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League of Legends: Ivern Skins’ Review – StrategyZero
Oct 062016
 
Ivern, the Green Father
Ivern, the Green Father

Many seasons ago, Ivern wasn’t a father nor was he green. His presence caused fear and yet it still does. According to legend, there is an entity that protects the forests in all of their flora and fauna. He isn’t often seen but his presence can always be felt. Those that commune with wildlife have nothing to worry about and much to learn from his gentle disposition. Those that trample over the natural order will find that he is much more than a lone rumour. Ivern, the Green Father watches over all life and we are only asked to respect its cycle and bloom.

Candy King Ivern
 Splash Art Candy King Ivern Model
Category: Regular
Price: 1350 RP
Concept: Ivern as a merry monarch of confectionery and Daisy as a cupcake golem.
Model: New model for Ivern and Daisy.
Particles: New particles for his abilities, auto-attack, recall, joke, taunt and death.
Animations: New recall animation.
Sounds: New sounds for his abilities, auto-attack and recall plus new confectionery-inspired quotes.
Splash Art: In terms of setting there isn’t much to speak about. The background is peculiarly frugal in details so that besides Ivern and Daisy there’s mostly sky to see. There are a few, very diffuse, icing coated hills and a field of lollipops with a creepy reminder of an otherwise sweet and plucky yordle. At least there’s a scene with content to behold; though it’s not evident at first sight. A small army of gingerbread men assault both Ivern and Daisy with voracious intent. Ivern takes one of Daisy’s cherries in his hand and away from a gingerbread man but it’s only one target for them: Ivern’s head cream is also an objective.
With regards to the portrayals the gingerbread men can look a bit uneven but there’s enough consistency between their aspects. The angle at which we look at Ivern and Daisy doesn’t help in making the depiction clear. The lines are well defined and the colours have bright hues and effective shading which convey the confectionery look in all areas. However, there’s some blurriness which intends to display motion which isn’t very effective. Cloth can, at times, look like fitting wrapping but also like a thin, flat piece of nylon. Metal textures don’t convince either with their unpolished surfaces. It’s also worth mentioning that even if Daisy seems to have a face of outrage at the handling of her cherries her convoluted appearance isn’t very clear about her cupcake physiognomy. In fact, it’s difficult to see her as more than a mass of cream spotted with sweets and cherries. That cream also looks somewhere between jelly and plastic when dripping from the cherry on Ivern’s hand.
In the end, though Ivern’s handling of Daisy’s cherries could be considered scandalous it’s also something that ends up having little explanation. The assault of the gingerbread men seems enough of a setup for defensive manoeuvres; yet what Ivern is really up to with Daisy is better not left to the imagination. Regardless, despite the simplistic setting and empty background there’s more than a simple spotlight. Besides, textures manage to look delicious at their best even if things are uneven in general. This makes the splash art interesting and worth giving a look but not as useful at portraying an evocative scene or displaying the characters in their best light as it should.
Rating: Star clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZero
Conclusion: With his candy body and cream beard Candy King Ivern accomplishes a humorous wise-king look that suits his cheerful personality. The head topped with half a donut and the left forearm made out of ice cream and cone seem fittingly whimsical yet also exaggerated. The general appearance is clear enough about the confectionery theme and those explicit additions prevent other subtler alternatives from taking place. For example, Ivern’s limbs could be made of different flavours of candy twisted together. While the candy laces of his body have different shades it’s all too measured.
Daisy looks even more bizarre as a cupcake monster but she doesn’t look bad. It’s only that the hunched body and deformed features make her look rather monstrous despite the appealing materials. Still, there’s a subtle light-heartedness in the design that prevents the look from being unappealing. While we are on the subject, her auto-attacks exhibit new candy particles and a cupcake indicator that round her presentation effectively; though the sounds seem to be unchanged.
Back to Ivern, his particles and sounds keep the comical feel associated with his Candy King persona. Contrary to what could be expected the visuals don’t rely entirely on various sweets but instead also incorporate sparkles and blue mists. Even if they aren’t a natural reflection of the theme they provide some variety to the look while retaining the lighthearted approach. Sadly, brush doesn’t transform into candy and the base of each ability is firmly untouched. The sounds rely on various high-pitched humorous sounds that resemble comedy cartoons. Given the visuals and Ivern’s characteristic temperament they manage to support the skin with a fitting and appealing aural landscape. The new recall is the cherry on top of the cake: it finishes the theme with a funny bout of voracious gluttony.
All things considered, Candy King Ivern is a skin that evidently takes advantage of the Green Father’s joyous personality. His delight for wildlife is transported into a world of confectionery which ends up being quite appealing. In spite of this, there’s the perception that the skin covers the bases and plays it safe. After all, the recall is a good example of a lively display that isn’t equated by the abilities. Each action is content with retreading the same procedure with only superficial changes. It works, but misses the opportunity of being more than a change of look; especially as there’s evidence to indicate that much more could’ve been accomplished. For that reason, Candy King Ivern is a nice and appealing skin that can reach yet misses greatness.

Conclusion

As a release skin, Candy King Ivern is a skin that makes the most of the Green Father’s cheerful disposition. His comical personality and devotion to wildlife is transferred to confectionery with appealing visuals and sounds. The comical approach of the skin is present in all aspects but always respecting, to a fault, the classic interpretation. This choice prevents the skin from exploiting its vivacious potential; briefly shown in the recall. It’s still a nice option that will appeal to fans of lighthearted skins; even if it doesn’t manage to be great.

  20 Responses to “League of Legends: Ivern Skins’ Review”

  1. I’m pretty sure Candy King has a lot of new lines about candy.

  2. Hey zero!

    Can I ask? Should I buy the Candy King Ivern skin or wait for another skin to come out? (I don’t have any idea when a champ is going to have a skin, surely it’s not yearly right?) Ivern is such a great champ and I would be willing to buy him a skin unfortunately i’m not a big fan of sweets and pink stuff. Should I buy it right now or wait for a skin that you’d give a 5 star?

    Also. I have been reading your reviews from the day I started playing league, and I’d say that this site has been a great help in deciding if I’m going to buy a skin or not. Great job here from PH!

    • Glad the you’ve found the site useful. We’ll keep working hard.

      If you aren’t a fan of confectionery then we’d advise you to wait. Candy King Ivern is good but rather convetional in its approach. It tries to do as little as possible for its price tier. On top of that, the skin doesn’t do more than what it intends so if you are looking for a skin that delivers more than a sweet theme this isn’t the one.

      Unfortunately, patience will be necessary because there’s no way of telling when Ivern will receive a new skin. At any rate, if you are still considering buying it then get it on sale. It’s too expensive a skin to end up not being used.

  3. Hi! These skin reviews have been great. I love how detailed and descriptive the text is. Thank you so much!

  4. Hello Zero! I find that your reviews are very useful in helping me to find the right skins, at least to some extent. However, your art reviews really bother me. Have you ever wondered why the background is diffuse in most of the skin splashes? I find that it’s very logical to have a less detailed background as it gives more focus to the subject, which is the skin. If a skin splash were to have a clear and detailed background, the subject would get lost in it and fail to stand out…

    • Gad that you find the reviews useful.

      With regards to the background we disagree. A rich and relevant background provides context and setting for a portrayal so that it’s more than a pose. That doesn’t mean that the background has to compete with the champion for attention. However, there’s ample room to add element to support a portrayal. It’s not even necessary to make the background diffuse because there are many other ways of conveying what the centre of the piece is.

      In fact, when a splash art is well done it doesn’t need artificial additions to guide the viewer: it flows naturally. We prefer splash arts that offer a whole instead of a portrayal with something behind. In those cases a piece can communicate a message with a meaning that matters for the skin or champion. We understand your point of view but if you check the best splash arts you’ll see that their are an organic whole more than a focus on a single character.

  5. Another question for you, Zero, which is your favorite skin series? (Crimson Elite, PROJECT, Arcade, etc.) For me, my favorite would have to be Dark Star for the very appealing visual effects and sinister portrayal of both Thresh and Varus.

    • Currently, skin series have ended being quite uneven. The potential is there to be impressive and we see PROJECT as a very interesting potential future that could be tied to the main fantasy more closely. Crimson Elite hasn’t been very explored so it’s mostly a costume for the few champions involved. Arcade seems content with being a bit of a joke mixed with reference on the side. It could but doesn’t seem like it’s developed with any ties to the main fantasy in mind. Something similar applies to Star Guardian which could see some overlap with the Academy skins.

      Off the top of the head we can’t think of a specific skin series that stands above the others. Some have more development that others but all have their strong and weak points.

  6. Hello Zero!

    Thank you for all the work you have put into this website. I have used it numerous times in debate over whether or not I should buy a skin.
    While this may be a little overeager as she hasn’t been released yet, what do you think of Program Camille and how it compares to the base splash? I have the IP to get her on release and she “clicked” with me when I tried her out on PBE, so I’m interested in obtaining her and potentially her skin.

    Thanks again for all the work you’ve done!
    –mnI

    • Glad that you find the reviews useful.

      We agree that Program Camille is an attractive skin. The model is very well done but we find that the particles and sounds letdown. The recall is good but there aren’t any other new animations. Overall, it’s a fine skin but we would’ve expected a more consistent execution.

  7. Greeting 😀 Zero, I hope you having another amazing year with this page.

    I come here to talk about upcoming skin that i just excited for this tree-hugging friend. When Riot leaked some skins will come out this year, there is legendary skin for Ivern known as ” Ivern the cruel “. This is skin that actually relate to his lore, hence the name, ivern could turn one part evil or fully cruel.

    Since ” Ivern the cruel ” is his human form before in lore, God Willow turn him into 😀 our friendly man in the forest. Which i would think that his model can contain human part of him (and his golden ring in basic skin). I do not know how he react with forest creature or particle related.

    So I would love to see your reply about this potential skin after 2 years left out.

    • Thanks for the kind wishes.

      A legendary skin tied to his lore would be ideal. Not only would the skin be meaningful but also it would offer an interesting take on Ivern. Now the question is how to adapt a new form to the current base, especially if it’s a human form. That’s what the execution will have to do well because the concept surely sounds interesting. Perhaps it’ll be something in-between being evil and good. We’ll have to wait and see what Riot comes up with.

  8. When will Dunkmaster Ivern be added here? It’s quite unfortunate that the only two skins he has aren’t that great..

    • Agreed, Ivern skins aren’t very good, unfortunately. We will try to review the skin as soon as we are able. We are delayed so it will take some time but we will review the skin.

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