Dragon Trainer Tristana

First game I played with Dragon Trainer Tristana I straight up forgot I was playing ranked. Not even exaggerating. The little dragon companion had me so distracted I missed like 4 cs in the first wave. That was back in season 6, right after it dropped December 3, 2015. Been a Tristana main off and on since season 4, and this skin immediately became the default. Still is.

Riggle changes everything about Tristana

So the whole concept here is Tristana has a baby dragon named Riggle instead of her cannon. Sounds gimmicky on paper. In practice its one of the best executed Legendary skins Riot has ever made. Riggle is the weapon. Riggle breathes fire for your autos. Riggle IS the Explosive Charge when you press E. The fantasy is completely sold.

Her Q, Rapid Fire, makes Riggle go into overdrive. Little guy starts flapping and breathing faster, the attack speed steroid feels more impactful visually than base Tristana by a mile. W, Rocket Jump, has Riggle carrying Tristana through the air. The landing particles are clean, you get this burst of fire on impact that reads well in teamfights without being too noisy. Honestly not gonna lie, the W animation alone would justify a 975 RP skin.

E is where it gets interesting. Explosive Charge places Riggle on the target. You see this little dragon clinging to an enemy champion, growing more agitated with each auto stack. When it detonates, Riggle explodes in dragon fire and flies back. The detail here is absurd for a 2015 skin. Most Legendaries from that era feel dated now. This one doesnt.

Buster Shot, the R, has Riggle launching a massive fireball. Solid knockback visual. You can actually feel the weight of the ability better than base. Been using this to peel for myself in Diamond games where my support decides to roam at level 3 and never comes back. The knockback clarity helps when you need to disengage from a diving Kayn or Camille.

The recall animation is peak. Tristana plays with Riggle, they interact like actual companions. Not just a generic pose or dance. Real personality. Elspeth Eastman voiced both Tristana and the dragon interactions here, and the voice lines carry genuine warmth. Tristana talks TO Riggle during gameplay. “Good boy” after kills, little comments during lane phase. Legendary price means full new VO, and they used it well.

Dragon World skinline and the splash

Dragon Trainer Tristana sits in the Dragon World line alongside Dragon Trainer Lulu and Dragon Trainer Heimerdinger. Kinda feels like Tristana got the best version of the concept though. The dragon companion mechanic works perfectly with an ADC kit because every auto attack involves Riggle. Lulu’s version is cute but doesnt integrate as deeply into the abilities.

Victor ‘3rdColossus’ Maury nailed the splash. Tristana sitting with Riggle in what looks like a training ground, the warmth in the color palette, the scale of the dragons in the background. It tells a story. (Random aside: I had this as my desktop wallpaper for like two years straight and my coworkers thought it was from a Pixar movie.)

Released late 2015, this was Riot’s era of really pushing what Legendaries could be. Season 5 going into season 6. The Dragon World line has this wholesome energy that contrasts hard with most League aesthetics. No edgy dark themes, no cosmic horror. Just a yordle and her dragon. Refreshing.

Chromas and the collection

6 chromas total. Obsidian is the standout for me, gives Riggle this dark smoky look that reads cleaner against the Rift than base. Rose Quartz is surprisingly good too, the pink tones on both Tristana and the dragon feel cohesive rather than slapped on. Sapphire rounds out my top three, the blue dragon fantasy hits different when you’re playing bot lane near the river.

Could be wrong here but I think Rainbow might be the most popular one based on what I see in my games. Flashy, stands out in lane. Not my style personally but I get the appeal. Been running Obsidian exclusively for maybe 40 games this season and haven’t gotten bored of it.

Should you buy it?

Real verdict: Dragon Trainer Tristana is 1820 RP and earns every point. Full Legendary price, full Legendary delivery. New model, new VFX on every ability, complete voice over with Riggle interactions, unique recall. For a skin from 2015 it holds up shockingly well against modern Legendaries. Some skins from 2020 look worse than this.

Shop has it. Permanent availability, no vault rotation to worry about. If you main Tristana or even just play her occasionally as an ADC pocket pick, this is the skin. Not Firefighter, not Omega Squad. This one. The companion mechanic adds a layer of personality that no other Tristana skin touches.

Maybe just my experience but I’ve noticed people in my Diamond games actually comment on this skin in chat more than most others. Had a Thresh last Tuesday type “nice skin” unprompted during loading screen. That almost never happens in ranked where everyone’s too focused on dodging or flaming.

Only real criticism: the auto attack sounds can feel slightly less punchy than base Tristana at high attack speed. Minor thing. After 200+ games you stop noticing. The trade-off of having a fire-breathing dragon as your weapon more than compensates. Top pick for Tristana mains, no question. If you can only own one Tristana skin, lock this in.