Tristana has always been somewhat of a comfort pick for me, as she can both jump away and yeet the enemy into the stratosphere.
I still end up dead, but that extra second really helps me to contemplate my life choices.
But I’d like to spice up her appearance so the enemy Rengar doesn’t get bored of me. Which means it’s time to look into her skins.
We’ll be ranking all of Tristana skins in League, based on both appeal and price, with some bonus points sprinkled in. Let’s begin!
13. Riot Girl Tristana
Released: December 15th, 2009
Price: Reward
Whoever said “the best things in life are free” has obviously never played with this particular skin, and is therefore wrong.
But even though this was literally a gift from Riot sent out to all the homies back in the day, it’s somehow barely worth the price.
It’s a very simple visual redesign that basically just dyes Tristana’s hair pink, and draws a few faces on her gun.
The splash art is decent – but this is still as minimalistic as you can get with skins.
12. Guerilla Tristana
Released: August 10th, 2010
Price: 975 RP
So this is another simple redesign with no new animations. However, it is a lot more substantial than Riot Girl Tristana.
Rambo is the theme, so you get your dog tag, headband, earring, as well as some pretty nice military gear.
Visually, the skin is actually quite alright. But it’s outclassed by other skins in every possible way.
First off, you can get redesigns that are as impressive for a lower price.
And secondly, if you wanted the whole soldier aesthetic, there’s a more expensive Tristana skin that fleshes this theme out fully.
So if you’re only looking for a soldier skin and your budget caps out at 975 RP, this would be a good pick. If that’s not the case, let’s keep going.
11. Hextech Tristana
Released: September 9th, 2021
Price: 10 Gemstones
Man, Riot is just really struggling with these Hextech skins.
As always, the main issue is the incredibly high price compared to what you end up with.
For a skin that should be top of the line, you’d expect some new voice lines or emotes, or even changing forms, but nope.
Plus her gun looks like a giant tube of lipstick. And once you see it, you can never unsee it.
On the positive side, the base model is really well-made. Especially the tiny hat.
And the ability animations are polished to perfection here. When you recall to buy that one extra healing potion that’ll definitely help you against Zed, the backing animation has Tristana planting her flag in some gemstones, as if even she’s making fun of how you spent your fortune.
If this was 1350 RP, it would be several places up in the ranking.
But for now, it is what it is.
10. Buccaneer Tristana
Released: June 27th, 2011
Price: 520 RP
Now this is an appropriate price for a simple character model redesign!
The skin really puts the “R” in Tristana, and it helps you achieve your lifetime dream of being Miss Fortune without falling off late-game.
The character model is very simple and cute, with a nice little captain’s hat, an eye-patch, and a pretty stellar outfit to complete the look.
Your gun also now resembles a cannon more so than ever before.
And that’s all there is to say, really.
So if you’re on a budget and want a simple but cute skin, have a ganderrrr.
9. Firefighter Tristana
Released: June 3rd, 2010
Price: 1820 RP
Okay now we’re getting into some of the better skins. So the nit-pickiness has to be turned up.
This skin is pretty brilliant, with a very simple and well executed premise, as well as some nice animations.
However, there are a few areas that are lacking.
While the auto-attack, W, and R animations are all really smooth and distinct, the Q and E are troublesome.
The Q just feels a bit odd. And the E has a terrible indication of how many hits were landed.
Sure, you could argue that this is a good thing since the enemy could misjudge how screwed they were. But this is a 1820 RP skin – and I expect better.
Especially when you consider how good some of the 1350 RP skins are. This one doesn’t seem like the best bang for your buck.
But if you’re mister or misses moneybags, it could be right up your alley.
8. Earnest Elf Tristana
Released: December 31st, 2009
Price: 520 RP
I know it feels weird to follow up a legendary skin with just another cheap character model redesign, but Earnest Elf Tristana actually has quite the fanbase.
It just takes Tristana and makes her into a little helper elf, that just happens to be packing around the holidays.
She has a sweet little green uniform, some mistletoe behind her ear, and a fully loaded candy weapon.
I’m starting to think that she might know the muffin man.
The skin is very simple, but I guess that is what gives it its charm. You don’t always have to go above and beyond for a skin to be decent in the eyes of the Tristana mains.
Or maybe they just really like the pointy shoes, it’s anyone’s guess really.
7. Bewitching Tristana
Released: October 19th, 2016
Price: 1350 RP
Although I really don’t understand the logistics of weaponizing a caldron as a gun, I must say that this skin is quite something.
Let’s be honest here: no one ever doubted that Tristana would look adorable in a little witch’s outfit.
So the skin lived up to our expectations in that regard.
But it also brought some really nice animations along for the ride!
In particular, I really love the E animation. Having the little pumpkin head not only grow bigger, but also look slightly more sinister every time you attack the effected enemy, is way more satisfying than it ought to be.
No major complaints to be found.
So it’s only this low because other skins managed to outperform in one way or another.
6. Pengu Cosplay Tristana
Released: April 1st, 2020
Price: 1350 RP
Ever since this skin was released, on average, ten people a month die from UwU-ing so hard that their central nervous system shuts down completely.
To honor their kawaii souls, let’s talk about what makes this skin so great.
There’s a squeaky sound effect whenever you auto attack something. Your W and R both proudly feature rainbows.
Your E literally has a little sticker of Pengu pop up that gets gradually happier the more times you attack the enemy, and then flashes some URF spatulas once the explosion is over.
I’m starting to feel woozy just talking about it.
Jokes aside, it’s an absolutely adorable skin that should definitely be on your radar if you’re into cute little Yordles, penguins, and heavy artillery powered by friendship.
5. Firecracker Tristana
Released: January 26th, 2022
Price: 1350 RP
Just like the previous pick, this skin is absolutely adorable.
The splash art + character model combo alone makes this one of the cutest skins in the game. But then you see that goofy backing animation and you fall in love all over again.
Sure, the chromas aren’t as impressive as some of the other Firecracker skins, but they’re still more than worth their price tag.
Cuteness aside, the skin also comes with some excellent new particles and sound effects. Everything is based around fireworks, and it honestly works extremely well.
Especially the W! Although it might seem minor, the fact that the sound effect makes you feel like an actual firework is beyond brilliant! Especially if you’re one of those people who like to Goomba stomp people with AP Tristana.
Your Q and R are also rather distinct and interesting (but not to the same level as your W).
The E is the only one I’m torn on, as having an emote represent your stacks makes things a bit difficult. Especially when you’re trying to quickly gauge how many more auto attacks you need for a proc.
But it’s also adorable – so it kind of cancels itself out.
Overall, Firecracker Tristana is really cute, has some nice new particles, and has incredibly satisfying sound effects. Definitely worth a look.
4. Rocket Girl Tristana
Released: October 19th, 2012
Price: 975 RP
In terms of raw value, this is probably the best skin you can get out of the bunch.
Visually, it’s really nice, with a simple character model makeover and some really good animations.
Plus the skin feels amazing to play.
I don’t know whether it’s just because her auto attacks are now rockets, but the skin feels really good for csing, and the audio-visual feedback is on point.
The only small gripe I have is that the E animation isn’t always the clearest when it comes to the amount of stacks the enemy has, but that’s about it.
And the following three skins in our ranking are all more expensive, and as such they offer even cooler animations.
But if you just want a competent skin that doesn’t break the bank and also helps you cs, go with Rocket Girl Tristana all the way.
3. Omega Squad Tristana
Released: July 26th, 2017
Price: 1350 RP
Now this is how you make Tristana feel like a true soldier!
You get an official uniform, some high end gear like the scouter from DBZ with a Bluetooth earpiece, and then top it all off with a really cool energy blaster.
The animations are also splendid, with your auto attacks now being little energy bursts that even have a nice electricity particle for when you hit the enemy.
Your Q, W, and R have also been redesigned to fit the whole “green energy” theme.
Plus your E is a literal explosive that has a very excited demon-looking thing inside of it.
You have to see it to understand it. But all in all, it’s an amazing skin. And if you don’t like it when skins go for the fantasy route, this skin should be your go-to for Tristana.
2. Little Demon Tristana
Released: May 30th, 2019
Price: 1350 RP
I swapped between this and my number one pick around a thousand times. They’re that close when it comes to awesomeness.
Little Demon Tristana is one of the more unique skins here, as it ditches the cutesy trend and hops right over to Satan.
And this skin really has it all:
The devil horns, the fangs, the dragon spitting blaster, everything.
It’s also the only Tristana skin that offers a voice filter, and a really good one at that. So it feels like a completely new champion.
You would think that the designers at least slacked off on the animations since everything else is so brilliant, but nope.
The auto attacks are crisp, the Q, W, and R animations are all clear and polished, and the E animation is very minimalistic but somehow perfect.
And to really seal the deal, you shoot angel Teemo in your backing animation.
What more could you want!?
1. Dragon Trainer Tristana
Released: December 3rd, 2015
Price: 1820 RP
As I said, Dragon Trainer and Little Demon swapped places quite a few times.
But this skin brings some even better features than Little Demon, while also carrying a bigger price tag and a hint of jankiness in the early game.
So, what are the selling points?
You have a dragon and you two are best buds, leading to even more cuteness overload deaths worldwide.
Dragon Trainer Tristana features brand new emotes where you goof around with your little buddy, the dancing emote being a personal favorite, as well as brand new voice lines.
Plus it has the most heart wrenching death animation.
In regards to the abilities, it’s actually the Q animation that caught my eye this time around. As this is the first time that I felt like it looked impactful.
However, like I mentioned, auto attacking in the early game can feel a bit janky. So keep that in mind before you spend your hard-earned cash on “How to train your Janna”.
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.
