The latest wave of World Champion skins are soon coming to the League of Legends PBE. Has Riot done FunPlus Phoenix justice? We think so!
With the League of Legends esports world in the throes of the playoffs drama, Riot has given us quite the blast of the past. A recent Twitter announcement gave us the first look at the skins dedicated to the winners of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship – China’s FunPlus Phoenix.
A Worlds Tradition
The first championship skins were released way back in 2013, as then-reigning champions Taipei Assassins got a series of limited-availability skins celebrating their win in 2012. Those were soon followed by skins for Fnatic, the winners of the first tournament back in 2011, and SKT, who won the 2013 event.
Ever since, LoL developer Riot Games has worked with the players that win Worlds to release a series of skins commemorating the victors.
When China’s summer split champions FunPlus Phoenix won Worlds in 2019 after a decisive 3-0 match against Europe’s G2 Esports, many fans were most interested in what skins Riot would make for them. Last December, the players confirmed the champions that they have chosen.
- Kim “Gimgoon” Han-saem, top lane: Gangplank
- Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang, jungle: Lee Sin
- Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang, mid lane: Malphite
- Lin “Lwx” Wei-Xiang, bot lane: Vayne
- Liu “Crisp” Qing-Song, support: Thresh
The one unusual pick is Doinb’s, as Malphite is not traditionally a mid-lane champion. Still, the FunPlus Phoenix mid laner was well known to experiment with his picks and he did pick the rock giant in FPX’s win against Vietnam’s GAM Esports. There is a rumor in the Korean Inven community that this might be a gesture to his wife, as Malphite is reportedly the champion she plays the most.
With this selection, Lee Sin, Thresh and Vayne join Ezreal and Rakan as the only champions to have two Worlds skins: SKT’s Bae “Bengi” Seong-woong and Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin picked Lee Sin and Vayne after their first title in 2013, while Samsung White’s Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong picked Thresh when he got to pick following his title in 2014.
The selection
This week, we finally got the official confirmation on what the skins will look like in action – and they look good.
Take a first look at FPX Lee Sin, Vayne, Thresh, Malphite and Gangplank, coming soon to PBE! pic.twitter.com/MjRxg1geHu
— League of Legends // UK, IE & Nordics (@LoLUKN) April 14, 2020
Riot has given the champions a modern makeover in the FPX color scheme: black and fiery yellow, orange and red. Expect to see a lot of flame and firework effects. Like in the last two series, the champions have customized recall animations that also feature the signature of the player. Some of them have an extra bit of self-awareness to them, too.
The skins are soon coming to the PBE (Public Beta Environment) server, where they will be playtested. They will likely be released with the 10.9 patch, though of course that is subject to change. Riot recently released Patch 10.8, so there might still be some time before we see the FPX skins on the live servers. We also got a nice Galaxies event if you really want to get into the whole Light/Dark eternal battle.
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According to the preliminary information, the skins will cost 1350 RP each. Interestingly enough, the PBE server shop also features “Elite” chromas, for those who want their skins to have some extra flair.
Traditionally, Worlds skins are available only temporarily, usually upon release and during the World Championship. So if you want to get them, don’t delay too much!
