Star Guardian Syndra

First time I saw Star Guardian Syndra load in, I thought Riot finally figured out how to make Syndra feel like something other than a floating purple menace. Season 7, September 6, 2017. Locked her in immediately. The magical girl aesthetic shouldnt work on a champion whose whole identity is raw power and control, but it does. It really does.

What actually changes on Star Guardian Syndra

The spheres. Thats the whole pitch and the whole delivery. Her dark spheres become these glowing pink and purple orbs with star trails, and every Q you drop on the wave looks like a small constellation forming. The W pickup and throw keeps that starlight particle effect, feels satisfying to poke with in lane. E stun has this burst of sparkles on impact that reads cleanly even in a chaotic teamfight. Been running this in Diamond for a while and I never lose track of my stun geometry because the VFX contrast is that good against the Rift.

New recall animation too. Syndra floats up with her multi-armed familiar, this whole Star Guardian transformation sequence plays out. Clean stuff. Not gonna lie, I’ve sat through the full recall in base more times than I should admit in ranked.

Voice lines stay base. No new VO, which at 1350 RP is expected for an Epic skin. The base Syndra voice still works fine with the theme honestly, all that “power without limit” talk fits the corrupted guardian angle Riot was going for with the Season 2 Star Guardian lineup.

(Random aside: my duo partner who mains support refuses to play with me unless I use this skin because “it matches Star Guardian Janna.” We’ve been doing this bit since 2017.)

The Star Guardian Season 2 lineup and splash credits

Star Guardian Season 2 dropped alongside Ahri, Miss Fortune, Soraka, and Ezreal. Syndra was positioned as the fallen or corrupted guardian of the group. Riot leaned into that narrative hard with the splash art.

Speaking of the splash. Five artists collaborated on it: Jean ‘Curing’ Go, Esben Lash Rasmussen, Alex ‘alexplank’ Flores, Alvin Lee, and Pan Chengwei. They cooked. The composition puts Syndra front and center with her familiar wrapping around her, dark energy mixing with the star magic. Might be overthinking it but I think its one of the better group-era splashes Riot has done.

9 chromas available total. Obsidian goes full dark guardian energy, leans into the corrupted theme harder than base. Tanzanite shifts everything deep purple, reads almost like a completely different skin in game. Brilliant is the flashy pick with pink and blue gradients if you want maximum magical girl vibes. The rest are solid but those three stand out after maybe 30 games testing different ones last March.

Should you buy Star Guardian Syndra?

1350 RP. Standard Epic pricing. For Syndra mains this is an easy pickup. The VFX clarity alone makes it functional beyond just looking good. I think the corrupted guardian fantasy adds something to the champion that most Syndra skins dont bother with. Justicar is the classic choice sure, but Star Guardian Syndra brings personality.

Could be wrong here but I feel like this skin ages better than most 2017 releases. The particle work holds up in season 14 games. Played against a Syndra running this two patches ago and it still looked current. Shop has it permanently, no vault nonsense, so no rush. But if you play Syndra in ranked at all, even as a pocket pick for mid, this one earns its spot in the collection. Real talk though, the Obsidian chroma with the base skin VFX might be the cleanest Syndra look in the game. Worth the extra purchase if you commit.

Skip it if you already own Coven Syndra and only want one premium skin for her. But if you’re building out a Syndra rotation for climbing, Star Guardian Syndra belongs there. 1350 RP well spent for mains.