Crystalis Motus Leona

First time I saw Crystalis Motus Leona in the loading screen I thought someone modded the game. Not gonna lie, the splash alone had me staring for a good thirty seconds before the match loaded. Leona has a lot of skins at this point and most of them lean into the solar knight fantasy pretty hard. This one does something different. The whole Crystalis Motus line takes champions and wraps them in this crystalline armor that feels alien and ancient at the same time. On Leona it works better than it has any right to.

What Crystalis Motus actually brings to the table

So the big thing here is the VFX overhaul. Every ability gets the crystal treatment. Her Q proc hits with this shattering effect that reads clean in teamfights, which matters because half the time you’re diving the backline and need to track your own cooldowns visually. The W shield has these floating crystal shards orbiting Leona instead of the standard solar flare, and when it pops the particles scatter outward. Looks good. Feels impactful.

E is where I think the skin shines hardest. The Zenith Blade animation has this crystalline trail that’s sharper than base, and in my Diamond games I swear the engage reads more threatening to the enemy bot lane. Could be wrong here but the visual weight of the ability just hits different with the Crystalis texture. Her R, Solar Flare, drops this massive crystal formation on the ground instead of sunlight. The center stun zone is easier to read than some of her other skins which is actually a gameplay clarity win.

The recall animation is new too. Leona channels energy through a crystal formation, the whole thing pulses and builds. Clean animation, not too long, doesnt overstay its welcome. Voice lines stay base, no new VO. Wendee Lee’s original performance still carries so thats fine for me.

(Random aside: I set the centered splash as my Discord banner the week it dropped and still havent changed it.)

The Crystalis Motus line and where Leona fits

Crystalis Motus released June 14, 2023. Mid-season 13. Francis Tneh and West Studio handled the artwork and they captured something special with Leona’s pose. The crystal armor reads as both protective and aggressive, which is exactly what a support tank engage champion should look like.

The Crystalis Motus skinline is one of Riot’s Mythic-tier exclusive lines. Kha’Zix, Taliyah, and Xerath also got Crystalis skins. Leona got a slightly different variant under Crystalis Motus specifically. Kinda feels like Riot wanted to expand the crystal theme into a sub-universe. The motif works across different champion archetypes but I think Leona wears it best because the angular crystal geometry maps naturally onto her shield and sword silhouette.

One chroma available. The Reclaimed variant shifts the palette toward icy blue tones with dark undertones. Honestly the Reclaimed chroma might be the better version depending on your taste. The blue crystal reads more unique against the Rift compared to the base skin’s warmer tones. Been running the Reclaimed version in ranked since about last September and I prefer it over base now.

Mythic pricing and who this is for

This is a Mythic tier skin so you’re not buying it with standard RP. Special currency. Mythic Essence or whatever Riot calls the current system. Available now through the rotating Mythic shop. That means you’re either sitting on Mythic Essence from event passes or you’re grinding capsules. Either way its not a casual pickup.

Been playing Leona on and off since season 9 I think or 10 dont remember. She has a massive skin catalog. Valkyrie, Iron Solari, Pool Party, both Eclipse skins, Mecha Kingdoms, Battle Academia, DWG, High Noon. Real talk though, Crystalis Motus sits comfortably in her top three. The Eclipse pair (Solar and Lunar) are still her best Legendary options, but for a Mythic-tier skin this one delivers.

If you’re a Leona main who plays her as primary engage support and you have the Mythic Essence sitting around, lock this in. The VFX alone justify it. Last Tuesday I landed a five-man ult in dragon pit and the crystal impact effect was genuinely one of the best visual moments I’ve had on the champion. Simple change – huge impact on how the kit feels.

Skip it if you only play Leona occasionally or if you already have Solar Eclipse. That Legendary still edges it out on total package because of the VO and model quality. But for the Mythic shop rotation? Crystalis Motus Leona is S-tier. Top pick for Leona mains who want something that stands out in the loading screen and on the Rift. Spammed this in Diamond for weeks after grabbing it and the skin just holds up game after game.