Prestige Star Guardian Neeko (2022)

First time I saw Prestige Star Guardian Neeko (2022) pop up in the collection tab I genuinely had to double-check it wasnt just the original Prestige with a different border. Not gonna lie, Riot recycling prestige skins into the 2022 Mythic Essence system caught me off guard. But after locking it in for maybe 40 ranked games across two patches, I think this version of the skin holds up better than people give it credit for.

The golden Neeko treatment

So what actually changes here compared to base Star Guardian Neeko? The whole color palette shifts into that signature prestige gold-and-white scheme. Neeko’s outfit trades the vibrant green-and-pink Star Guardian look for a cleaner ivory base with gold trim running through every piece. Her familiar Towa gets the same treatment: pale gold fur, brighter eyes. Looks elegant in a way the regular version doesn’t.

VFX got reworked to match. Her Q blooming flower hits the Rift in golden bursts instead of the usual pastel Star Guardian pinks. The W clone shimmers with a slightly different gold tint, which honestly helps in teamfights because it reads differently from base. Could be wrong here but I think the E root tether looks cleaner too, thinner gold line that still pops against dark terrain like dragon pit or the river brush near bot lane specifically.

Recall animation stays from the Star Guardian line. Neeko does her little transformation sequence with the golden sparkle overlay. Pretty standard for prestige variants: same animation skeleton, different particle color. No new voice lines either. Voice stays default, which is fine because Neeko’s base VO already carries personality. Flora Paulita did solid work on the original voice and it fits the prestige aesthetic without clashing.

The splash though. Big highlight. Rudy Siswanto nailed the splash for this one. Neeko posed mid-transformation with that golden aura radiating outward, stars cascading behind her. Been using it as my client background since season 12. (Random aside: the splash cropped as a Discord avatar actually goes hard, the gold reads well even at tiny resolution.)

Star Guardian Season 3 and the 2022 Mythic rework

Prestige Star Guardian Neeko (2022) dropped April 1, 2022. Part of the Star Guardian Season 3 skinline, which was one of Riot’s bigger thematic pushes that year. The original Prestige Star Guardian Neeko came through the event pass system back in 2019 if I remember right, season 9 I think. The 2022 version migrated it into the Mythic Essence shop rotation.

This is a Mythic tier skin with Special pricing, meaning you couldn’t just buy it with RP. Had to either have Mythic Essence saved up or get lucky through Hextech crafting. Right now it sits in the vault. Vault rotation skin, so availability depends entirely on when Riot decides to bring it back through the Mythic shop or special events.

No chromas on this one. Makes sense for a prestige variant since the whole point is the gold recolor itself. You’re not going to see Riot slapping an Obsidian chroma on an already-recolored prestige skin. The gold IS the chroma, basically.

Kinda feels like the Star Guardian Season 3 line peaked with a few specific skins and Neeko’s prestige quietly sits in upper-mid tier of the bunch. Not the flashiest entry, not the weakest. Solid B+ in the skinline rankings from my experience playing against and with various Star Guardian skins in Diamond games last season.

How it plays in actual games

Been running this in ranked since I rolled it from a Mythic capsule around mid-2023. The gold VFX on Neeko’s Q are genuinely easier for me to track during chaotic teamfights. Pre-6 laning feels the same as any Neeko skin obviously, but once you start looking for engages with your ult the golden circle on R reads clean. Had a game last Tuesday where I Flash-R’d into three people near Baron and my jungler said in chat he could see exactly where my ult zone was because of the gold contrast against the pit floor.

One thing that bugged me initially. The W passive proc shimmer on auto attacks blends into the gold outfit sometimes. Makes the “every third auto” passive less visually distinct than on darker Neeko skins. Minor gripe. After 30-ish games I stopped noticing it.

Might be overthinking it but the clone from W feels slightly more deceptive in this skin? The gold tones make enemy players hesitate a half-second longer because prestige skins draw attention. Played a game where their Katarina dove what she thought was me in a side lane and it was the clone. Free kill for my team rotating from mid. Anecdotal obviously but I’ve seen it happen enough times to mention.

The honest take

Prestige Star Guardian Neeko (2022) is a clean Mythic skin that doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Best executed prestige in the Star Guardian lineup? Probably not, that goes to Syndra’s prestige. But for Neeko mains who want something flashier than base Star Guardian without going full legendary budget, this fills the gap well.

Skip this if you dont play Neeko regularly. The vault availability means you’re spending limited Mythic Essence on it, and that currency is better used on a main. But if Neeko is your go-to mid or support pick and you’ve been climbing with her this season, it’s worth grabbing next time the vault rotates. Top pick for Neeko mains who already own base Star Guardian and want the upgrade. The gold just hits different on the Rift, real talk though, and Rudy Siswanto’s splash alone is worth the unlock.