But at the time of this writing she’s gotten a few new skins semi-recently. And I think that is a just cause for celebration! So let’s have a look at all of Karma’s skins, and rank them all from worst to best – ranking them based on overall appeal as well as their price.
12. Sakura Karma
Released: February 1st, 2011 Price: 520 RP Although I really like the idea behind this skin, I’ll have to put Sakura Karma at last place. The skin simply doesn’t offer enough to make it worth a purchase. It only offers a character model change, and even that is reduced to just a different outfit. The colors do look nice, and the golden ornaments fit very naturally. But it does come off as a bit bland compared to the other skins in Karma’s arsenal.
11. Traditional Karma
Released: March 29th, 2013 Price: 975 RP Your enjoyment of this skin will be heavily dependent how much time you’ve spent with this champion, and how much time you’ve spent playing this game. Since Karma was among the first League champion to get a complete overhaul, this skin aims to capture her original design – which I think is really sweet. However, if you do not have any fond memories of the old Karma and you don’t care much about League history, it’s a rather bland skin. The ability animations are more or less identical to the base skin. And the character model isn’t that drastically either. This skin does offer a different voice over, but it’s neither here nor there in my opinion. So if you’re a Karma veteran, feel free to bump it up to the top three for your own personal ranking – if not, let’s continue.
10. Dawnbringer Karma
Released: December 12th, 2019 Price: 10 Gemstones Dawnbringer Karma is just alright across the board. When it comes to the character model, I really like the angelic theme they were going for, especially the multicolored “wings”. But on the other hand, her getup isn’t all that memorable. In terms of visual effects, the color pallet is quite nice to look at. But on the other hand, it’s missing a lot of that oomph that you would want if you were going for a damage heavy build. The backing animation just seems weird too, as she likes like she’s practicing her slam dunk. But the splash art is gorgeous. All that considered, the price is truly the final nail in the coffin when it comes to ranking.
9. Sun Goddess Karma
Released: February 1st, 2011 Price: 750 RP Her disc looks like it was carved out of some ancient tombs, and her getup looks unique and fierce. I especially like the head piece, as it makes her look like she is in charge. The skin doesn’t offer any new visual or sound effects. But they aren’t necessary either way. Overall, I would say that this is a decent budget skin that lacks some of the polish you’ll see in higher-up skins.
8. Tranquility Dragon Karma
Released: October 21st, 2021 Price: 1350 RP It feels a bit weird to put this newer skin so low in the ranking, but hear me out. Both the idea for this skin and the way it was depicted in the splash art were absolutely brilliant. However, it was somewhat of a flop in execution. Aside from your backing animation, which is a 10/10, the skin doesn’t feel all that related to dragons. Sure, you can see their vague shadows on most abilities but those are just patterns. The E animation is an excellent example of what it could have looked like – but unfortunately the Q and W animation can’t live up to it. Plus, the ult buff is barely noticeable. At least it has very faint and unenthusiastic growl sound effects, I guess.
7. Warden Karma
Released: September 30th, 2015 Price: 750 RP This skin is just simple and effective. It doesn’t offer any new visual or sound effects, but it does a glorious job at reworking the character model. It gives you some sweet armor that just makes you feel like you’re royalty, a commander, a god, or a combination of the three. I especially like the mask, as it makes you look a bit more mysterious and badass. So if you don’t care all that much about bells and whistles and just want to look really cool, I highly recommend taking a look at Warden Karma.
6. Order of the Lotus Karma
Released: October 1st, 2014 Price: 975 RP Here’s a skin that just feels like the ultimate safe pick overall all. The character model here is rather unique with the whole flower theme… But it also isn’t too “out there”. The ability animations have some really nice particles too, but they aren’t all that flashy. So the skin is just kind of good all-around and carries a pretty humble price. I’d say if you’re indecisive as all hell, this might be the choice for you. Plus, I feel like I see this skin all the time among players. So people are obviously digging the Zyra cosplay.
5. Winter Wonder Karma
Released: December 14th, 2016 Price: 1350 RP Winter Wonder Karma just got carried by the visual and audio effect department. Not that the character model is bad or anything, but it’s nothing to write home about. It’s just Karma with some warmer clothes and a snowflake above her head. The animations, however? They’re just scrumptious. The empowered Q is just so satisfying, as it literally feels like a mini Sejuani ult every time. And the frost effect on the W is pretty decent as well. Even the auto-attacks feel a bit more impactful! Overall, snowflakes for the win.
4. Conqueror Karma
Released: April 23rd, 2017 Price: 975 RP Although this skin is somewhat on the subtle side of things, it just works too well to be ignored. Red is the name of the game here – and it alone gave Karma some of that edginess that she was missing. This new character model could easily pass for some type of demon queen. And the animations have all been recolored to better represent the blood she is probably spilling. On paper, they’re all minor changes. But visually this gives the champion quite the new and refreshing feeling. Plus add in the fact that this is only 975 RP and it makes for quite the fierce competitor.
3. Odyssey Karma
Released: October 15th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP The draw with this skin is pretty straightforward: If you like sci-fi, you’ll have a good time with Odyssey Karma. It feels like a mixture of general futuristic design and a flat out goddess, which should be counterproductive, but isn’t. Having a Sun as your source of power makes a lot of sense. And your backing animation showcases your connection to other planets. In terms of visual effects, the particle department (or departiclement for short) really gave it their all on this skin. Nothing is too flashy nor too bland, just very well stylized. And the splash art is just glorious. Overall it’s a proper top skin that deserves it’s position.
2. Dark Star Karma
Released: June 13th, 2019 Price: 1350 RP Having a Sun as your power source might be fitting. But having a black hole is much cooler. In fact, everything about this skin just has the coolness factor cranked up to an eleven. The character model looks amazing, with a very dark and powerful vibe all around. The splash art only furthers that feeling by making you look like a god, and the animations finish it off all up with a nice bow. Especially the empowered Q, that ability makes the price worth by itself. And just when you thought that I could not give this skin any more praise, we press that magical B button and see one of the coolest backing animations Karma has ever had. Top notch all around.
1. Ruined Karma
Released: January 21st, 2021 Price: 1350 RP It’s somewhat ironic that a skin that has the word “ruined” in the name is the best of its kind. This skin just makes everything feel impactful. First off, the character model has that same type of dark and powerful vibe that I was praising Dark Star for. Secondly, some of the usually overlooked animations (like the W) have been revamped to feel much nicer. You just can’t get the same feeling of control with a bland green line and with a literal chain. But personally, what I enjoy most of all is the approach this skin took with the R. Since it’s just an amp, most skins don’t spend that much time on it. But this skin actually took the time to make it feel impactful. Every time you press R, you feel like you’re about to blow something up. Therefore the LoL skin throne here belongs to this ruined queen. 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.
