Lunar Emperor Thresh

First game I loaded this skin into was a late night ranked session, maybe 1 AM on a Wednesday. Locked in Thresh support, had Lunar Emperor equipped from the bundle I pre-purchased. The loading screen splash alone made my ADC type “skin diff” before minions even spawned. Not gonna lie, that kind of energy sets the tone for the whole lane phase.

What Lunar Emperor Thresh actually brings to the table

So the VFX overhaul is where Riot put in the work here. Thresh’s Q hook gets this deep red and gold particle trail that reads cleaner than base against the Rift. Feels like the hitbox is the same obviously, but something about the visual clarity made me hit hooks I normally whiff. Placebo? Probably. Still counts.

The W lantern is gorgeous. Imperial gold glow, lantern itself looks like a ceremonial piece you’d see in a Lunar Revel parade. When teammates click it (rare in my Diamond games, lets be honest) the pull animation has that same red-gold energy. Clean stuff.

E flay particles swap to match the theme. Nothing groundbreaking but consistent. The R box is where it gets interesting though. The Box walls have this ornate imperial pattern, the red barriers look way more threatening than base. Trapped their Jinx in dragon pit last season with it and the cage looked cinematic. Big improvement.

New recall animation fits the emperor fantasy. Thresh sits on a throne, very regal. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for a 1350 RP Epic tier skin. You know what surprised me? The auto attack particles. Small detail but the gold flecks on each hit feel satisfying in lane when you’re poking the enemy support.

The Lunar Revel line and release context

Lunar Emperor Thresh dropped January 26, 2023. Late into season 13. Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores nailed the splash, the composition has Thresh looking down from an imperial throne with that commanding presence. Portfolio piece for sure.

The Lunar Revel skinline is one of Riot’s longest running themes and Thresh fits naturally into the emperor role. Kinda feels like they should have done this years earlier honestly. The aesthetic matches his chain warden fantasy but filters it through East Asian imperial design. Works better than you’d expect for a undead jailer champion.

9 chromas total. Obsidian is my go-to, the dark imperial look hits harder than the base red and gold. Citrine swaps to a warm amber that reads well in teamfights. Resplendent is the wild card, blue and green combo that shouldnt work but somehow does. (Random aside: the Granite chroma is my phone lockscreen because the muted tones look clean on OLED.) Could be wrong here but I think Pearl might be the weakest of the set, too washed out for the emperor theme.

Is Lunar Emperor Thresh worth 1350 RP?

Thresh has maybe the deepest skin catalog in the game. Dark Star exists. Pulsefire exists. High Noon exists. So where does Lunar Emperor Thresh land? I’d put it mid to upper tier honestly. The VFX package is solid for an Epic, the recall is good, splash is top notch.

Been running this in ranked for two splits now and I keep coming back to it over Spirit Blossom and even High Noon some weeks. The red and gold color scheme pops in bot lane specifically, easy to track your abilities in chaotic engages and teamfights. Permanent shop availability means no rush.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. Not the absolute best Thresh skin if you can only own one, that’s still a debate between High Noon and Dark Star depending on who you ask. But for Thresh mains building a collection, Lunar Emperor Thresh earns a spot. Solid pick. Skip it if you only play Thresh occasionally, but if you’re a support main who locks in the chain warden every other game in solo queue, the VFX upgrade alone justifies the price. Worth it.