Gnar Skins

Gnar is one of those champions where the skin catalog just works. Ten skins across nine years and honestly not a single stinker in the bunch. Helps that Riot has two models to play with here - tiny Gnar and Mega Gnar - so every skin gets to show off twice. Been playing Gnar on and off since season 5 in top lane and I keep coming back partly because the skins are that fun to cycle through. Could be wrong here but I think he's one of the most consistently well-designed champions when it comes to cosmetics.

How Gnar's Skin Collection Shaped Up Over the Years

Gnar launched in 2014 with Dino Gnar as his release skin. Classic move from Riot, giving us a prehistoric yordle dressed as a dinosaur. The irony writes itself. From there they kept a steady pace, dropping a new Gnar skin roughly every year or so until the catalog hit 10 total.

The tier split is interesting. Four Standards and six Epics. No Legendary, no Ultimate, no Mythic. Gnar lives entirely in the 750-1350 RP range and honestly thats fine. Not every champion needs a 1820 RP treatment to have a solid wardrobe. Some of the best skins in League sit at the Epic tier and Gnar proves that point hard.

The Standards came early - Dino Gnar and Gentleman Gnar in 2014, Snow Day Gnar in 2015, El León Gnar in 2016. Then Riot shifted exclusively to Epic quality for him. Super Galaxy in 2017, SSG Gnar same year, then Astronaut, Elderwood, La Ilusión, and T1 rounding out the list through 2023. Nine years of skins and they managed to keep each one feeling distinct. (Random thought but Gnar might have the most thematically diverse catalog for a champion with only 10 skins.)

Not gonna lie, the lack of a Legendary sometimes stings. Mega Gnar transformations with full new VO and unique animations per ability would be absolutely nuts. But what exists already is quality stuff. The Epics all bring new particles for Q, W proc marks, E bounce, and R in both forms. Solid across the board.

Best Gnar Skins Worth Locking In

Super Galaxy Gnar sits at the top for me. Full stop. Been running this one in my Diamond games since it dropped in 2017 and the mecha-sentai theme just hits different on a transform champion. Mini Gnar gets this sleek robotic look with glowing boomerang particles on Q, and when you pop Mega the whole model scales up into this massive mech warrior. The R knockback VFX in Mega form specifically - that shockwave effect during teamfights where you GNAR! their whole backline into a wall. Clean. 1350 RP and it earns every point.

SSG Gnar is the Worlds 2017 skin and it carries that esports prestige well. CuVee's pick if I remember right. The white and blue color scheme reads crisp on the Rift and Mini Gnar holding a little Samsung trophy as his boomerang is a nice touch. Might be overthinking it but something about esports skins on champions that actually got played in those finals just feels more authentic than random Worlds skins.

Astronaut Gnar surprised me. Picked it up around season 11 I think and the space helmet on Mini Gnar with the little antenna bouncing around while you cs in lane is genuinely charming. Mega Gnar bursting out of the suit keeps the theme going without looking goofy. The W proc markers have this zero-gravity particle effect. Played maybe 50 games with this one last split and it grew on me fast.

Elderwood Gnar leans into the nature spirit fantasy. Mini Gnar as a forest critter, Mega as a treant. The E bounce in Mini form leaves leaf particles which is a small detail that matters more than you'd think when you're hopping around in lane trying to kite. Kinda feels like Riot specifically designed Gnar's kit to show off dual-form skins and Elderwood takes full advantage.

La Ilusión Gnar is the newest at 2023 and it goes full luchador sequel to El León. The mask designs on both forms are great and the wrestling ring ropes on the R knockback in Mega form crack me up every time. Spammed this in ranked for a couple weeks after release. The boomerang is a little championship belt on Q which is hilarious mid-poke in lane.

Skinlines and How They Fit the Yordle

Gnar spans eight different skinlines: Toy Box, High Society, Snow Day, Luchador, Super Galaxy, World Champions 2017, Astronauts, and Elderwood. For a champion with 10 skins that's a lot of variety. No repeat skinlines except the Luchador family where El León and La Ilusión are both wrestling-themed.

The transform gimmick means Gnar fits into almost any skinline naturally. Cute small form, scary big form. Toy Box works because tiny dinosaur costume is adorable. High Society works because tiny gentleman yordle is funny. Snow Day, Astronaut, Elderwood - they all have room to play with the size difference. Real talk though, I think Super Galaxy fits him best thematically. The mecha transformation angle mirrors the Mini-to-Mega shift perfectly and gives Riot room to go wild with particle effects on every ability.

Elderwood is a close second for thematic fit. There's something about a small woodland sprite turning into a massive ancient treant that just clicks with Gnar's whole deal. The nature-to-beast pipeline. Season 10 or 11 when Elderwood dropped I remember thinking Riot finally nailed the "cute but dangerous" angle they'd been circling around with his earlier skins.

World Champions skins are always hit or miss depending on the player's vision. SSG Gnar landed well. T1 Gnar from 2023 is fine too but doesnt stand out as much in my games. The blue-and-white versus red-and-white color schemes give you options for team comp aesthetics at least. (Sidebar: I always match my skin color to my team's side of the map. Blue side gets SSG. Nobody asked but there it is.)

Budget Picks vs Premium: Where to Spend on Gnar

Good news. Gnar's most expensive skin is 1350 RP. There's no premium tax here, no 1820 decision to agonize over. The real question is whether you grab one of the 750 RP Standards or spring for an Epic.

For pure value, Dino Gnar at 750 RP punches way above its weight class. The dinosaur onesie on Mini Gnar turning into a full T-Rex on Mega is iconic at this point. No new particles at that price tier obviously but the model change alone carries it. Been seeing this skin since season 5 and it still gets reactions in chat. "Dino diff" after a good teamfight engage never gets old.

Gentleman Gnar at 750 is another solid budget pick. Top hat and monocle on a prehistoric yordle. The humor value alone. But if you're spending any money on Gnar skins, honestly just go Epic. The jump from 750 to 1350 gets you new particles on Q, W, E, R in both forms plus new recall animations. Super Galaxy or Astronaut at 1350 RP - either one is the best value play for Gnar mains who want the full package without a Legendary price tag. Fair price for what you get.

Not sure if it's just me but the Standards feel like collector items at this point. Lock them in when you want nostalgia or the meme factor. Lock in an Epic when you want the actual gameplay experience upgrade. Simple choice.

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