Although she seems simple, this control mage can absolutely ruin your day with a well-placed W + R combo. However, the base model of the character leaves a lot to be desired. So we’re going to look at ways to freshen up her looks. More specifically, we’ll be ranking all of her current skins (as of this writing) taking into account both visual appeal and price.
10. Team Spirit Anivia
Released: February 12th, 2010 Price: 520 RP Although this skin might have been hype a decade ago when it was released, it wouldn’t even qualify as a chroma by today’s standards. Sure, you get some patriot buffs by sporting the red, white and blue. But it isn’t anything to write home about. It’s a legacy skin, so you might get some bragging points that way – but realistically there are better legacy skins with the same price, so it doesn’t help it out much.
9. Noxus Hunter Anivia
Released: August 24th, 2010 Price: 520 RP Visually, this is a step-up from the previous skin, but not by much. The splash art just makes you feel like you’re looking at an old relic. And the in-game model feels like wasted potential. Having Anivia sport some flashy golden armor could have been pretty dope – but it just falls flat with this skin. It honestly feels like it should be called Pimp Hunter, as the armor looks like it is all for show and not for practical battle.
8. Hextech Anivia
Released: May 1st, 2011 Price: 750 RP Man, I swear I’m not going after all the legacy skins on purpose. Hextech Anivia definitely features a step-up from the previous two, as the robotic theme is more present and well-detailed. The color pallet fits the tone nicely, and I really like the little opening between her feathers. The only thing holding this skin back is the fact that her egg animation remains the same. It just feels kind of wonky to go from a robotic bird into a frozen egg. Then again, for 750 RP, new animations would be asking too much.
7. Bird of Prey Anivia
Released: May 2nd, 2010 Price: 520 RP This skin is proof that you don’t have to go extremely flashy to make a cool skin. It just turns Anivia into an eagle. The splash art is pretty dope, and the in-game model fits the character perfectly. If you’re American, this skin honestly feels more patriotic than the Team Spirit Anivia skin. Its only major issues is, just like with the last pick, that the abilities seem out of whack for the character. I don’t know much about birds, but I’m pretty sure that they do not control ice.
6. Prehistoric Anivia
Released: June 14th, 2015 Price: 750 RP This one just seemed like such a natural choice for the character. It turns Anivia into a pterodactyl – and it is just as cool as it sounds. The splash art is straight gorgeous, and the purple-blue color scheme just pops out ever so slightly. I was initially a little disappointed that it didn’t have new animations. However, to my surprise, it does have a completely new egg animation. And it’s beautiful. Seeing that little cracked prehistoric egg with two eyes looking out makes the price-tag worth it on its own.
5. Cosmic Flight Anivia
Released: November 24th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Although this skin is the newest (as well as among the pricier skins for the champion), I just don’t feel like it gives you enough to warrant being in the top three. It honestly feels like an excellent visual upgrade, but not a full-blown skin. Don’t get me wrong, the animations are absolutely crisp. However the theme just falls flat. If you’re already going to cash out 1350 RP or more, the other skins further on this list will give you a much better bang for your buck. The only stand out aspect is the splash art, as it is absolutely beautiful.
4. Festival Queen Anivia
Released: February 23rd, 2017 Price: 975 RP Now this skin is just funky as hell. If you’re looking for the best value skin for Anivia, I would say this is the one. For only 975 RP you get brand new animations, visual effects, and a colorful new model that fits in perfectly with modern League. Her recall and egg animations now feature a little jingle – and her W just gives off strong RPG vibes. I honestly have nothing bad to say about the skin. The only reason it’s ranked down here is because the other skins go above and beyond when it comes to their theme. However, they’re also more expensive.
3. Divine Phoenix Anivia
Released: September 2nd, 2021 Price: 1350 RP Divine Phoenix Anivia honestly did the impossible: It actually made Anivia’s character model look fresh and fluid. I mean really, the design is simply brilliant. The detailed feather design really stands out, including the use of colors & gold along the top & at the tips of the wings. The fact this skin also comes with some amazing chromas sweetens the deal even further. In terms of animations and particles, you’re the new Avatar basically. Your abilities still have the freezing particles under your enemies. But your E is on fire, your W is of solid stone, and both your Q and your R harness the power of the rainbow or something like that. It sounds stupid, but it looks absolutely brilliant in-game, trust me. Plus you get a new backing animation where Anivia T-poses on all the other birds – which is dope. So overall? I’d say this is an excellent skin with an added hint of salt that it didn’t turn me into a phoenix like it promised.
2. Papercraft Anivia
Released: February 21st, 2019 Price: 1350 RP I just love when Riot gets creative with their skin designs. And the Papercraft line-up is everything my goofy brain could want, and much more. The in-game model is just so visually appealing, not being too flashy, but still unique. And the animations are brilliant. The egg animation, Q animation, and E animation are a bit standard – but they fit the theme well. All while the W and R animation just steal the show. The W now has you put up a wall of books, which I’ll never get tired of seeing. And the R just makes you feel like Konan from Naruto, swirling papers around while your enemy slowly dies. Overall, an S-class skin.
1. Blackfrost Anivia
Released: April 29th, 2013 Price: 1820 RP This is the skin that Anivia mains dream about. I can’t really say that it’s all that creative, but it fits the original theme and lore of the character better than any other skin. It truly makes you feel like this badass Freljord bird, taking control of the ice and using it to freeze all those who dared to oppose you. Even though the skin is pushing about a decade at this point, it holds up remarkably well, both in terms of animation and in-game design. And it simply knocks the other skins out of the park. Although you might need to freeze your liquid assets to pick it up… 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.
