League of Legends: Winter Games 2010 Skins’ Review

Winter, snow covers every surface and the stern face of the competitors is reflected on the pristine ice. Their minds are focused and their bodies ready: there’ll be no other outcome but victory. Alas, only one can come on top, who could it be? Let’s take a look at the valiant participants of the Winter Games.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Anivia painted white, blue and red.
Model:	New textures for Anivia.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	The background of this piece is extensive but actually doesn’t amount to much. There are sparks over a clear sky and a platform made or covered by ruby and sapphire crystals yet it all seems to tell nothing. Anivia is depicted as if just landing or about to take flight while paying attention to something not depicted; a mere pose. The outline isn’t very precise as her body seems too wide and her wings too narrow. Moreover her breast displays wide ice shards with an icon that aren’t present in her three-dimensional model. On top of that, the contrast between the purely white body and her red legs is missing. Still, the shading is good and does an acceptable job at depicting sparkling ice; even if the reflections seem forced and dim. All in all, it’s a splash art that catches the eye but that has some inconsistencies.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Team Spirit Anivia is a capricious re-texture that restricts itself to simply being Anivia painted in three simple colours. Sure, blue fits her ice body but it’s the same colour used for her classic look. The others are a definite stretch that doesn’t fit her; they don’t even pass for ruby or sapphire crystal references. To sum up, Team Spirit Anivia is a forced re-colour that may only be of interest to collectors.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Amumu wearing bandages with the colours of the Olympic rings.
Model:	New textures for Amumu.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	Vancouver Amumu is a good albeit simple splash art. The background is little more that snow falling and, maybe, a sky. There seems to be ice beneath Amumu that reflects his image but this isn’t exploited. Amumu looks alright, the bandages show different colours, though not very clearly, and his pose is adequate. As a whole, this is a piece that does its job but nothing more.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Vancouver Amumu is a very simple re-texture of Amumu. It does, to an extent, reference the Olympic rings with its colours. However, the reference is subtle and the overall look is a bit plain. In conclusion, Vancouver Amumu has an appealing colour scheme but it isn’t much of an Olympic reference or an interesting concept.

Category:	Legacy, Legendary
Price:	1820 RP
Concept:	Corki flying an ice toboggan.
Model:	New textures for Corki and new model for his copter.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	A sky with some snow and flags is what the mess of white points and diffuse effects seem to aim for. While the idea is realized, to an extent, it looks rather rough and disappointing. Corki’s depiction isn’t much better as the shading and even lines looks awkward. Moreover, the toboggan looks like a screenshot of the 3D model; due to how the curves are done. Overall, an unprofessional splash art that should have no place in League of Legends.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Ice Toboggan Corki gives the helmet a new coat of paint and firmly plants him on a toboggan. The result is hardly amusing as we end with a floating toboggan with some sort of machine gun attached to the front. Not only is the skin quite a stretch but it also isn’t particularly witty or even attractive. Add to this the high price and we end up with a product that has no answer to a simple question: why buy it? Ice Toboggan Corki isn’t just a victim of League of Legends evolution, it’s also an idea that seemed good in theory but isn’t in practice.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Fiddlesticks wearing a sack with the United Kingdom flag printed on the front and back.
Model:	New textures for Fiddlesticks.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	While initially it seems like another re-colour of Classic Fiddlesticks’ old Western splash art it is actually a new piece. Regardless, the piece is heavily and unnecessarily based on the mentioned splash art. Fiddlesticks looks a little weird, even though the look is faithful to the in-game model. The background is unclear and seems to be there just to fill the space. Overall, a very disappointing splash art that barely does its job.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Union Jack Fiddlesticks is as plain a re-texture as it can be: only a few parts of Fiddlesticks model receive new textures: the hands, rags and ropes. This skin is heavily reliant on its concept more than the quality of its execution. Therefore, it’s a skin practically for those with a specific interest in the British flag. While it’s a unique collector’s item, aside from that and its concept there’s nothing else on offer.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Jax as an ice hockey player.
Model:	Major model changes for Jax, new model for his weapon.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	The ice background is simple but reasonably done. Still, it doesn’t set much of a stage for a hockey player. Jax’s portrayal allows a good look of his outfit and the shading isn’t bad at all. However, he suffers from perspective and proportion problems: the former, come from a viewing angle that isn’t low enough to excuse the oversized feet and small head; the latter, because even if we consider a low view his arms are short and his hands small. Overall, it’s not terrible as it serves its purpose but the depiction leaves much to be desired.
Rating:
Conclusion:	To put it simply The Mighty Jax is Classic Jax wearing a hockey jersey and pants while wielding a hockey stick. Actually, the description is as straightforward as the look; despite the patterns on the back and the logo on the jersey and stick. Truth be told, for Ice Hockey fans it’s not such a bad choice but this skin is more valuable as a collector’s item.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Kassadin dressed in red, white and green clothes.
Model:	New textures for Kassadin.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	The background shows an ice covered cave with a stone throne where Kassadin meditates. The setting doesn’t tell much of the concept, or Kassadin, and only what’s on the foreground is clearly displayed. At least, the throne with its rigid, imposing lines makes for a good frame. Kassadin’s portrayal is quite interesting, showing him reflecting on unknown matters. Such a glimpse into Kassadin’s life seems like an inspection of his mind that his stance reveals: what has become of him and how that has affected him. His profound stare into his hand, with materializing Nether Blade, paint a clear picture. The same can be said about his depiction: clear lines and shading make a sharp but a bit simple and sometimes flat look; despite the layer of frost over him. A problem is that his in-game model doesn’t sport the same style. For instance, both clothes and armour are more elaborate in-game but the result is a tad more convoluted. In the end, it’s a nice portrayal of Kassadin with an attractive composition but not as faithful as it should be.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Festival Kassadin is a rather disappointing skin that stamps some flashy patterns and bright colours over his classic style. The patters wouldn’t be such an issue if the colours didn’t make them so prominent. In addition to this, the colours simply don’t go well with Kassadin’s brooding nature. It’s far from unusable but such a flamboyant colour scheme feels unfitting. As far as being a different colouration for Kassadin the skin succeeds; but that’s all it does.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Twitch as a white rat with a multi-coloured coat.
Model:	New model textures for Twitch.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	The background is a messy suggestion for a snow storm that has been used in other splash arts; including the banners. Twitch looks like a screenshot of his polygonal model with some shading applied over. His look is clearly visible but nonetheless disappointing. In the end, it’s a passable splash art but in dire need of a replacement.
Rating:
Conclusion:	Essentially, Whistler Village Twitch is just white rat Twitch. The most distinct and, practically, only worthwhile change is the fur colour. His coat receives new colours so that it looks different with horizontal bands but it’s hardly noteworthy. If you ever wanted to see Twitch as a white rat then this was your chance. It’s not a bad look but it doesn’t do much anyway.

Category:	Legacy
Price:	520 RP
Concept:	Veigar dressed as a curling player.
Model:	Moderate model changes for Veigar and new model for his staff.
Particles:	No new particles.
Animations:	No new animations.
Sounds:	No new sounds.
Splash Art:	For all intents and purposes this piece lacks a proper background: it’s just some snowflakes and flags plus some suggested ice below. Veigar’s depiction isn’t very good either as he looks sketchy and boring. That’s probably a bad sign as the portrayal is quite faithful to the in-game look. Furthermore, there are problems with the proportions of his limbs and his left foot just looks deformed. Overall, a piece that hasn’t resisted the passing of time; even though it serves its basic purpose.
Rating:
Conclusion:	It could be said that Curling Veigar’s most distinct feature is that it changes the shape of Veigar’s eyes. The clothes are a pastiche made from a tracksuit, metal gloves and shoes plus a patterned wizard hat. The new staff turned broom is the best curling element present yet the skin still feels inconsistent. In spite of trying to show a tiny wizard ready for a curling game the skin simply doesn’t have any prominent features to make it interesting.

Conclusion

The Winter Games 2010 skins certainly show their age and in most cases don’t justify a purchase as there are better options available. If one recommendation has to be made then it would be Curling Veigar. For a reasonable price the skin suggests its chosen sport but mostly due to the eloquence of the broom. In the end, it’s acceptable but also the best of the set; which is a letdown.

Vancouver Amumu, Union Jack Fiddlesticks, The Mighty Jax, Festival Kassadin and Whistler Village Twitch are all skins that offer something unique but deeply buried into their classic personas. In these cases, unless you particularly like the theme or champion you’ll find that the skin does very little.

Finally, Team Spirit Anivia and Ice Toboggan Corki are skins that are barely worth their price. The former is almost identical to Classic Anivia as the colours struggle to give it a distinct identity. Conversely, the latter’s appearance stands out due to the toboggan but doesn’t offer anything else and thus feels underwhelming for its legendary price.