Infernal Alistar

First time I saw Infernal Alistar load into a game was season 3, some random support player on the enemy team. Thought it looked sick back then. Played maybe 40 games of Alistar support last month in Diamond and kept coming back to this one over newer options. Not sure if it’s just me but there’s something about the simplicity that just works for a champion like Alistar.

What the skin actually changes

So this is a Standard tier skin at 975 RP, which means you’re getting a model swap and new textures but dont expect anything wild on the effects side. Voice lines stay base. No new recall animation. No updated particles on Q or W.

The model itself though? Clean. Alistar gets this full volcanic rock and fire treatment. His horns curve up with molten cracks running through them, and his body has that charred stone look with lava seeping through the gaps. The hooves glow orange. Solid work for what it is.

In teamfights the skin reads well. When you’re looking to engage with W into Q combo, Alistar’s silhouette stays distinct even in chaotic 5v5s. Had a game last Friday where I flash-pulverized three people at dragon pit and my duo said the skin looked menacing mid-combo. Fair point. The fire aesthetic pops against the Rift’s green and blue tones, especially in river.

(Random aside: I use this skin specifically for ranked because the darker color palette feels less distracting than Moo Cow when I need to focus on lane prio and engage timings.)

The Infernal line and release context

Infernal Alistar dropped July 13, 2012. Early days. Season 2 era when support Alistar was genuinely terrifying in bot lane with the old passive damage. Concept Art House handled the artwork, and they captured the vibe of a bull demon crawling out of some volcanic hellscape.

The Infernal skinline is one of Riot’s longest running themes. Alistar fits it naturally. Big angry bull plus fire equals obvious design choice, but obvious isnt bad here. Compare it to something like Infernal Shen or Infernal Varus and Alistar’s version holds up. Kinda feels like they designed the skinline with champions like him in mind.

No chromas on this one. Zero. Which is a shame because I think a blue flame or purple variant would go hard. But for a 2012 release that’s expected. Shop has it permanently, so you can grab it whenever.

Worth the 975 RP?

Real verdict: for support mains who play Alistar regularly, 975 RP feels fair for what you get. You’re not getting Legendary-tier treatment obviously. No new VO, no fancy recall, no ability VFX updates. But the model swap alone carries weight.

Been running this in Diamond ranked for two seasons now and it still looks good. The fire and rock textures have aged better than some other skins from that era. Might be overthinking it but I think it’s because the Infernal color palette is naturally bold, so even at lower texture quality it reads strong.

If you’re choosing between this and Marauder Alistar or Sweeper Alistar, I’d pick Infernal every time. Sweeper is a meme pick and Marauder feels generic. Infernal has actual identity. Only Alistar skin I’d rank above it is Blackfrost, but that’s a completely different price bracket.

Skip it if you only play Alistar once a month in ARAM. Worth it if you main him or have him in your support rotation for climbing. 975 RP well spent for mains. Not the flashiest thing in the shop but it does what it needs to do and the Infernal fantasy suits Alistar better than half the champions in that skinline. Been my go-to Alistar skin since season 10 and dont see that changing anytime soon.