Obsidian Malphite

Not gonna lie, first time I saw Obsidian Malphite load in on the enemy team I thought it was a completely different champion for about two seconds. The dark volcanic rock texture just reads so differently from base Malphite that your brain needs a moment to catch up. Been running this skin on and off since maybe season 4 or 5, dont remember exactly, and it still holds up way better than a 975 RP skin from 2011 has any right to.

What Obsidian Malphite actually brings

So the model swap is the main event here. Malphite goes from his standard grey-blue rocky boy look to this deep black obsidian shell with molten orange cracks running through it. Looks like he crawled out of a volcano. The glowing lava veins pulse slightly and it gives him this menacing presence in lane that base Malphite just cant match.

The VFX got updated too which is honestly surprising for a Standard tier skin at this price point. His Q leaves a darker trail, and the ground slam on his E has this volcanic impact feel. His ult – Unstoppable Force – hits with a satisfying molten visual. Nothing groundbreaking but solid touches. Voice lines stay base, no changes there. No new recall animation either.

Real talk though, in teamfights when you’re diving the backline with R, the dark model actually blends into certain Rift terrain better than you’d expect. Played a game last Thursday where their ADC literally didnt see me sitting in river brush because the obsidian texture matched the shadow. Could be wrong here but I think the darker skins genuinely give you a micro-advantage in low visibility spots. (Random aside: my duo partner refuses to play with me when I use this skin because he says it looks “evil” and throws off his vibe.)

The Infernal connection and release history

Obsidian Malphite dropped August 15, 2011. Early days. Part of the Infernal skinline which Riot has expanded massively since then. Back in season 1 the Infernal line was just getting started and Malphite fit the volcanic theme naturally. Rock champion plus lava equals obvious but effective.

975 RP for a Standard skin with VFX updates is fair pricing. No splash artist credited in the data which tracks for skins from that era. Riot wasnt always consistent about crediting artists back then. The Infernal lineup has grown into one of their bigger skinlines now and Obsidian Malphite was one of the early entries that set the tone.

No chromas available. Legacy vault skin so you cant just grab it from the shop whenever. Hextech only these days or wait for a Legacy sale event. Seen maybe 5 of these in my Diamond games all season which makes it feel more exclusive than it probably should for a 975 RP skin.

Should you pick up Obsidian Malphite?

Verdict time. For Malphite mains this is a strong pickup if you can get it from a chest or during a vault opening. The volcanic aesthetic fits his kit perfectly and the VFX touches elevate it above what you’d expect from a 2011 Standard skin. Sits in the Legacy pool so availability is the main issue.

If you’re climbing with Malphite and want something that looks intimidating in lane, Obsidian delivers. 975 RP well spent for mains. Skip it if you already own Mecha or Dark Star since those offer more for the price, but as a Legacy piece with that dark lava look it holds a unique spot in his skin catalog. Spammed this in Diamond during a Malphite phase around season 12 and zero regrets. The skin just hits different when you’re ulting into four people and your champion looks like an actual force of nature.