Wukong Splash Art Changes

I'm a huge fan of Wukong. He is without a doubt my favorite champion in League of Legends. I started playing League of Legends before he was even released and when he came out I was very excited. I didn't have the IP or RP to purchase him right away but I played him as soon as I could and was very excited because I had found a champion that fit my playstyle perfectly. That combined with his amazing splash art made him a "Must Have!" The base art was awesome but it was the General Wukong splash art that I absolutely fell in love with. I saved up my IP so that I could buy him and coughed up enough money to get the General Wukong skin as soon as I could. I've never had a lot of money to spare after paying my bills and buying food but I do occasionally make sacrifices so that I can purchase things on League. By the time I started playing him it seemed everyone else had forgotten about him. The guides I had seen for him were just totally wrong in my opinion. Most people were trying to force him to be something he was not meant to be. Maybe they wanted another Garen but not me. I embraced my inner Munkeh and went to town in top lane. I would hang back and play scared in order to test my opponents strengths, luring them into a false sense of confidence. This left me behind in CS early on but I would often get an Avarice Blade to boost my income and it never failed that my opponent would over extend and fall right into my trap. Most seemed to think the first kill I got on them was just a fluke because even after it I would still play scared and they'd usually come back to lane ready for revenge. A well placed "Improve your skills" taunt with me shaking my butt at them was often all it took to get them to dive me again. After the second kill on them I was set. The two kills would put me ahead in gold even though I was behind in CS and with Tiamat I was quickly able to clear waves and catch back up. Once laning phase was over I became a split-pushing roamer who would pop up on the map just about anywhere at any time. Using hit and run tactics to harass the enemy left most of them confused because that just wasn't how people played. I would taunt and harass relentlessly and became quite adept at baiting the enemy into situations where I and my team had the advantage. I was very good at playing with my munkeh. :D People started playing him more again though and as I saw him more and more I played him less preferring to branch out and learn other champions and roles. He still remains my favorite to this day even though I don't play as often as I used to.

My concern now is his updated splash art. The old NA art might have been just that, Old, but it was still of amazing quality and it really personified Wukong. The Chinese splash art for most of his skins is ok but the splash art for General Wukong is just totally and completely wrong in my opinion. The old NA art is amazing and is what prompted me to buy the skin in the first place. He just looks so confident and determined in his badass, take all comers, better think twice about messing with me sort of pose. The old art inspires me and gets me in the mood to play Wukong when I see it. To me the new, Chinese, art makes me think of a bad cgi Planet of the Apes roid-raging psychotic ape man. It doesn't inspire me. It makes me sad and just say "eww." The art quality is good but that picture just doesn't fit our Wukong at all. If you know his voice his taunts and his abilities you see the new skin just doesn't fit nevermind the fact it doesn't really go along with the in-game mythology or Chinese lore about the character either. Seriously, whats with the staff robbed from Volcanic Wukong and the Flames spitting out of the armor on his left shoulder? He looks more demonic or possessed than anything. I could picture the old splash art as a General but not this one. This one in the Chinese art looks like some brainless psychopath ape man. He may be a figure from their mythology and all but that splash art just doesn't suit him. I have been disappointed before by other changes in splash art over the years. The first was probably Frosted Ezreal but a friend gifted me Nottingham Ezreal and I prefer it. Goth Annie didn't bother me really because I got that skin from my friend who got me into League of Legends in the first place but it was a change from what I was used to. The change to Emumu was certainly needed but there are things about the new splash art I don't like. He was my favorite before Wukong ever came out so changes to him over the years, I'm talking about those ult nerfs, have left my feelings a bit hurt. He was admittedly a bit too strong though. I'm a big fan of Karma Trundle and Sejuani and was pleasantly surprised to receive their Traditional skins when they were changed. The change to Cottontail Teemo is a straight downgrade to me. He now has what I can most kindly describe as "Derp Face." I rarely if ever use that skin now because I have Badger Teemo and think it is much more cute anyway. Barring any changes to Badger Teemo I'll happily overlook the derpy Cottontail splash art. The biggest and most painful change is definitely General Wukong. I've used that splash art as my desktop background for ages. Having it replaced in game causes the same heartache that I experienced as a kid when my Dad threw away a box of my most prized possessions during a move from one state to another. I spent my hard earned money to attain that skin solely because of the splash art. Having something I cherish so much taken away leaves me sad and depressed. I don't care about a refund. I don't want my money or RP back. I want my Munkeh back. I mean if you're going to take away the General Wukong I love like that you might as well come to my house and throw away all my favorite stuff the way my dad did. It wouldn't leave me any more heart broken than I am. I understand your need to update splash art that isn't very good. Many of the female champions splash art had some pretty funky proportions that just left them looking really weird. Some of the splash art looked really poor compared to the newer stuff. The Wukong splash art didn't fall into that category. It might have been 5 years old but it was still incredibly well drawn. I know it might seem silly but I don't want to play Wukong now. I don't want to see the different art and get depressed before a match. That wouldn't be fair to my team. I want to be inspired like I used to be by the old splash art. I suppose there are probably plenty of people in China and other places that used the Chinese art which may feel the same way if you'd chosen the NA art and I don't want them to be sad either but I'm not them. I'm me and in my own interest I thought I needed to let you at Riot know how I feel.

I hope my taking the time to write this long post accurately expresses my love of Wukong and my disappointment at the change. I really hope you take the time to read it all and are moved by it. I really really hope you decide to change back to the NA splash art for General Wukong.

Thanks for all the happy times, ~Toast