Lunar New Year 2024 is one of the biggest events of the year in Asia, especially in countries like China, Vietnam, and South Korea. Therefore, during these events, Riot usually releases new skin lines for LoL. Of course, the theme is always about Lunar New Year, but each year is unique. In the Year of the Dragon 2024, Riot maintains its tradition with the Thanh Hoa skin line, alongside the skin line for the Divine Dragon to celebrate the Year of the Dragon that was released earlier. This time, there will be a series of new champions such as Aurelion Sol, Irelia, Morgana, Miss Fortune, Darius, Graves, and a familiar name, Kindred.
Among these, Kindred will be the champion with the Prestige skin. This will be the second time this champion appears in this skin line. However, in the Kindred Prestige Thanh Hoa skin, the champion known as “The Death of Runeterra” will have a form more similar to the original compared to the previously anthropomorphized version. Remember, the regular Thanh Hoa version of Kindred received quite a bit of mixed feedback from the online community, as many believed that the anthropomorphic design would diminish the uniqueness of this champion that consists of two entities.
Of course, this year the Dragon champions are prioritized, so Aurelion Sol is introduced as a key figure in this skin line. Therefore, the dragon-shaped champion from start to finish, Aurelion Sol, is favored with a Legendary skin. For those who don’t know, this is the first time in 10 years that Riot has allowed a non-human champion to have a Prestige skin. The last case was back in 2014, when Skarner the Battle Machine was released.
However, this can be seen as a move simply aligning with the theme for 2024, as well as “winning over” the LoL community, especially in the LPL region. After all, players themselves clearly see that Aurelion Sol is not a popular champion, both in casual matches and in professional arenas. Therefore, spending money on a skin for this champion may not truly be a wise investment, unless for players who excel with the Celestial Dragon.