Firecracker Xin Zhao

January 26, 2022 – Lunar New Year event hits and suddenly every top lane queue has a Firecracker Xin Zhao flying through the fog of war at full charge speed. Happened twice to me in one evening on the first patch night. The Firecracker line is one of Riot’s more consistent holiday sets, and this one fits Xin Zhao’s aggressive, forward-pressure kit naturally. Red lacquered armor, gold trim across the spear, firework explosions on the proc. First impression: clean.

What actually changes with Firecracker Xin Zhao

This is an Epic at 1350 RP, so the baseline expectation is new VFX across all abilities plus a custom recall. Riot delivers on both. The Q – Three Talon Strike – pops red and gold sparks on each hit, and when that third hit procs the knockup, the burst reads like a firecracker detonating mid-swing. Subtle enough that it doesn’t clutter the screen, visible enough to track the combo through a busy teamfight. That matters when you’re crashing into the backline and counting to three under fire.

W – Wind Becomes Lightning – gets solid treatment. The slow zone left on the ground carries lantern and paper motifs, traditional Lunar New Year design language. Looks genuinely good for Epic tier. Not sure if it’s just me but W benefits more from this skin’s VFX rework than the ult does, which isn’t something you’d expect going in.

E – Audacious Charge is over so fast the trail barely registers most games. In Firecracker form there’s a brief firework spark on the dash path. Blink and you miss it. The R – Crescent Guard – is the showstopper. That radial burst on activation looks like an actual firecracker going off mid-Rift. Took this into a ranked game around Diamond last February, popped R at the dragon pit into a 1v3, and the visual chaos bought a full second of hesitation from their team. Hard to prove that’s why I survived. Felt real though.

Voice stays base. No new VO for Xin Zhao here, Richard Epcar’s performance carries as default. The recall is the non-ability highlight: he strings up a chain of firecrackers and watches them pop during the channel. Simple concept. Executed well.

Release, the Firecracker skinline, and nine chromas

Firecracker Xin Zhao is part of the Lunar Revel: Firecracker skinline – Riot’s main Chinese New Year cosmetic series. Released January 26, 2022, early into season 12. Zoe Zhu put in the work here alongside West Studio, and the splash holds up: dynamic pose, warm reds and golds that sell the theme. (sidebar for Xin Zhao mains: the centered splash is genuinely one of the cleaner pieces in this skinline, not just a static pose dump – worth setting as your client background)

9 chromas total. Golden Tiger is the one to have – warm orange and mint green tones, clearly Year of the Tiger since 2022 was exactly that, and it reads as a distinct visual identity rather than a simple palette swap. Obsidian pulls the whole skin dark, near-black armor that honestly looks like a completely different concept from base. Ruby cranks the red already present in the default and it comes out cleaner in practice than you’d think.

Legacy vault skin now. Comes back during Lunar Revel event windows each year. Loot-eligible too, so if you have chests and keys sitting in your collection, crafting works outside the event window as well.

Is Firecracker Xin Zhao worth 1350 RP?

Straight talk: yes, if you main Xin Zhao. The VFX package is strong for the tier – the Q proc burst and the R activation both feel impactful on landing, and the recall is well done for what it costs. Golden Tiger chroma elevates the overall package well past what the base skin suggests. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get here.

Xin Zhao has solid competition in his own roster – Dragonslayer is a perennial pick, Cosmic Defender goes hard on the space theme – but Firecracker fills the festive niche and fills it well. Been daily driving this in Diamond games on and off since season 12 and dont regret pulling it from loot. Top pick for Xin Zhao mains who want something that reads sharply in solo queue without going full cosmic or full dragon.