I don't hate Yasuo and Riven players for getting nice skins

In fact, I am very happy for them!

I also don't hate Riot for doing what businesses do best: appealing to their customers by giving them great products that will also turn a profit.

However, I do just want to share some frustration I have. I do not play Yasuo or Riven, nor do I play Ahri, Jinx, Annie, Lee Sin, etc., and so I don't get to enjoy all the amazing skins they have and the regularity with which they receive them. My League appetite largely consists of Tahm Kench, Illaoi, Vel'Koz, and some Galio and Warwick here and there, and I'm glad I own cool skins for each of those champions to use.

Let's repeat myself early on so no one gets any misconceptions. I don't have anything against people who play these champions that get a lot of skins, and often a lot of nice skins, 975s and 1350s and 1820s and usually with a lot of flashy effects, cool themes, and new VOs. What I do find fault in is that even when a relatively unpopular champion gets a skin after years of not receiving them, it's still often less quality than a lot of skins made for popular ones. Zyra comes to mind. It was a long, long time since Zyra had gotten a skin, before Dragon Sorceress. Which is a cool skin, undoubtedly. But also one that lacked a VO on a skin that completely changes her as a character thematically and narratively. Today I learned that the new Yasuo skin, which despite being very cool is still also admittedly rather generic and predictable for Yasuo, has a full new VO and everything. Which I found strange.

Another phrase I see tossed around on this topic is that Riot working on one skin does not necessarily 'take one away' from another champion. Riot has said this too multiple times. So if Ahri is going to get another skin soon, that apparently doesn't stop Yorick from getting one, or whatever. This has always confused me. Riot does not have infinite resources. They do not have infinite artists and animators with infinite hours, infinite pay, and infinite computers and tablets. If they decide to invest resources into two champions, say, Riven and Yasuo, that already have many nice skins, then they are consciously diverting a portion of their skins workforce to work on that project instead of working on skins for champions that so desperately need it. Until I see a Yorick, Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Cassiopeia, Swain, Viktor, etc. skin, I can't be sure that they currently 'have one in the works', despite whatever they've promised in the dev blog. And it also makes me sad to see Riot continuing to choose to make skins for the same group/type of champion and ignore those who haven't gotten one in half a decade in the name of profit when they are already a multi-billion dollar company. Yes, it makes them money, yes, it's just good business, but it also sends a message to several champion communities that are just as dedicated (if not more): We don't care. If Riot sincerely does care, then they should step up their game.

This is more of a personal gripe, but let's take it back to DS Zyra. Even when a middling/unpopular champion finally gets a skin, it's not all that spectacular. A quote still sticks with me to this day, a Nocturne main once said on the boards once that Cursed Revenant Nocturne was nice and all, but not worth the 4 year wait, and that he dreads another 4 years before Noc gets another 750. I've heard similar sentiments from Karthus, Volibear, Malphite, Singed, and other like champions. From personal experience, I like URF Kench and Vel fine, but they certainly aren't the best of what Riot can do for those champions and I eagerly await a skin or two of higher caliber. And it's just a tad bit irksome to see someone like Jinx that whenever she gets a skin all the stops are pulled and you get something expensive, flashy, and lovingly crafted. Or Kha'Zix, that got two very good skins within a single year, or how Taric and Fiora are allowed to get skins right after their VGU but Yorick can't, or how Illaoi still hasn't gotten a skin despite Jhin breaking release order to get his. Riot, I hope you know you could have very well given Illaoi a Blood Moon skin and made her fans very happy, but you caved and gave it to the newer, flashier champion. There is a lot of double standard too when the Boards talk about why popular champions should get a skin vs why an unpopular champion shouldn't. And even if Yorick gets a really nice skin, or Swain, or Cass, how is that supposed to make up for all the years Riot has just blatantly ignored them on full radio silence? How can Riot face the players of those champions after having ignored them for years? This makes me sad.

This was just a collection of some random thoughts I had when I saw Yasuo and Riven were going to get these two very nice skins. If you main a popular champion who gets skins, please realise this is not a post trying to attack you or your champion and I don't understand where you'd get that notion, but it has happened to me before when I've tried to point things like this out. Please try to put yourself in my shoes. It's easy to main someone like Ahri and say 'oh, it's a super requested skin and Riot would be dumb not to capitalize on it' when she once got 3 skins in 18 months, whereas Yorick hasn't gotten 1 skin in like 6 years. Please show some empathy and consider it from players' like me point of view.

I understand that Riot is company whose primary concern is to make money, this has been said numerous times, but it really does feel like 9 times out of 10 they cop out of giving skins to less popular champions and immediately cave to bigger communities just because it makes them more money (you can apply this to reworks too). Promises are always empty until delivered upon and Riot's history of skins (or lack thereof) for certain champions is definitely very sketchy at times. If you're a Rioter and reading this, especially one who makes skins, keep up the good work, but please think about the little guy from time to time.