SSG Gnar

First time I saw SSG Gnar in loading screen I thought it looked cleaner than it had any right to. Worlds skins can be hit or miss, especially for champions that transform, but Samsung Galaxy’s 2017 championship line got Gnar right. Been running this in ranked since maybe season 9 I think and it still holds up. Not flashy. Just solid.

How SSG Gnar actually plays

The mini Gnar model wears the SSG jersey and has this whole esports athlete vibe going on. White and blue color scheme, clean lines. Theres something about the way the boomerang Q looks in this skin that reads better than base for me. The VFX got a refresh with the Samsung Galaxy blue tones, so your Q trail, W proc marks, and E bounce all carry that icy team-color palette.

Mega Gnar is where it gets interesting. The transform keeps the white and blue but scales it up into this hulking SSG branded beast. Your R in teamfights has that blue shockwave that honestly reads well against the Rift background. Not gonna lie, the clarity on the stun zone feels slightly better than some of his other Epic skins.

The recall animation is the highlight. Mini Gnar sits down and plays with a little trophy, which is a nice nod to the Worlds win. Mega Gnar’s recall is more aggressive, slamming the ground. Standard voice lines, no new VO, but for a Worlds skin at this tier thats expected. The W proc specifically has this satisfying blue burst that I notice every time it goes off in lane. Playing this skin in a Diamond game last Tuesday around 2 AM, the E bounce into Mega transform genuinely looked crisp.

The 2017 Worlds line and release context

SSG Gnar dropped July 20, 2018 as part of the World Champions 2017 set celebrating Samsung Galaxy’s win. The whole lineup was clean. CuVee picked Gnar for his skin, and it shows in how the design respects the champion’s identity without overcomplicating it.

Rudy Siswanto and Pan Chengwei handled the splash art. They nailed the composition with mini Gnar front and center in the SSG gear, Mega Gnar looming behind. The dual-form splash is something not every Gnar skin pulls off well.

Legacy vault skin, so you cant just grab it whenever. Worlds skins typically come back around the championship event each year, but outside that window you’re looking at Hextech crafting or waiting. 1350 RP when it is available. One chroma exists, the Elite version, which shifts the palette into a purple and light blue combo. (Random aside: the Elite chroma honestly looks like it could be its own standalone skin with how different the purple reads.)

The World Champions 2017 skinline sits in a weird spot. Not as iconic as the SKT sets but more polished than some later Worlds batches. Could be wrong here but I think the SSG line ages better than people give it credit for. Gnar, Xayah, Rakan, Ezreal, Taliyah, Jarvan – solid roster across the board.

Is SSG Gnar worth locking in?

Real verdict: if you main Gnar in top lane, this is a top three skin for him. Maybe not as visually loud as Astronaut or Gentleman, but it has personality without being distracting. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. New VFX, new recall, clean model for both forms.

The thing holding it back is availability. Legacy catalog means you might not be able to buy it when you want it. Been playing Gnar on and off for five seasons and I keep coming back to this one over the flashier options. Something about the competitive esports theme just fits a champion you pick for lane prio and teamfight engage.

Skip it if you already have Elderwood or Dino and don’t care about the esports history. But for Gnar one-tricks who want something understated that still looks good in the backline of a comp, SSG is the pick. Might be overthinking it but the blue VFX on W proc into R combo in a late-game teamfight just hits different than his other skins. Best competitive-themed Gnar skin full stop, and the Elite chroma adds enough variety that you wont get bored of the base palette after 50 games of splitpush duty.