Praetorian Graves

First time I saw Praetorian Graves load in, I thought someone was playing a different game entirely. The whole aesthetic is so far removed from base Graves that it took me a second to process. Robotic terminator vibes on a shotgun-toting lane bully. Not sure if it’s just me but something about the silhouette just reads more threatening than any other Graves skin I’ve used in ranked.

What Praetorian Graves actually changes

This is a 1350 RP Epic skin so you’re getting the full package minus new voice lines. Voice stays default. The model is a complete overhaul though. Graves goes from rugged outlaw to full mechanical enforcer. Dark metallic plating, glowing red optics, the shotgun redesigned into something that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie from 2004. Clean work.

The VFX are where the money went. Q sends out these red energy blasts that feel more impactful than base, and the smoke screen on W has this distorted tech look to it. Played maybe 40 games with this skin last season and the W particles specifically feel like they read better in teamfights. Could be wrong here but I think the red coloring against the Rift’s green makes it easier to track.

E dash has updated particles too. Nothing crazy but the trail effect looks mechanical and sharp. R is the highlight for me. The Collateral Damage ult fires off with these heavy red projectiles that feel like they hit harder even though obviously the damage is identical. Its one of those skins where the VFX trick your brain into thinking you’re doing more damage.

Recall animation is new. Graves does this whole scanning sequence, very Terminator. Short and sweet, no elaborate dance or joke setup. Fits the theme perfectly. Been running this in Diamond games and the recall feels appropriately intimidating when you back after clearing a camp at their raptors.

The Praetorian line and release context

Praetorian Graves dropped November 8, 2018. Late season 8. Bo ‘chenbowow’ Chen nailed the splash, the composition puts Graves front and center with that red eye cutting through dark smoke. The Praetorian skinline is one of Riot’s smaller thematic sets. Robot hunter aesthetic, think machines designed to track and eliminate. Graves and Fiddlesticks got the Praetorian treatment and honestly thats about it.

The Praetorian theme never expanded much beyond those two. Kinda feels like Riot tested the waters and moved on. Which is a shame because the concept had legs. The robotic enforcer angle works really well on Graves specifically because his kit is already about brute force and close range aggression.

6 chromas total if you want variety. Obsidian is the standout, goes full dark ops with the color scheme and reads way cleaner in jungle. Sapphire swaps the red for blue energy which changes the whole mood of the skin. I keep coming back to base Praetorian though, the red is too iconic to drop. (Random aside: my duo partner refuses to play with me when I use the Rose Quartz chroma because he says pink Graves breaks his immersion.)

Is Praetorian Graves worth 1350 RP?

Real verdict: if you’re a Graves jungle main this is a solid pickup. Not his best skin ever but it fills a niche that nothing else in his catalog does. The sci-fi mechanical angle is unique to Praetorian. Pool Party is fun, Sentinel is clean, but neither gives you that cold robotic killer fantasy.

1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New model, full VFX overhaul, new recall. No new VO but at this price point you dont expect it. Shop has it permanently so no rush, wait for Your Shop if you want a discount. Been spamming Graves in Diamond this split and I rotate between this and Battle Professor depending on mood. For the bot lane specifically when I take Graves ADC in norms around 1 AM on a Tuesday, the Praetorian auto attacks feel the smoothest of any skin he has. Might be overthinking it but the animation timing just clicks.

Skip this if you already own three or more Graves skins and dont jungle. But for Graves one-tricks grinding ranked? Top pick for Graves mains. The VFX clarity alone gives it an edge over half his catalog.