Astronaut Gnar

First game I played with Astronaut Gnar was sometime around late May 2020, right when it dropped. Locked it in for a top lane flex in Diamond and honestly the skin just felt right from the loading screen. The little space suit on Mini Gnar is one of those concepts that shouldnt work but absolutely does. Riot took a yordle who already looks like a plush toy and strapped a helmet on him. Banger move.

How Astronaut Gnar actually plays

So this is an Epic tier skin at 1350 RP, which means new VFX and a new recall animation but no fresh voice lines. Voice stays default. The Q boomerang in Mini form gets this space-themed particle trail, kind of a teal energy effect that reads cleanly against the Rift. Not gonna lie, it looks better than half the Legendary skins I own for other champs.

Mega Gnar is where it gets interesting. The transformation pops with this astronaut suit expanding effect, and your W stun and R shove both carry updated particles. The R specifically has this satisfying burst that feels heavier than base. Could be wrong here but I think the E hop in Mega form also has subtle changes to the ground impact. Been running this skin in ranked for multiple seasons now and the animations never get old.

The recall is cute. Mini Gnar plants a little flag like he’s on the moon. Standard Astronaut line stuff but it fits the champion perfectly. Playing this skin, the boomerang VFX really pop in teamfights where you need to track your Q through three or four enemies in the backline. Some skins make ability tracking harder but this one actually helps.

The Astronaut line and release context

Astronaut Gnar released May 28, 2020. Mid-season 10. David Villegas and West Studio handled the artwork, and they captured the playful energy Gnar needs without making it too cartoonish. The Astronauts skinline is one of Riot’s better thematic sets. Poppy, Bard, Corki, Veigar all got Astronaut skins at various points and they share this consistent space exploration vibe.

Gnar fits the theme naturally. He’s already this prehistoric creature out of time, so putting him in a space suit adds another layer of fish-out-of-water energy. (Random aside: my duo partner uses Astronaut Bard and we call it the NASA bot lane when I’m playing Gnar support for fun in norms.)

6 chromas total for this skin. Catseye is the one I keep coming back to, the yellow tint on the suit gives off construction worker in space vibes and I think it reads the cleanest in lane. Granite is solid if you want something more muted, almost military. Rose Quartz exists for the pink enjoyers but kinda feels like it clashes with Mega Gnar’s proportions. Rest are fine but those three get the most use from what I’ve seen in my games.

Worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: Astronaut Gnar sits comfortably in the top three Gnar skins. Maybe top two. Dino Gnar has the nostalgia factor and Gentleman Gnar is a meme pick, but for actual visual clarity and theme execution this one wins. Spammed this in Diamond last season and I think in maybe 40 games I saw two other people using it. Underrated pick.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX on all the important abilities, clean recall, and the chromas add real variety if you want to rotate looks between games. Shop has it permanently so no rush, but if you main Gnar or even play him as a pocket pick for top lane, this is the skin. The boomerang particles alone justify the price when you’re poking in lane pre-6 and trying to build rage for an all-in.

Skip it if you dont play Gnar at all obviously. But for anyone climbing with the yordle, anyone who knows the satisfaction of landing a perfect Mega R into a wall during a dragon fight at like 11 PM on a Tuesday when your jungler finally ganks top for once, Astronaut Gnar makes that moment look even better. S-tier Gnar cosmetic, not even close.