Championship Riven Skin – Complete Breakdown
Availability:
Not available in the store.
Original Price:
975 RP (when it was first released)
Design Concept:
A dazzling blue obsidian sword, heroic Valor-style armor, and the Roman numeral II etched in tribute to the 2012 League of Legends World Championship.
Model Updates:
Revamped model featuring new armor, hair color, and sword design.
Visual Effects:
Custom blue-hued particle effects for all abilities, including the ultimate.
Animations:
Exclusive new recall animation.
Sound Effects:
No unique sound effects.
Rarity:
Common (but highly sought after due to its history and exclusivity).
Original Release Date:
October 14, 2012
A Glimpse Into the Legacy of Championship Riven
Championship Riven isn’t just a skin – it’s a relic from League of Legends history. Released in 2012 to commemorate the World Championship, it was never meant to be legendary. Originally conceived as a standard skin, Riot pivoted after realizing the timing aligned perfectly with the LCS. That decision changed everything.
Each year since, a new Championship-themed skin has been released for a different champion, starting with Riven and continuing through Thresh, Shyvana, Kalista, and more.
Interestingly, the visual inspiration for Championship Riven came from a truly surreal natural phenomenon: the neon blue flames of Indonesia’s Ijen volcano. High sulfur content causes this volcanic fire to glow electric blue – an otherworldly look that Riot captured beautifully in the skin.
How It Was Distributed
In 2012, fans attending the LCS Finals in person received the skin bundled with their ticket. Later, Riot made it available for a limited time in the in-game store – from October 14 to October 22. Once it disappeared, it stayed gone. Code trading briefly flourished online, with prices skyrocketing over $300 – until Riot permanently disabled the redemption of codes, ending the gray market for good.
An estimated 8,000 players got the skin through ticket purchases alone.
2015 Pick’em Challenge – A One-in-a-Million Prize
Fast-forward to 2015: the only way to get Championship Riven was to ace the World’s Pick’em Challenge. To win, players had to predict every single match of the World Championship perfectly. Unsurprisingly, only one person managed it, making this skin a truly exclusive prize after a three-year hiatus.
Expanding the Championship Collection (2012–2015)
Here’s the order of release for the first wave of Championship skins:
Riven (2012)
Thresh (2013)
Shyvana (2014)
Kalista (2015)
With the 2016 World Championship looming, a fifth skin was inevitable – and Riot didn’t disappoint.
Championship Riven Returns – 2016 Edition vs. Legacy
In 2016, Riot launched the Championship Bundle, which included five skins:
Riven
Thresh
Shyvana
Kalista
Zed (new for 2016)
To honor the original owners, Riot introduced visual updates to the legacy version of Championship Riven. These updates weren’t just cosmetic – they came with a badge of honor.
Legacy Owners Received:
An updated model
A unique legacy-only loading screen banner
A sense of prestige few can claim
Want to Own Championship Riven Today?
While the skin itself isn’t in Riot’s store, all hope isn’t lost. Legacy skins like Championship Riven are still accessible – if you know where to look. Our curated, high-end account marketplace offers League of Legends accounts that feature some of the rarest skins in the game, including this one.
Whether you’re collecting for nostalgia or flexing your exclusivity, Championship Riven remains one of the most iconic skins in League history – both as a design and as a symbol of a moment in time.
