Revisiting Coven After Almost 3 Years (Please Take a Moment to Read)
It's been almost three years since the last Coven batch, and it's also been over half a year since I last posted here.
Lately I've been thinking about Coven again, and honestly, I still keep wondering what could've been.
Coven has always been my favorite skinline in League. Not just because of the visuals, but because of the worldbuilding. The Old Gods, the hierarchy, the atmosphere, and the idea that every witch had a purpose made it feel like an actual universe instead of just another skinline.
When the fourth batch came out, I slowly found myself drifting away from it.
It wasn't that I hated the champions or thought every skin was bad. It just didn't feel like Coven anymore.
The first three batches built something really special. Every witch had her own role, served a different Old God, and added something to the story. Morgana ruled as the Coven Queen. Lissandra was the oracle. LeBlanc worked from the shadows. Camille carried out the Coven's will. Then later we got Zyra, Ahri, Ashe, Cassiopeia, and Evelynn, and somehow each of them fit perfectly without taking away from what was already there.
Then the fourth batch happened.
For me, that's where the skinline started to lose the identity that made it so unique.
Nami suddenly wanting to overthrow Morgana felt like a huge twist that never really had the time to develop. Instead of making Morgana feel like an even stronger Coven Queen, it shifted the focus to a conflict that didn't feel earned.
Akali was probably the biggest question mark for me. I've never really understood why she was chosen for Coven. Her ninja fantasy feels so far removed from the gothic witch aesthetic that defines the skinline, and I always felt there were several champions who would've fit the universe much more naturally.
Then there was Syndra and Elise. These were two of the most requested Coven champions for years, so finally seeing them join the skinline should've been a huge moment. Instead, they both ended up as Epic skins, and neither really felt like the payoff people had been waiting for. Syndra especially felt like the obvious choice for the next Legendary after Morgana and Evelynn.
Nilah was another one I struggled with. Her design never fully captured that classic Coven look for me, and having her immediately betray the Coven to join the Eclipse Knights made her feel more like a plot device than an actual member of the sisterhood.
And then there's Janna.
Ironically, I think she got one of the best Coven designs we've ever seen, yet she never even made it into League of Legends. Keeping her exclusive to Legends of Runeterra still feels like such a missed opportunity.
None of those decisions on their own would've pushed me away from the skinline. But together, they made the fourth batch feel disconnected from the world that the first three releases spent years building.
So it got me thinking...
What if the fourth batch wasn't trying to reinvent Coven? What if it simply completed it?
Now that it's been almost three years, I honestly have no idea if Riot plans to revisit Coven. Maybe the story is finished. Maybe it'll come back one day with a new direction. Whatever happens, I just hope they remember what made Coven so special in the first place. For me, it was never just about the skins. It was the lore, the hierarchy, and the feeling that every new witch truly belonged.
I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks after all this time. With all the new champions Riot has released over the past few years, who do you think would make a great addition to the Coven universe if the skinline ever returns?