Attack Speed bonuses are percentages. They add more to a unit that already has a lot of both.
- Only a unit with the matching trait can ride. An emblem lets any unit in, and an emblem rider gains extra Attack Speed, Armor and Magic Resist.
Note: At the top trait tier, the full mount Ability reaches every matching-trait unit, not just the rider. Riot's patch notes say the Health and Attack Speed buff then helps all of them too. So who rides matters less there.
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Can I change a pairing later, and does it last between rounds or after benching?
Probably, but no source spells it out. The trait text only says to drag a unit onto the anchor or the mount to pick it. Making the drop again with a different eligible unit should make that one the partner.
These points are all unconfirmed:
- Whether the link carries into the next round.
- Whether a death, a sale or a trip to the bench clears it.
- What happens to the old rider when you swap riders.
Note: Check the pairing on your board after any change.
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I starred up or bought another copy. Did my pairing move to a different unit?
It can. The linked pairing anchors on your strongest copy of the champion. So buying or upgrading copies can change which body is the anchor. No source says what "strongest" means, or whether the partner follows it.
The pairing's numbers come from the anchor's Ability. So they rise with its star level.
The rider's Health and Attack Speed percentages come from the trait tier instead. Starring up the rider does not change those percentages.
Note: Re-check the board after an upgrade.