Recently, the League of Legends community was abuzz when the CKTG skin for Edward Gaming, after many days of anticipation, was revealed. This skin line is a blend of medieval and modern styles. The costume showcases European nobility, yet also features strong Chinese design elements – the homeland of the champions EDG. Notably, this skin line has received very positive feedback from the League of Legends community.
While the League of Legends community, particularly LPL fans, are thrilled with the new skin line, many viewers are also “digging up” past CKTG skins from LPL. After all, to date, League of Legends in China has only seen three championships at the highest level of international tournaments. Among these three CKTG skins, the one that has been mocked the most is none other than the FunPlus Phoenix CKTG skin from 2019. In fact, some Chinese netizens humorously commented that the Invictus Gaming skin looks like a goddess, the EDG skin resembles a god, while the FPX skin looks like… Ultraman.
In light of this new wave of mockery, Doinb – the owner of what is considered the “worst fail” skin among FPX’s skins that year – FPX.Malphite, had to speak out. He stated on his stream: “You have to know that the year our skins were designed was 2020. At that time, there was a pandemic explosion. Many people on the Riot design team told us they were working from home. Moreover, our feedback was not taken into account. Partly because that feedback couldn’t be adjusted if they were only working from home. They didn’t hold many meetings to discuss these skins either.”
Doinb’s explanation sounds quite reasonable and further expresses his own regret. However, there is a bit of consolation for Doinb and the FPX team. Their 2019 skin achieved about 50% of the sales compared to the IG skin. This figure is not insignificant. After all, IG was the first LPL team to win the CKTG, and their skin was beautifully designed, making it very well-received by Chinese fans. Doinb also mentioned that the FPX skin is very popular in European and American regions, and most Malphite players there use his skin.
Nevertheless, the story of FPX’s skin has become history. Doinb himself has often regretted his “slightly wrong” choices from years ago. The only way to redeem himself is to strive to win the CKTG once more. However, this is now quite challenging for Doinb, as he is aging and gradually approaching the decline of his career.