Academy Darius

Got Academy Darius from a chest last week and wasn't expecting much from this 750 RP skin, but after around 40 games with it, I'm actually impressed. The preppy school uniform vibe is kinda cringe but good once you get used to it, and there's something satisfying about dunking on enemies while looking like you just left detention.

The Q feels way smoother than base Darius and even Dreadnova. That basketball spin animation is cleaner and I swear the hitbox indicator is more accurate when you're trying to catch someone at max range. His W has this satisfying desk slam that makes the slow feel more impactful, though it's probably just psychological. But the ult is where this skin really shines. The dunk animation is faster than God King and you can actually see when your reset is ready because of the basketball effects. Last night I got a triple kill at dragon because I could track my resets better than usual, something that feels harder on skins like Bioforge where everything's just red particles everywhere.

Compared to other Darius skins like Dunkmaster, Academy actually gives you better clarity without the over the top effects. It's purely cosmetic advantage but the cleaner animations help when you're trying to pop off in teamfights. The recall where he's studying is whatever, but the auto attacks feel more responsive than base skin which matters when you're CSing under tower or trading in lane.

Is Academy Darius worth it? For 750 RP it's solid value if you want something different from the typical edgy Darius skins. Not gonna make you suddenly win lane but it won't tilt you with clunky animations either. Worth grabbing on sale for sure.