Old Saint Zilean

First time I saw this skin was season 3 I think, maybe late season 2. Some random Zilean support locked it in during a ranked game around midnight and I genuinely did a double take at the loading screen. Santa Zilean. Full red suit, white beard upgraded to max holiday mode. Looked ridiculous. Loved it immediately.

What Old Saint Zilean actually changes

Look, this is a 520 RP Standard tier skin from 2009. Temper expectations. Old Saint Zilean swaps Zilean’s default robes for a full Santa Claus outfit, red hat included. The clock theme gets a holiday twist with gift-wrapped bombs. Thats about the extent of it visually. No new particles on Q, no fancy W reset animation, no updated E trail. Base voice lines, no VO refresh.

The model itself holds up surprisingly well for something this old. Zilean already looks like a bearded old man floating around, so the Santa fantasy works naturally. Not gonna lie, dropping time bombs on people while dressed as Saint Nick hits different during December ranked sessions. The bombs read as little presents on the ground which is genuinely funny when your enemy laner walks into one. Been running this every holiday season in Diamond and it never gets old.

No new recall animation either. Standard stuff for the price point. But the character model carries the whole skin. Simple change – huge impact on the vibe. The red and white color scheme pops against the Rift, especially on the blue side where the contrast is cleaner.

Snowdown Showdown and the 2009 holiday drop

Old Saint Zilean released December 23, 2009. Season one wasnt even officially started yet. This is ancient League history. Part of the Snowdown Showdown line, Riot’s annual holiday collection that gave us classics like Santa Gragas and Earnest Elf Tristana.

Snowdown Showdown skins from that era share the same philosophy: cheap, festive, model-only changes. No splash artist credited for this one, which tracks for 2009 releases. Riot was a much smaller operation back then. The splash art is basic by modern standards but it captures the goofy energy perfectly. (Random aside: I keep this splash saved on my desktop every December, its become a tradition at this point.)

Legacy vault skin. You cant just walk into the shop and grab it. Sits in the vault and occasionally rotates out during Snowdown events or pops up in Your Shop if you play enough Zilean. Could be wrong here but I think the last time it was widely available was a Snowdown Showdown event a few years back. Hextech crafting is your other option if you’re desperate.

Should you pick up Old Saint Zilean?

Real verdict: for 520 RP this skin delivers exactly what it promises. Holiday Zilean. Nothing more, nothing less. If you main Zilean or even just pull him out for support occasionally during preseason, Old Saint Zilean is the move for December games. Played maybe 200 games with this skin across multiple seasons and I still prefer it over some of the newer Zilean options during the holidays specifically.

The Snowdown Showdown line has a nostalgic charm that Riot’s newer skinlines cant replicate. These skins feel like they came from a smaller, weirder version of League. Worth 520 RP if you main Zilean, no question. The only real downside is the Legacy availability making it harder to grab. If it shows up in your loot or Your Shop, dont sleep on it. For a skin thats been around since before ranked queues existed, Old Saint Zilean still slaps in the bot lane. S-tier holiday cosmetic for Zilean mains, maybe just behind Sugar Rush if you want something with actual VFX updates. But for pure vibes? This one wins. Last Tuesday I got three honor votes just for the loading screen energy. Fair price for the package.