Star Guardian Ahri

My Ahri one-trick friend has owned every Ahri skin since season 4. She cycles through them randomly most of the time. Except Star Guardian Ahri. Thats the one she comes back to every couple months, plays it for two weeks straight, then rotates out again. Asked her why once and she just said “it’s the vibe.” Having played against it hundreds of times in Diamond, I get what she means.

What the Star Guardian treatment does for Ahri

The model turns Ahri into the leader of the second Star Guardian team. White and pink magical girl aesthetic, nine tails radiating with starlight, a transformation sequence in the recall that goes hard. Multiple splash artists worked on this one including Alex “alexplank” Flores and Jean “Curing” Go. The result is a splash that captures the whole magical girl team leader energy.

Charm on E is the ability that changes the most visually. Instead of Ahri’s usual heart projectile you get this star-infused pink blast that looks noticeably different in lane. Landing charm on an enemy ADC in a teamfight and seeing the Star Guardian particles pop is way more satisfying than base. Her Q, Orb of Deception, throws out a star-shaped orb with a glowing trail. The return trip back to Ahri has different coloring than the outbound throw which I think helps track the hitbox.

Fox-Fire on W summons three little star flames that orbit Ahri before locking onto targets. Pretty. The tracking on these is satisfying because each little star flame leaves a brief trail as it locks on. In extended trades in mid lane where you pop W and let the flames chase down the enemy while you kite back, the visual reads really well. You can tell exactly when each flame connects.

Spirit Rush on R dashes with starlight bursts on each charge. Three charges, three bursts of pink and white particles. Using all three R charges in quick succession during a dive onto the backline looks incredible. Did exactly that in a ranked game last Saturday and deleted their Jinx before anyone could peel. The after-action replay made it look like a scene from an anime. Real talk though, the R animation on Star Guardian Ahri might be the smoothest-feeling dash in the game. Something about the starlight burst on each cast just flows.

Voice lines got a full rework. Laura Post voices Ahri with more determination and leadership energy compared to base Ahri’s playful tone. Fits the Star Guardian narrative where she is the experienced veteran mentor of the team. (Sidebar: the voice interactions with Star Guardian teammates are some of Riot’s best cross-skin dialogue work.)

The chroma situation and Star Guardian line

Star Guardian Ahri has exactly 1 chroma, the Ahri-versary chroma, which gives her a golden color scheme. Just one. For a Legendary skin released September 6, 2017 at 1820 RP, having only one chroma feels sparse. But the base color palette is so well done that honestly you dont need more.

Part of the Star Guardian Season 2 skinline, which was the wave that really cemented Star Guardian as one of Riot’s flagship skin lines. Still available in the shop.

Should Ahri players pick this up

Ahri has like 15 skins at this point so the competition is real. Spirit Blossom Ahri exists. K/DA ALL OUT exists. Coven Ahri exists. All strong options. But Star Guardian is the Legendary with full voice rework, new VFX on everything, and a thematic identity that just clicks with the champion. Could be wrong but I think if you polled Ahri mains on their favorite skin, Star Guardian and Spirit Blossom would be neck and neck at the top.

At 1820 RP its a standard Legendary price. The one Ahri-versary chroma adds minor variety. Worth the investment if you play Ahri regularly. Maybe wait for a sale if she’s just a pocket pick for you. But honestly even as someone who doesnt main Ahri, every time I see this skin on an enemy mid laner in Diamond I respect it. It just looks right on her. The Ahri skin if you can only own one, or at worst tied with Spirit Blossom for that spot.