Unfortunately, despite his middling popularity in the pro scene across the years, he just hasn’t found a wide audience. And as such, he’s been neglected by Riot as well. This leaves the Shield of Valoran with a small handful of skins to choose from – despite his long-standing tenure within the League. While it’s sad news for skin aficionados, it’s good news for anyone who’s ever had the displeasure of being on the wrong side of the infamous Taric/Yi funnel strategy. Because the less people that play him, the less likely we’ll be on the receiving end of a pentakill. But for the sadists and support lovers among you, here’s my ranking of all of Taric’s skins.
5. Emerald Taric
Released: November 20th, 2009 Price: 520 RP Taric’s most basic skin is, unsurprisingly, the first skin he ever had available. The graphical update did it a lot of favors, imparting some personality through the skin’s lore and elven features, even if I think it’s the least impressive in his lineup. But the first and probably most noticeable improvement was the splash art. And it may very well be my favorite splash art out of all his skins. In it, the central part of Taric’s identity (his gems) are front and center. And it shows off the subtler parts of the skin, like his elven ears and circlet. It’s a good thing too, because they’re much harder to see in game. Visual clarity as a whole is what holds this skin (and his others) back. Just because there’s so much green. But if you’re a big fan of the color then Emerald may be just what you’re looking for.
4. Bloodstone Taric
Released: August 9th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Bloodstone is an interesting skin here, because the design is opposite base Taric, but it doesn’t change anything besides his look. I can’t help but feel that adding a new recall or a few new voice lines (or even a voice filter) would’ve pushed this skin to the next level. I think conceptually, Bloodstone is way cooler than Emerald (hence the ranking). But besides the chest gem, this skin doesn’t have anything much besides the palette to help it stand out.
3. Armor of the Fifth Age Taric
Released: April 8th, 2010 Price: 750 RP Now this is a skin worthy of being called “outrageous”. For that reason alone, it ranks above the previous ones. But what really makes me love this skin is how ostentatious it is. In a time before we had the likes of Sett and Viego terrorizing the Rift, Taric and Gragas stood at the pinnacle of male body iconography. And since Gragas achieved his status without a skin, AotFA Taric was the definitive purchase for those who wanted to flaunt that latent sexuality. While it’s more and more common as both champions & skins get the open shirt treatment, AotFA Taric is still worth considering for those leg warmers alone. And if that’s not enough, the pairing of Taric’s naturally blue ability effects + this skin’s pink is quite nice too.
2. Taric Luminshield
Released: March 19th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Luminshield, and the rest of the champions it shares a splash art with, are part of a fantasy skin line that pays homage to tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. I’m a pretty big fan of D&D and fantasy in general. So these skins usually have a special place in my heart. This is not the case with Taric’s skin. I think it’s because Luminshield suffers from the same problem as the other skins on this list so far: Taric’s profile is too hard to differentiate, so many of these different styles of skins just come off as palette swaps with subtle nuances. In other words, he already looks too much like a paladin to emulate one! But while this skin falls short in identity, it makes up for that shortcoming with its abilities. All of them have new effects & a rainbow shimmer that completely blows his originals out of the water. And that’s not to mention the new recall animation that comes a long way in justifying the higher price point.
1. Pool Party Taric
Released: July 13th, 2016 Price: 1350 RP This skin solves every single one of my issues with Taric’s other skins! That’s not an exaggeration, either. Pool Party Taric retains his identity while also delivering a whole lot more personality, visuals, and fun. Starting with his design, his new role as a lifeguard is the perfect parallel to his role as a stalwart protector support. His gems are replaced by lifesavers, and his hammer is now a megaphone, both of which serve to strengthen his design while making aesthetic sense. We also see his iconic open shirt fashion alongside other wardrobe choices that bring the lifeguard aesthetic fabulously full circle. Each of his abilities is updated to give a bit of watery flair here – and they’re absolutely gorgeous. My personal favorite touch is the timer of his ultimate, Cosmic Radiance, as it becomes a pair of “deal with it” shades – the perfect touch for such a frustratingly strong ability. To top it all off, he gets new and fitting recall and death animations, and a voice filter that’s just brilliant. While the other skins feel “good” at best, Pool Party really is in another tier. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
