League players divided on Smolder as some claim he’s ‘fugly Spyro’

League of Legends newest champion, Smolder, was officially revealed with a teaser trailer. And, while some think he’s adorable, others feel as if there’s something off about him and that he’s a “fugly” Spyro the Dragon.

2023 was a good year for Champion releases in League of Legends. Though Hwei’s to-this-day abysmal win rate stands out, none of the champions released last year were game-breakingly good and have found their niche player bases over time.

And 2024 looks to start off hot with Smolder being revealed as the next champion. He’s a “monster” champion in the loosest sense, with his design being more focused around him being a cute lil dragon than a big scary one.

However, this champion is scarier for some than you’d think. While many think he’s cute and adorable, others think something’s gone amiss with his facial modelling and that he looks a bit to close to Spyro, one of gaming’s most iconic dragons.

Smolder elicits mixed reaction from League players

Champion reveals are bound to be divisive one way or another. In a game like League of Legends, not every champion is built for every kind of player. That’s the beauty of having over 160 champions to choose from when playing the game.

However, the reaction to Smolder’s character design has been surprisingly divisive. On one end of the spectrum, you’ve got those who have the reaction Riot was probably going for with his design by banking off of the cute factor.

HE IS CUTE, I LOVE HIM, NEW MAIN

— EZKAYN CANON 💜💚 (@Dann4400) January 4, 2024

Even amongst those who are positive on the overall direction the League of Legends team took with his character design, there are some who are critical of him.

Meanwhile, a ton of comparisons are being drawn between him and Spyro. While that’s a good thing in the eyes of some players, others on Reddit feel as if he’s closer to “Spyro at home” than an adaptation that can stand next to the dragon that defined many gamer’s childhoods.

“Holy f*ck little bro is fugly,” exclaimed one Redditor. “This has got to be the worst dragon design I have ever seen in my entire life, dear lord, riot you did NOT have to reinvent Spyro,” claimed another.

Some in the thread discussing his reveal even compared his face to that of the Sonic movie’s original trailer, the one that caused backlash so severe that the studio entirely remade his model.

Meanwhile, others thought the community was overreacting a bit. “How are people complaining about this y’all mfers are insufferable.”

Ultimately, we’ve only seen the teaser trailer for the character. It may be wise to wait until we get to see him in-game before making any final judgements, but, going off of community reactions, it seems that many don’t like the direction Riot took with him.