Astronaut Ivern

First time I saw Astronaut Ivern load in, I thought someone was trolling my lobby. Ivern in a space suit just feels absurd in the best way. Been running this skin since it dropped in February 2023 and honestly the novelty hasnt worn off. Something about a giant tree man floating around in astronaut gear while setting up bushes on the Rift. Feels like Riot finally leaned into how goofy Ivern is supposed to be.

What the skin actually brings to the table

For 1350 RP you get new VFX across the board and a fresh recall animation. No new voice lines, kept the base VO. The Q tether has this cosmic energy trail that reads way cleaner than base Ivern in teamfights. Not gonna lie, the W bushes look like little alien biomes now, these glowing space-flora patches that actually pop against Summoner’s Rift terrain. Huge visual upgrade.

E shield got a nice rework visually. The particles feel weightless, like zero-gravity debris orbiting your carry. When you’re peeling for your ADC in a late-game teamfight, the shield VFX is distinct enough that your team can actually see it. Small thing but it matters when you’re spamming shields on cooldown.

Daisy got the full astronaut treatment too. She stomps around in her own little space suit. Kinda feels like she’s moonwalking when she charges at someone. (Random aside: my duo partner refuses to play with me when I use this skin because Daisy’s new model distracts him.) The recall animation has Ivern planting a little space flower that blooms into something alien. Clean animation, not overdone.

The Astronaut line and release context

Astronaut Ivern dropped February 24, 2023. Roanna Peroz and Kudos Productions handled the artwork, and they captured something special with the splash. Ivern floating in orbit with Daisy, tending to cosmic plants. Fits his whole nature-protector fantasy but in space.

The Astronauts skinline is one of Riot’s more consistent themes. Could be wrong here but I think this is one of the better entries in the set. Ivern’s personality matches the whimsical space explorer vibe naturally, unlike some champions they’ve forced into the line.

8 chromas total. Obsidian is the standout for me, turns the whole suit dark and gives Ivern this deep space ranger look that hits different from the bright base colors. Amethyst runs a close second with the purple cosmic theme. Most of the others are fine but those two are the ones I rotate between in my Diamond games. Shop has it permanently so no vault stress.

Should you pick up Astronaut Ivern?

Real verdict: if you play Ivern at all, this is competing with Old God for best skin in his lineup. Different vibes entirely. Old God is dark and serious, Astronaut is playful and bright. Comes down to what you want your jungle clear to feel like at 2 AM on a Tuesday.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The VFX overhaul on Q and W alone justify it. Voice is unchanged from base which is the only knock, but David Lodge’s original VO still works fine with the space theme. Could be coping but I think the cheerful base voice lines actually fit better in the astronaut suit than they would with some edgy filter.

Ivern mains already know this is a must-pick. For the rest of you, maybe the three people who randomly lock in Ivern when autofilled jungle, this Epic skin punches above its weight. Played maybe 200 games with it across season 13 and 14 and the VFX still feel fresh. Not the flashiest skin on the Rift but its got personality for days. Top pick for Ivern mains, no question.