Commando Skins

Commando is one of those skinlines that takes me back to early League, back when Riot was just slapping military camo on champions and calling it a day. Not gonna lie, there's something charming about how simple these skins are. Seven champions in matching tactical gear, no new VFX, no fancy recalls, just recolored models with berets and face paint. I've been playing since season 2 and these skins were already old news by then. The whole line dropped between 2010 and 2012, which in League years feels like ancient history. Still, if you played back then, seeing a Commando Jarvan IV lock-in hits different.

What Sets the Commando Line Apart

Honestly? Not much by modern standards. Thats the brutal truth. The Commando skinline is pure old-school League of Legends cosmetic design. We're talking texture swaps and model tweaks. Green camo patterns, military berets, tactical vests, combat boots. No particle changes, no new animations, no voice processing. The shared aesthetic is "generic military squad" and every champion in the line commits to that bit fully.

The color palette is almost entirely olive drab, dark green, and brown. Think budget action movie from the 80s. Could be wrong here but I think Riot was going for a G.I. Joe vibe with the whole thing. The splash arts reflect that era of League art too, simpler compositions, less dramatic lighting than what we get now. Compare any Commando splash to something from the Empyrean or Arcana line and the gap is enormous.

What ties the line together visually is the uniform design. Every champion gets some variation of the same military outfit. Beret, camo pattern, tactical gear. Galio gets body armor plating in military green. Xin Zhao trades his usual ornate armor for field combat gear. Garen looks like he walked off a military base instead of out of Demacia. The consistency is actually decent for such an old line.

Where it falls flat compared to similar "themed outfit" skinlines like Arcade or PROJECT is the total lack of new effects. When you're paying 520 to 975 RP for a skin in 2024, you expect at least something beyond a texture change. These delivered that in 2010. Standards were just lower back then. I remember running Commando Garen in ranked around season 3 and nobody batted an eye because half the skins in the game looked like this. Different era entirely.

Best Commando Skins

Picking a "best" Commando skin feels weird because they're all operating at the same budget level. Standard tier across the board, 520 to 975 RP, no Legendaries, no Epics. But some champions wear the military theme better than others.

Commando Jarvan IV is probably my top pick. J4 already has a commanding presence on the Rift and the military outfit just reinforces that energy. His kit reads as a frontline engage commander anyway, so dropping the Cataclysm ult in full tactical gear while your team collapses on their backline feels thematically right. Been running it in Diamond occasionally just for the nostalgia factor. (Random aside: J4 mains are a rare breed these days and most of them own this skin from back in the day.)

Special Forces Gangplank deserves a mention. The name alone is harder than the other Commando skins. GP with the bandana and military vest gives off mercenary energy that fits his pirate-turned-soldier fantasy. Kinda feels like Riot put slightly more thought into this one. The 975 RP price tag was the highest in the line, which tracks.

Commando Galio is interesting because Galio got a full VGU after these skins dropped. The reworked version of the skin looks cleaner than the original by a mile. New Galio's frame carries military armor better than old Galio's gargoyle body ever did. If you main Galio and want something different from his usual stone guardian look, this works as a cheap pickup.

Commando Garen is the safest choice. Garen in military camo just makes sense. He's already a soldier in the lore. Might be overthinking it but this skin feels like the most natural fit in the entire line. Spinning to win in camo gear during a teamfight, solid visual.

Guerilla Tristana rounds out the top five. The name got a slight twist from the standard "Commando" prefix which I appreciate. Trist with the bandana and military outfit looks like she belongs in a jungle warfare squad, which pairs well with her yordle proportions. Something funny about a tiny yordle in full combat gear spamming Rocket Jump over walls.

The Champion Roster

Seven champions total. Not a huge line by any means. Galio, Xin Zhao, Tristana, Gangplank, Jarvan IV, Garen, and Lux make up the full squad.

The roster skews heavily toward frontline fighters and tanks. Garen, J4, Galio, Xin Zhao are all engage or bruiser picks. GP brings the hybrid damage angle. Trist is the only ADC in the bunch. Then there's Lux, who honestly feels like the odd one out. Not sure if it's just me but Lux in military gear reads more like a costume party than a deployment. She's a mage who shoots rainbows, putting her in camo doesnt change the fundamental vibe of her kit.

Real talk though, the roster makes more sense when you remember this was 2010-2012 Riot. They picked popular champions and gave them matching outfits. Simple formula. Today the champion selection would probably be more curated, matching kits to the fantasy. Someone like Graves would be an obvious pick for a military line. Caitlyn too. Maybe Samira for the action hero angle. But Riot hasn't touched this line since 2012 and I dont think they ever will.

Five of the seven feel like natural fits. Garen, J4, Xin, GP, and Galio all read as "military commander" or "special ops" without much imagination needed. Trist works because of the Guerilla angle. Lux is the stretch pick. Every skinline has one champion that feels forced into the theme and for Commando that's Lux.

Tier and Price Breakdown

This is the simplest tier breakdown in all of League's skinlines. All seven skins are Standard tier. No Epics. No Legendaries. No Mythics. Nothing. Just Standard across the board.

Prices range from 520 RP to 975 RP. Most of the line sits at 520 RP, which is basically the floor for purchasable skins. Special Forces Gangplank commands the highest price at 975 RP. For context, 520 RP gets you a texture change and maybe a minor model adjustment. That's exactly what these skins deliver. No new particles, no new sounds, no new animations.

Maybe just my experience but I think these skins represent decent value at their price point specifically because expectations are calibrated correctly. You're paying 520 RP, you get a 520 RP skin. Nobody's pretending these compete with modern 1350 RP Epics that come with full VFX overhauls and unique recalls. The Commando line existed before Riot figured out that players would pay premium prices for premium features. Fair enough for what it is.

If you're climbing ranked and want a cheap skin for one of these champions, you could do worse. Last Tuesday I saw a Commando Garen in my Diamond game and it was genuinely refreshing. Most Garen players run God-King or Demacia Vice. Seeing the old military outfit was a throwback moment.

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