Hextech Annie

Hextech Annie was the original gemstone skin. Back in March 2016 when Riot introduced the hextech crafting system, this was the carrot. Ten gemstones to unlock one skin. I remember grinding chests for months trying to hit that number. Finally got it sometime around August that year and the relief was more intense than actually using the skin for the first time. Strange how that works.

What the Hextech treatment does

The model puts Annie in a steampunk-inspired hextech outfit with Tibbers reimagined as a hextech bear construct. Blue hextech crystal energy runs through the design. Christian Fell did the splash showing Annie commanding Hextech Tibbers against a dark backdrop with blue energy crackling everywhere. The splash still looks good a decade later.

Disintegrate on Q fires a hextech bolt instead of the usual fireball. Blue-white energy with tech particle effects. Incinerate on W fans out hextech flames in a cone. The fire is blue which is a small but effective color shift from Annie’s standard orange-red palette. Molten Shield on E wraps Annie and Tibbers in a hextech barrier with circuit-like patterns visible in the shield.

Summon: Tibbers on R is the showcase. Hextech Tibbers drops from above as a massive blue-energy construct. The impact zone on summon has hextech crystal shatter effects. Tibbers himself walks around with glowing blue joints and hextech particles trailing his movement. Watching Hextech Tibbers chase an enemy carry through a teamfight is a unique visual because the construct looks so different from regular teddy bear Tibbers. Dropped R on three people at baron last month and Hextech Tibbers proceeded to run down their midlaner for a solid five seconds. Good bear.

Mythic tier and how to get it

Hextech Annie is Mythic tier with Special pricing. Released March 15, 2016 as part of the Hextech skinline. No chromas. The original acquisition required 10 gemstones which later became Mythic Essence. Currently available through the Mythic shop rotation. If it is not in the current rotation you have to wait until Riot cycles it back in.

New VFX on abilities, custom recall with hextech energy effects. No new voice lines though, which is one area where Mythic skins differ from Legendaries. Cristina Milizia’s standard Annie voice applies. The recall has Annie channeling hextech energy through her bear before teleporting which fits the whole hextech construct theme. Might be overthinking it but I think the recall animation tells a mini story about the relationship between Annie and this version of Tibbers that the base skin never really explores.

Worth the Mythic Essence investment

Annie has a lot of skins but most of them are older, simpler options. Fright Night Annie at Epic tier is probably her best 1350 RP option. Hextech Annie offers the Mythic exclusivity factor plus genuinely different VFX with the blue hextech palette. The R summon alone makes it worth considering if Hextech Annie shows up in your Mythic shop rotation.

If you main Annie mid or support and you have the Mythic Essence sitting around, this is a strong use of it. Not the flashiest Mythic skin available but the hextech Tibbers reimagining carries the whole thing. Skip it if Annie is not in your regular rotation though. Mythic Essence is too valuable to spend on champions you play twice a season. Been running this as my go-to Annie skin since about season 12 and even with newer options dropping I keep coming back. There is a weight to Hextech Tibbers that newer skins dont quite replicate. (sidebar: the fact that this was the original gemstone skin gives it historical significance in the crafting system that no other Mythic can claim) Took this into a Diamond ranked game last Wednesday and flash R’d their backline at dragon. Hextech Tibbers landed on three people and the blue crystal shatter effect across all of them looked incredible. S-tier Annie cosmetic if you can get your hands on it during the Mythic shop rotation.