Prestige Star Guardian Ekko

First time I saw Prestige Star Guardian Ekko load into my game I genuinely had to double-take. Not gonna lie, the gold and white color shift from the base Star Guardian hit way harder than I expected for a Prestige variant. Been playing Ekko on and off since season 6 and this one immediately went into the permanent rotation.

What the Prestige version actually changes

So the base Star Guardian Ekko already came with new VFX and a new recall animation. The Prestige takes all of that and recolors everything into this warm gold and cream palette. His Q – the Timewinder – throws out this golden disc that trails light particles instead of the teal Star Guardian sparkle. Looks clean in lane, especially against darker Rift terrain. The W zone, Parallel Convergence, drops with a golden shimmer that I think reads slightly better in teamfights than the base version. Could be wrong here but the contrast feels sharper when you’re trying to land that stun on the backline.

His E dash leaves a trail of gold stars. Simple change – huge impact on the feel of diving someone. The ult rewind on R keeps the Star Guardian aesthetic but everything shifts to that prestige warmth. Three things stood out to me after maybe 40 games with this skin: the recall animation pops with the gold, the Q return particle is satisfying, and the passive proc on his Z-Drive has this subtle golden pulse.

Voice lines stay base though. Antony Del Rio’s VO from the original Ekko carries over, which is fine honestly. No voice filter either. You know what surprised me? How the gold works with Ekko’s animations specifically. The way he swings his bat, the gold trails just fit the character’s swagger. (Random aside: my duo partner thought this was a custom skin mod the first time he saw it in champ select.)

No new VO is the one downside. For a Mythic tier skin you’d hope for at least a filter, but Riot saved the voice budget for the Legendaries in that Star Guardian Season 4 batch I guess.

The Star Guardian Season 4 drop and how to get it

Prestige Star Guardian Ekko released July 14, 2022. Right in the middle of that massive Star Guardian Season 4 event that basically took over the game for a month. West Studio handled the splash art and they captured the vibe perfectly. The gold armor plating, the confident stance, the little star familiar floating nearby. Banger splash honestly.

The Star Guardian line is one of Riot’s most successful skinlines period. Season 4 alone had like eight or nine skins if you count the Prestiges. Ekko fits the magical boy archetype naturally, been part of the line since that initial expansion beyond the original five guardians.

This is a Mythic tier skin with Special pricing, meaning you couldnt just buy it with RP straight up. During the event it required Star Guardian tokens or Prestige Points depending on the timing. Available now through Mythic Essence rotation. So if you’re sitting on ME and main Ekko, keep an eye on the shop rotation. Fair warning, these rotations can take months to cycle back around.

No chromas on this one. Prestige skins dont get chromas since the whole point is the color variant IS the skin. Makes sense, would be weird to chroma a chroma essentially.

How it feels in ranked

Took this into ranked for about two weeks straight back when it dropped, spammed maybe 23 games in a row one weekend in Diamond. The VFX clarity is genuinely good. Some Ekko skins have particles that blend into certain map areas but the gold reads well everywhere. Especially in river fights around dragon pit where darker skins can lose visual clarity.

Played against a fed Syndra last Tuesday around 2 AM (dont ask why I was still queueing) and landed a three-man W stun that looked incredible with the golden zone. The kind of play where the skin makes the highlight reel look cleaner. Might be overthinking it but I swear the gold particles make it easier to track your own W zone placement in chaotic teamfights. Pre-6 laning feels smooth, the Q poke visuals give clear feedback on the return hit.

One thing I noticed after extended use: the gold palette can feel slightly less “cool” than the base Star Guardian teal. The base version has that magical anime energy while Prestige goes more regal. Its a matter of preference honestly. Some Ekko mains in my games rock the base Star Guardian and I get it.

Should you spend Mythic Essence on this?

Real verdict: Prestige Star Guardian Ekko is one of the better Prestige executions from that era. The gold recolor works because Ekko’s kit has enough particle-heavy abilities to showcase it. Compared to some Prestige skins that just look like someone cranked the saturation slider, this one feels intentional.

If you main Ekko and already own the base Star Guardian, this is a solid pickup when it rotates into the Mythic shop. Top pick for Ekko mains who want something exclusive. If you dont have base Star Guardian though, honestly grab that first since it gives you the full new VFX experience with better color contrast. The Prestige is the flex pick for one-tricks and collectors.

For Ekko players climbing through Diamond this season, the skin performs well visually without any distracting particles. Been daily driving it again recently after going back to PROJECT for a few months, and the Star Guardian Prestige just has a cleaner feel in teamfights. Season 9 I think or 10 dont remember exactly when I first started rotating Ekko skins seriously, but this Prestige variant has stayed in my top three since it came out. Worth the Mythic Essence if you can catch it.