It was high time for Garen to get a skin with decent artwork (if any champion needs an artwork upgrade, it's Garen) and it's been a while since Lux got a new skin. Therefore the release of this pair is exciting indeed and signals the start of a new wave of skins scheduled to be arriving this Spring.
In this blog, I will review the splash art for both skins but, in lieu of poor personal funds, will only review the in-game performance of Steel Legion Lux, as I usually don't play top-lane bruisers. Below is the splash art for both skins.
Steel Legion Garen
Steel Legion Lux
Reviews
Steel Legion Garen Splash ArtThe first adjective I could assign to this artwork was "old school". This art is much more matte in finish than some of the new splash art we've been seeing from Riot, much like the Aether Wing Kayle skin. However I like the realistic, gritty feel the art brings to these champions. Garen's art especially depicts an image or toughness; he's definitely a warrior ready for battle on the fields of justice. The calmed, determined nature of Lux's expression also reflects the champion's personality in a slightly different fashion; the notoriously chipper and determined Lux seems to have gotten slightly more serious air. Riot seems to have used these two skins to paint a strong picture of "harder times" and this is, in my opinion,perfect marketing and artistic tools.
Personally I don't know how Garen players feel about his new sword, it seems slightly more awkward to wield than his usual weapon and the lightning produced from it seems uncharacteristic for Garen who is an AD Caster. It does seem that Riot are going down the lines of building a technologically advanced future; notice that Garen's armour is the same colour as Aether Wing Kayle? She has brand new wings, he has a brand new sword. When looked at in that way, the choice of weapon in Steel Legion Garen begins to make more sense. The only thing I don't like about Garen's artwork is that, frankly, he looks rather obese. I know Garen is typically broad of shoulder and thick set, but his abdomen seems to have swelled exponentially in this skin and is rather awkward looking in my opinion.
Steel Legion Lux Splash Art:
As for Steel Legion Lux, having played her in-game I have to say that her in-game animation and appearance does rather outshine the artwork, which by no means grabbed me at first glance. I expected her face to carry some cleaner lines, but I do feel that this fits the overall feel of the artwork. "Old school" is definitely my adjective of choice here. Personally I would have preferred a more cutting-edge finish to the art, but I do also appreciate the grittiness of it. Similarly I would have liked the yellow tips and finishes to her weapon and armour to have been silver, like Garen's, rather than yellow. Right now her staff feels like a traffic baton or the light you see on a snow truck. Aside from this, though, I really like the new take on the weapon; it feels much more useful rather than decorative and pretty now, which is definitely appropriate for the tough image emphasized in the franchise.
Steel Legion Lux In-Game performance:
Personally, the in-game experience of this skin is what makes it. Despite the fact that, like in the Commando skin, Steel Legion Lux feels slightly chunky when played, the in-game play of this skin is really great. I have included some screenshots of the in-game of this skin take on Treeline in a bot game for ease of capture.
Each spell now comes with a new sound effect, staff animation and sometimes a graphical change to it's after effect. Her E now features a golden centre, but the her Q remains the same after casting. In the case of the latter spell, however, the cast animation is much improved. It's highly futuristic and really quite nice, featuring crackling electricity around the end of her staff. Similarly the appearance of the staff when using W also features this new effect and that is really nice to see from Riot. Furthermore her R now feels all the more devastating and beautiful as a result of the changes. Generally, I simply really love the in-game action of this skin with all it's additions and intricacy. The sounds and effects are futuristic and machine-like, which is completely fitting the picture painted by the splash art.
The addition of sounds and animation changes make you feel like you're getting something akin to a legendary without the obscene price-tag. Admittedly this skin is nowhere near the lines of Pulse Fire Ezreal and I don't mean to compare the two, but the full, altered Lux-package you get when purchasing this skin really does make it great value for money in my opinion. If only the splash art was as fantastic as the in-game, this skin would be amazing. As it stands I don't have any major issues with the splash art, it's just not as eye catching and wowing as I'd hoped it would be. I still feel, though, that this skin is definitely worth the money and I have a feeling there won't be many disappointed Lux players on the field of justice this week... unless they die just before they can get their ult off, of course.
Thank you for reading!
Garnet
Personally, the in-game experience of this skin is what makes it. Despite the fact that, like in the Commando skin, Steel Legion Lux feels slightly chunky when played, the in-game play of this skin is really great. I have included some screenshots of the in-game of this skin take on Treeline in a bot game for ease of capture.
Q - Light Binding
W - Prismatic Barrier
E - Lucent Singularity
R - Final Spark
Each spell now comes with a new sound effect, staff animation and sometimes a graphical change to it's after effect. Her E now features a golden centre, but the her Q remains the same after casting. In the case of the latter spell, however, the cast animation is much improved. It's highly futuristic and really quite nice, featuring crackling electricity around the end of her staff. Similarly the appearance of the staff when using W also features this new effect and that is really nice to see from Riot. Furthermore her R now feels all the more devastating and beautiful as a result of the changes. Generally, I simply really love the in-game action of this skin with all it's additions and intricacy. The sounds and effects are futuristic and machine-like, which is completely fitting the picture painted by the splash art.
The addition of sounds and animation changes make you feel like you're getting something akin to a legendary without the obscene price-tag. Admittedly this skin is nowhere near the lines of Pulse Fire Ezreal and I don't mean to compare the two, but the full, altered Lux-package you get when purchasing this skin really does make it great value for money in my opinion. If only the splash art was as fantastic as the in-game, this skin would be amazing. As it stands I don't have any major issues with the splash art, it's just not as eye catching and wowing as I'd hoped it would be. I still feel, though, that this skin is definitely worth the money and I have a feeling there won't be many disappointed Lux players on the field of justice this week... unless they die just before they can get their ult off, of course.
Thank you for reading!
Garnet
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