Pool Party Graves

First time I saw Pool Party Graves load in, I thought somebody modded the game. Graves running around shirtless with a water gun felt so wrong for a champion built around grit and buckshot. But then you see the particles. The water splashing on every auto, the tropical recall animation. Sold. Been running this in Diamond for years now and it still gets comments in lobby chat.

Water guns and buckshot: what actually changes

The whole model gets reworked here. Graves drops the trenchcoat-outlaw look for board shorts, flip flops, and a Super Soaker. Thats the whole fantasy. Big muscular dude at a pool party still trying to fight people. The Q sends out a spray of water instead of buckshot, and the impact feels lighter visually but honestly reads just as clean in teamfights. Could be wrong here but I think the water particles actually make it easier to track your Q bounce in chaotic fights around dragon pit.

His W smoke screen becomes this blue-tinted splash zone. Still functions the same obviously but the color shift from grey smoke to bright blue water mist is a nice touch. Helps your team know its your ability and not the enemy Graves in mirror matchups, which came up for me twice last week in ranked.

The E dash has a subtle water trail. Nothing crazy. The R ult is where Riot put the budget though. Collateral Damage fires off this massive water cannon blast and the explosion on the backline looks clean. Played maybe 150 games with this skin and the ult VFX never got old. Real talk though, the recall animation carries hard here. Graves sits in a kiddie pool, cigar replaced with a juice box situation. Classic Riot humor from the 2013 era.

Voice lines stay base. No new VO which is expected for a 1350 RP Epic. Standard voice, same gravel tone Kyle Hebert recorded.

Pool Party lineup and the 2013 drop

Pool Party Graves released September 9, 2013. Early season 3 vibes. The Pool Party skinline was still fresh back then, not the massive yearly event it became later. Graves fit the theme naturally because the dude already had that rugged beach energy.

No splash artist credited in the data which is weird for a skin this popular. The splash itself is solid though. Graves lounging poolside with the Super Soaker, very on brand for the line. (Random aside: I had this splash as my Discord avatar for like eight months straight.)

6 chromas total if you want variety. Amethyst shifts the shorts to purple which honestly looks better than base, gives him more of a late-night pool party vibe. Ruby goes red and aggressive, fits the Graves personality more. Turquoise is the sleeper pick though, the teal tones blend with the water VFX so everything feels cohesive on the Rift. Rest are fine but those three stand out.

Should you buy Pool Party Graves?

Verdict time. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New model, water VFX across all abilities, solid recall, six chromas for customization. Not gonna lie, this is competing against some heavy hitters in the Graves skin catalog. Battle Professor exists. Porcelain exists. EDG exists for the esports crowd.

But Pool Party Graves has something the others dont. Personality. The skin doesn’t take itself seriously and for a champion who’s all about being the grizzled tough guy, that contrast works. Spammed this in Diamond last season specifically during summer and it just hits different when the weather matches the skin.

Skip it if you need flashy Legendary-tier production value. Pick it up if you main Graves and want something fun in your rotation. Shop has it permanently so no rush, maybe wait for a sale if 1350 feels steep. For Graves one-tricks who already own the serious skins, this is the one you lock in when you want to have a good time in solo queue. Been daily driving this alongside Sentinel Graves and I keep coming back. Top pick for Graves mains who dont mind looking ridiculous while farming cs and one-shotting the enemy ADC from a bush.