Lunar Revel



The Lunar Revel is an event based on the in the Asian Lunar calendar. It has been celebrated in the League of Legends world since 2012 and continued in 2013. It started on January 10, 2012, and was accompanied by the release of four new skins and the temporary renaming and replacement of pictures of several consumable items.

Lunar Guardian


gzfCFtXeYI0 "There was an age when darkness smothered all hope. A traveler arrived, late into that twilight hour, bearing with him the first light of dawn."

Legend tells of a land choked to darkness under the grip of two fell queens, their sigils wolf and serpent.

A traveler arrived on one gray morning and beheld an ancient evil buried beneath the pale queens' mortal disguises.

Revealing his own true form, the traveler shattered their porcelain shells, exposing the blackened spirits within.

The three fought a brutal battle, crashing into the violent sea and out of sight, save for the echoing flashes of the wanderer's light.

As the new day broke, the forgotten glow of dawn speared the fading clouds and the last year became the next. Though the dark still lurked beyond every doused flame, the people no longer feared the night. The traveler had brought radiant hope with the rising dawn."

Background
Lunar New Year is an annual festival still popularly celebrated by the Asian cultures such as Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. Every lunar new year changes the symbolic animal of the. The Lunar Revel skins also reflect that animal of the year accordingly. For example, Dragon is the zodiac animal of 2012, so three of four skins feature the dragon theme in the name and the design. 2013 was the year of snake, so was given her Lunar Revel skin that year.

Champion skins
Since 2012, new champion skins have been released to celebrate Lunar Revel. Unlike other events (e.g. the Harrowing or Snowdown Showdown) the release of Lunar Revel skins began as permanent additions to the store. 2014 was an exception with the new skins for and  being classified as legacy skins, while  skin remained a permanent item in the store. List of all Lunar Revel Champion skins:
 * 2012  (Year of the Dragon)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * 2013  (Year of the Snake)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)


 * 2014 (Year of the Horse)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Legacy)
 * - (Legacy)


 * 2015 (Year of the Goat)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)
 * - (Permanent)


 * 2016 (Year of the Monkey)
 * - (Legacy)
 * - (Legacy)
 * - (Permanent)


 * 2017 (Year of the Rooster)
 * - (Legacy)
 * - (Legacy)
 * - (Legacy)

Features


Lunar Revel events in the past have included, but are not limited to:


 * Delectable editions of your favorite in-game consumables
 * Decorative ward skins to brighten up the map
 * Festive summoner icons to show off to your friends and teammates
 * New login screens with music and animation to get you in the mood of the new year

Items
The following items received new temporary names and icons to celebrate the festivities:



Summoner Icons
For each Lunar Revel event, there are new summoner icons that one can obtain by various means during the event. For more information on these icons click here. Below is a gallery of all Lunar Revel icons:

Ward Skins
For the 2013 Lunar Revel event, Riot released two ward skins to kick off the celebration for the year of the serpent. These ward skins were free to use throughout the duration of the event.

In 2014, Riot created two more festive ward skins in cerebration for the year of the horse. In addition, the previous year's ward skins returned for the even. Like in 2013, all ward skins were free to use during the even, but they were also put on sale for 640 to be able to use them on a permanent basis.

Light over dark: Creating Lunar Revel’s triptych
BY RUMTUMTUMMERS

''The origins of Lunar New Year are slightly different depending on who you ask. But most versions involve a giant monster named Nian (“year” in Chinese). The story goes that, threatened by Nian, a village pounded on drums and lit fireworks to scare the beast away. Fast forward a few thousand years or so and most modern Lunar New Year celebrations still pay homage to the fireworks and thunderous celebration that spooked Nian, including League of Legends’ Lunar Revel celebration.''

This year with Lunar Revel, we wanted to dive a little deeper into these core mythical elements of Lunar New Year and create something new and exciting for players to explore.


 * More than lanterns

''“When we were looking back at previous Lunar Revels, it was like ‘Oh, red, gold, lanterns,” says art lead Lisa Thorn. “It didn’t have much of a narrative arc.” The team behind Lunar Revel worked to weave specific Lunar Revel themes into this year’s experience, focusing on the battle between light and dark and the idea of starting the new year with an optimistic outlook. Creating a massive triptych (a single image spread across three panes or frames) and using it to craft a Lunar Revel story felt like a great way to communicate these themes while still giving the new skins room to shine.''

''The team explored a huge range of art styles and gathered voluminous examples of Chinese art as it searched for the perfect Lunar Revel idea. “We started looking into traditional Chinese art, and that was sort of the moment where we thought, ‘Okay, triptychs are really cool,’” says Thorn. “It felt traditional and respectful, but also super unique from what we’ve done in the past.”''

''Senior concept artist Suke says, “We really wanted to show more respect for the mythology and culture that inspires this event.” Suke skipped over Chinese art tropes like bold reds, wispy dragons, and glowing lanterns. “I played with different colors and techniques. The gold foil, for instance, is more contemporary, but the clouds and lines are more traditional. We were really trying to mix classical and modern elements into the triptych without leaning on tropes.”''


 * The story of the skins

The Lunar Revel triptych is more than a pretty picture. It tells the story of this year’s Revel and the skins that accompany it. “I think this is one of the first times we’ve done a single illustration that tells a full story,” says Thorn. “Everything we did for Lunar Revel is focused on the idea of light vs. dark. It’s more than Wukong in a badass pose, and the triptych is the most obvious representation of the theme.”

''Writer Matthew 'Popstar Urf' Manarino explains, “Caitlyn and Morgana’s designs are based on demons common to Chinese mythology. Wukong’s design is based on the idea of the radiant hero who always bests these demons in famous Chinese myths.” With the triptych, says Manarino, the Lunar Revel team was able to capture the darkness of the demons and the radiance of Wukong, while creating a legend that ties all the skins together and pays homage to their influences.''

''Telling the light vs. dark story also helps add meaning to the way people experience the skins. “I think it’s so cool that we’re introducing the skins with an epic story this time,” says Thorn. “We’re trying to evolve Lunar Revel and connect it to deeper themes rooted in cultural mythology.” She continues, “It’s really compelling to be a part of a fantasy with meaningful characters.''

''That’s not to say there’s nothing for fans of old-school Lunar Revel skins to enjoy. Suke says, “There are references to champions of previous years and their Lunar Revel skins -- we put a lot of effort into small touches that make the image more meaningful to all of our Lunar Revel champs and the players who love them.” Players who look closely will find Lunar Revel favorites like Firecracker Jinx and Dragonwing Corki tucked away in different parts of the image.''

''In the end, the team is hopeful the triptych provides something players can enjoy beyond the expected Lunar Revel stuff. Says Thorn, “We hope it’s meaningful in addition to being cool. We want players to have fun exploring it and finding its secrets, and to enjoy the story it tells: light always wins out over dark.”''

Gallery
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Music
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Login Screens
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