Description
Unit Pairing joins two of your units into a pair that changes what one or both of them get.
Read moreShow less about Unit Pairing
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
-
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 100 / 150 / 1000 bonus magic damage on their next 2 attacks.
Traits that benefit from Unit Pairing (2)
-
Drag an ally onto your strongest Taric to pair them, granting the ally powerful bonuses from Taric's Ability.
-
Gain the Big Furry Friend. Drop a Sprykin on the BFF to pick its Rider.
Emblems that benefit from Unit Pairing (1)
-
- +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
-
What does it mean to "pair" two units, and how do I set a pairing up?
Pairing joins two of your own units so one effect reads both instead of one.
You set it up yourself. Pick a unit up and drop it onto its partner. It is the same drag you use to put anything on the board. It is a positioning choice, like where you set each unit down.
Which units are eligible depends on the effect:
- One pairing accepts any ally.
- Another accepts only a unit of the matching trait, which an emblem can grant.
-
Does pairing merge the two units into one, or do both still fight separately?
No. Both stay separate units.
One pairing triggers the first time either partner drops below half Health. That needs two Health pools. The energy bursts out of both bodies, so both keep their own hexes. Both deal the bonus damage on their next attacks.
The other pairing has one unit ride on top of its partner and move with it. But the mount and its rider still act as two things.
Note: Nothing fuses into a single champion.
-
Do the two paired units have to stand next to each other for the bonus to work?
Not for the linked kind. It fires from both partners at once and shields allies within 3 hexes. So two separate spots on the board is the point. That means standing next to each other is not required.
The ridden kind is different by definition. One unit sits on top of the other and moves with it.
Note: Distance only matters where the effect names a range. A 3-hex burst still reaches only allies who are close.
-
Which of the two paired units actually receives the bonus?
It depends on which pairing you mean.
One shape pays both. Either body can set off the trigger, and the burst comes from both. Both deal bonus magic damage on their next attacks.
The other shape pays the unit you dropped. It alone gains the percentage Health and Attack Speed. Deeper trait breakpoints, though, spread part of the mount's Ability to your other matching-trait units.
Note: The mount's own attacks and Ability change with a melee or ranged rider. An emblem holder in that seat gains extra Attack Speed, Armor and Magic Resist.
-
An effect fires "the first time either of them" drops below a Health line — does that mean it fires twice?
No. It fires once.
The wording puts both units under a single "first time" clause. Whichever body crosses the line first spends it. The other body crossing later does nothing.
The shield then goes out of both of them at the same moment. That is what makes it look like two firings.
Note: Whether two overlapping bursts add up for an ally standing near both is not documented. Do not count on double shielding.
-
Can I change or undo a pairing once I have made it?
You can change it. The partner is simply whichever eligible unit you dropped. You re-pick by making the drop again with a different one. The trait text frames it as your choice, not a locked assignment.
Past that, nothing is published. These points are all unconfirmed:
- Whether swapping is limited to the planning phase.
- Whether a replaced partner keeps anything.
- Whether sliding a paired unit to another hex clears the link.
Note: Check your board rather than assuming.
-
Does the pairing survive between rounds, and what happens if one of the pair dies or is sold?
No source states this. What is documented is only how a pairing is made. You drop one unit onto the other, and that unit becomes the partner.
These points are all unpublished:
- Whether the link survives into the next round.
- Whether a death, a sale or a trip to the bench clears it.
- Whether a survivor keeps what the pair granted.
Note: Re-check the pairing on your board after anything changes.
-
I starred up or bought another copy — did my pairing move to a different unit?
It can. One pairing anchors on your strongest copy of a champion, by the trait's own wording. So which body is the anchor is the game's call. Buying or upgrading copies can change it.
That pairing's numbers also come from the anchor's Ability. So they rise with its star level.
The other pairing's Health and Attack Speed come from the trait tier instead, not from star level.
Note: Re-check the board after an upgrade.
-
Is pairing ever a trap — can I pick the wrong partner?
Yes. A bad pick wastes it.
- The Health and Attack Speed handed to a rider are percentages. They multiply what that unit already has, so a tough, fast-attacking body gains far more than a fragile one.
- The mount's own attacks and Ability change with a melee or ranged rider. So the choice reshapes how the pair fights.
Note: A one-shot trigger that reads both partners' Health fires early if you paired the squishiest unit you own.