High Society Skins

High Society is one of those skinlines that flew under the radar for years and I think thats partly because Riot never branded it as a cohesive set until way later. The concept is simple: champions dressed up in formal wear, top hats, monocles, the works. Been playing since season 2 and I remember when Gentleman Cho'Gath was the flex pick for people who wanted to BM in style. The aesthetic holds up surprisingly well even now, eight skins deep, and the whole line has this tongue-in-cheek humor that most modern skinlines completely lack.

What Makes High Society Stand Out on the Rift

Not gonna lie, the visual signature here is less about particle effects and more about character design. These skins dropped between 2010 and 2015, so we're talking pre-VFX era for most of them. The unifying thread is formal attire: tuxedos, ballroom gowns, aristocratic flair. Color palette leans into deep blacks, golds, whites, and rich purples. Think old money energy.

What ties High Society together isnt shared recall animations or matching ability colors. Its attitude. Every champion in the line gets this air of superiority baked into their model. Cho'Gath in a top hat eating people. Nasus with an ascot looking dignified while he stacks Q. Gnar in a tiny gentleman outfit. The humor lands because these champions already have strong personalities and the formal wear creates contrast.

Compared to something like Debonair which went for a similar vibe years later, High Society feels more genuine. Debonair tried to modernize the concept with sleek VFX and crystal aesthetics. High Society just said "put them in fancy clothes and let the comedy write itself." Simpler approach. Works better in my opinion.

(Random aside: I still think High Society has the best thematic consistency of any pre-2016 skinline, and nobody talks about it.)

The splash arts across the line share this painted quality that modern splashes moved away from. Less cinematic, more portrait-style. Fits the aristocratic theme perfectly. You look at Marquis Vladimir's splash and it genuinely looks like an oil painting someone would hang in a manor. Could be wrong here but I think that was intentional from whatever internal art direction existed back then.

Best High Society Skins Worth Locking In

Gentleman Cho'Gath. Full stop. The only Legendary in the line and it earns that 1820 RP. Complete voice over replacement where Cho'Gath speaks in a refined British accent while literally consuming champions whole. The disconnect between his monstrous gameplay and genteel voicelines is peak League humor. Been spamming this in ranked since like season 4 and the reactions in all chat never get old. "Would you like some cheese with your wine?" as you ult their ADC for true damage. Comedy gold.

Tango Twisted Fate and Tango Evelynn deserve mention together because they're a paired set. Released 2010, these two share a dance theme within the broader High Society umbrella. TF in his red suit looks clean even by today's standards. The card animations dont change but honestly the base model carries it. Evelynn's Tango skin aged less gracefully because she got a full VGU since then, but the concept still works post-rework.

Archduke Nasus is underrated. Dropped in 2015 as the newest addition to the line. Nasus in royal purple with a monocle and that cane. Fits his personality perfectly because Nasus already has that scholarly dignity in his base kit. The 750 RP price tag makes it accessible and I've seen plenty of Nasus one-tricks running it in Diamond. Not the flashiest but thematically its one of the strongest fits in the entire skinline.

Gentleman Gnar rounds out my top picks. Tiny Gnar in a bow tie transforming into Mega Gnar who still has the bow tie stretched across his chest. Might be overthinking it but the visual gag of a gentleman losing composure when he transforms is genuinely clever design. 975 RP, fair price for what you get.

Champion Roster and Thematic Fit

Eight champions in High Society total. Some fits are perfect, some feel like Riot needed to fill a patch slot. Honest breakdown.

Cho'Gath is the poster child. Monster in a suit is the core joke of the entire line and nobody does it better. Vladimir as Marquis works because his whole base character already channels that aristocratic vampire energy. Kinda feels like they designed the skinline around these two and built outward.

Nasus and Gnar landed later (2015 and 2014 respectively) and both nail it. Nasus has the intellectual gravitas. Gnar has the comedy of a yordle pretending to be civilized. Two different approaches to the theme, both successful.

Vayne as Aristocrat is fine. Released 2011, its basically just Vayne in a fancy outfit. Does the job but doesnt stand out. The Tango pair (TF and Evelynn) work as a dance subtheme within the broader line. Could be wrong here but I think if Riot revisited High Society today, champions like Jhin, Swain, or Renata Glasc would be instant locks. Jhin especially. The theatrical flair writes itself.

Soraka's Order of the Banana is technically categorized under High Society which... honestly feels like a stretch. Its more of a meme skin than a formal wear skin. But the categorization exists so here we are. Not sure if it's just me but that one always felt more like a standalone joke than part of the collection.

Tier Breakdown and Pricing

This is heavily Standard-tier dominant. Seven out of eight skins sit at Standard pricing (520-975 RP range). One Legendary carries the prestige of the whole line. No Epics. No Mythics. No Ultimates.

Makes sense for the era. Between 2010 and 2015, the skin tier system wasnt what it is today. Most skins were model-only changes with maybe a texture swap. Gentleman Cho'Gath was exceptional for its time because it had a full VO replacement, which is why it earned Legendary status.

Price range runs 520 to 1820 RP. Real talk though, most of the Standard skins here feel appropriately priced for what they offer. You're getting character model changes, sometimes a weapon model change, no new particles or sounds (except Cho'Gath). For 520-750 RP thats fair. Nobody's getting scammed here.

The line would benefit massively from a modern Epic or Legendary addition. Imagine a 1350 RP skin with full VFX treatment in the High Society theme. Riot left money on the table by abandoning this line after 2015. Season 5 was the last we saw of it. Seven years and counting with no new entries.

If you're collecting the full set, total investment is around 6000 RP for all eight. Not terrible for a complete skinline collection. Most of the individual skins are cheap enough that you wont feel the hit. Cho'Gath is the only real commitment at 1820 and its worth every point if you play him even occasionally in ranked.

Playing High Society Skins in Ranked

Might be overthinking it but there's something about running a High Society skin in a sweaty Diamond game that hits different. Last Tuesday I locked in Gentleman Cho'Gath into a Vayne top matchup and the all-chat was already going before minions spawned. These skins have personality that newer lines sometimes lack because they try too hard to be cool.

Gameplay-wise, none of the Standard tier skins give you any visual advantage or disadvantage. No new particles means no clarity issues. Your Q on Nasus looks exactly the same, your cards on TF read identically. Clean. Some newer 1350 skins have readability problems where abilities look different enough to cause split-second hesitation from opponents. Not an issue here.

Cho'Gath's Legendary does change his VO which means different audio cues during teamfights. Nothing that affects gameplay mechanically but your team will hear refined British commentary while you peel for your ADC. Or while you're diving their backline at 6 stacks. Either way its an experience.

I've had this whole line in my collection since maybe season 6 or 7. Bought them during various sales over the years. The Tango skins specifically I grabbed during a 50% off rotation back in 2016 I think. Been daily driving Gentleman Cho'Gath whenever I get him in ARAM and the skin just never gets old. (Sidebar for Cho mains specifically: the "quiet" voiceline when you feast on someone never fails to get a reaction in post-game.)