Lunar Guardian Malphite

First time I saw the Lunar Guardian Malphite splash I thought Riot finally gave the rock some respect. Locked it in immediately on patch day, January 2023, and took it straight into ranked. Not gonna lie, the skin hit way harder than I expected for an Epic. Malphite has always been one of those champs where half the skins feel like recolors, so when something actually changes the fantasy? You notice.

What the skin actually brings to the Rift

The model is a full redesign. Malphite looks like a jade temple guardian brought to life, covered in gold filigree and deep green stone textures. The Lunar Revel aesthetic works perfectly here because Malphite’s bulk sells the “ancient protector” vibe better than most champs could. Theres this weight to the animations that just feels right.

New VFX across the kit. Q sends out this gold-green projectile that trails sparks behind it, way cleaner than base. W ground slam has jade cracks radiating out, which reads well in teamfights when you’re trying to peel for your ADC. E is similar treatment, gold shockwave with Lunar Revel particle effects. The ult though. Unstoppable Force turns Malphite into this blazing golden comet streaking across the lane. Played maybe 40 games with it the first two weeks and the R animation never got old.

Recall animation is new too. Malphite does this guardian stance thing, very ceremonial. Fits the skinline. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for 1350 RP Epics. Could be wrong here but I think the auto attack sounds are slightly different, heavier impact noise on the basic hits.

(Random aside: my duo partner who mains jungle saw the ult VFX and started banning Malphite against me in customs just to be annoying.)

The Lunar Revel line and where this fits

Lunar Revel is one of Riot’s longest running skinlines at this point. Been going since the early seasons. Some real bangers in the catalog, Warring Kingdoms and Lunar Beast and now the Lunar Guardian set. Malphite joined alongside Lunar Guardian Kha’Zix and Nasus in the January 2023 batch. Season 13 launch window if I remember right.

Jack Hsu and West Studio handled the artwork. They nailed the splash. Malphite standing in front of what looks like a temple gate, cherry blossoms in the air, the whole composition reads like a movie poster. Credit where its due, the color palette is gorgeous. Deep jade against warm gold, touches of red in the background.

9 chromas total. Obsidian is my go-to because the dark stone with gold accents looks menacing in lane, perfect for the “I’m about to R your backline” energy. Tanzanite pulls a deep purple that reads like a dark mage variant. Pearl goes full white jade which is clean but maybe too bright for my taste. The Resplendent chroma does something interesting with blue and lime green that shouldnt work but kinda does. Been running Obsidian in Diamond for months now and I dont see myself switching.

Is Lunar Guardian Malphite worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: this is a strong Epic. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New model, full VFX overhaul, new recall. For Malphite specifically this matters because half his older skins are just texture swaps. Shamrock? Coral Reef? Those are 520 RP skins from a different era. Even Mecha Malphite which was exciting back in the day feels dated compared to what Lunar Guardian delivers.

Might be overthinking it but I think Lunar Guardian competes with Dark Star and Odyssey for best Malphite skin. Dark Star has the cooler theme on paper, but Lunar Guardian’s VFX clarity is better in actual gameplay. Last Tuesday in a ranked game around midnight I landed a five-man ult and the gold comet effect across the screen was genuinely sick. That R visual alone carries hard.

Shop has it, permanent availability, grab it whenever. If you play Malphite in any capacity, top lane or support, this skin is worth the RP. The Lunar Revel fantasy suits him naturally. Skip it only if you already own Prestige Dark Star and feel locked into that. Otherwise? Top pick for Malphite mains. Fair warning though, once you see the ult particles on this one you wont want to go back to base.