Monster Tamer Lulu

First time I saw Monster Tamer Lulu load into my game I thought someone modded in a completely different champion. Not gonna lie, the whole anime monster-trainer aesthetic hits so different on Lulu compared to the rest of her skins. Pix becomes this little creature companion that actually looks like something you’d catch in tall grass, and the entire kit feels reframed around that concept. Locked this in during a late night Diamond session back in August 2022 and the bot lane Sona I was supporting literally asked me what skin that was.

How the VFX change things in lane

The Q fires out these bright energy blasts that read clean against the Rift. Big improvement over base Lulu where Q can sometimes blend into terrain during teamfights. New VFX across the board here. W polymorph turns enemies into a little round creature instead of the standard cupcake or whatever base does. Feels more thematic obviously.

E shield has this sparkly monster-energy wrap to it. Looks good on your ADC in lane. The R knockup gets new particles too, big burst of colorful energy that actually makes it easier to track the zone in chaotic fights. Been running this in Diamond for a couple seasons now and I think the visual clarity on ult is genuinely better than most of her other Epic skins.

Recall animation is the highlight though. Lulu plays with her monster companion, its adorable, the whole thing has this warm Saturday morning cartoon energy. (Random aside: my duo partner who mains Jinx gets actually annoyed when I spam the recall because she says it distracts her from cs.) Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is expected for a 1350 RP Epic tier skin.

The Monster Tamers skinline and release context

Monster Tamers dropped August 11, 2022. Mid season 12. The skinline itself is one of Riot’s more niche thematic experiments. Veigar got one in the same batch, and honestly Monster Tamer Veigar feels like the more popular pick from that set. But Lulu fits the concept naturally. She already has a companion in her base kit with Pix, so reframing that as a tamed monster works without feeling forced.

Ina Wong and West Studio handled the splash. They captured this bright energetic tone that matches the in-game feel perfectly. The splash composition puts Lulu front and center with her monster buddy, lots of warm colors. Could be wrong here but I think this is one of the better composed Lulu splashes overall.

8 chromas total. Obsidian is my personal pick, takes the whole thing into a darker palette that reads like a shadow-type creature trainer. Amethyst leans into the magical fantasy harder than base. Rose Quartz is clean if you want something softer. Not every chroma lands equally but thats a lot of options for customization. Permanent shop availability so you can grab it any time.

Where it sits in the Lulu skin ranking

Real talk though. Lulu has a stacked skin catalog. Dragon Trainer exists. Star Guardian exists. Space Groove exists. Monster Tamer Lulu occupies this weird middle ground where its not her flashiest skin but its also not forgettable. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX, new recall, solid splash, 8 chromas if you want variety.

Played maybe 40 games with this last month specifically because I was testing it against Cosmic Enchantress in my ranked rotation. Monster Tamer wins on VFX clarity in teamfights. Cosmic Enchantress wins on overall aesthetic. Depends what you value more.

If you main Lulu and already own the big three (Dragon Trainer, Star Guardian, Space Groove), this is a solid fourth option. Skip it if you only want one Lulu skin, there’s better choices at the same price point. But for Lulu one-tricks who rotate skins every few games, Monster Tamer Lulu earns its spot. The Monster Tamers line deserved more attention than it got honestly. Might be overthinking it but I feel like if this skinline dropped in 2024 instead of 2022 it would have gotten way more hype. The anime creature-collector genre only got bigger since then.

Worth 1350 RP if you main Lulu. Not her best skin full stop, but a quality Epic that does everything right for the price. Been daily driving it on and off since release and keep coming back to it between my other Lulu skins in the rotation.