Chinese visual development studio IDEOMOTOR, which collaborated on three League of Legends shorts, created concept art portraying star players as characters they played throughout the 2021 season. Each design mixes some of the pro’s characteristics with the champions’ trademark elements.
The first concept was Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon as the clockwork champion Orianna. IDEOMOTOR later combined three regions together, with the LPL’s Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-bo as Kai’Sa, the LCK’s Heo “Showmaker” Su as Syndra, and LEC representative Martin “Rekkles” Larsson as Jhin.
Chovy wields Orianna’s orb containing the clockwork heart she uses for her abilities and is equipped with metallic plating similar to that of the champion. JackeyLove appears in an alternate skin for Kai’Sa that doesn’t have as much abyssal armor covering his features. IDEOMOTOR followed a similar path for Showmaker, with half of his DWG jacket covered by Syndra’s form and a mask covering the top of his head. Lastly, Rekkles’ face is covered by Jhin’s mask, but his blonde hair comes flowing out from behind it.
Each of these pieces shows the transformation from concept to sketch to full 3D model. The studio picked some of the pros’ best champions as a way to honor their stellar play this year.
IDEOMOTOR turned LCK mid laner Chovy into Orianna due to his incredible performances as the champion, boasting a nearly 63 percent win rate over the course of 2021. Chovy helped take Hanwha Life to a third-place finish in the LCK 2021 Spring Playoffs and a runner-up finish in the LCK Regional Finals, but the team fell to T1 in the Worlds Knockout Stage. Chovy is moving to Gen.G for the 2022 season.
Widely regarded as one of the top Kai’Sa players in the world, IDEOMOTOR had an easy decision for what champion JackeyLove should become. Top Esports had a prolific 2020 season with its star AD carry, but the team failed to replicate that success in 2021, placing in the top eight of the LPL 2021 Summer Playoffs and fifth in the summer season.
IDEOMOTOR took Syndra, one of Showmaker’s best and favorite mid lane champions, to merge with the pro. Showmaker took center stage for DWG KIA in Worlds not just in 2021, but 2020 as well. He has a dominant record with DWG, winning Worlds 2020, the LCK Summer Split and the LCK Summer Playoffs in 2020 and 2021, and the 2021 Spring Split and Playoffs. His contract with DWG KIA expired in November 2021, but the team is reportedly close to a deal to bring him back.
In the 2021 LEC Spring Split, Rekkles played eight games as Jhin and won seven of them. This performance made the champion an obvious choice for IDEOMOTOR’s design. He led G2 to a first-place finish in the LEC 2021 Spring Split and second place in the LEC 2021 Summer Split. Recently, he is rumored to sign with Karmine Corp, which would place him in the French national league and no longer the LEC.
IDEOMOTOR has built a name for itself in Chinese animation. In the realm of League, they were one of the animation studios working on the “Kin of the Stained Blade,” “Light and Darkness,” and “Save the Celebration” cinematics. But outside of esports, they also have weight in Chinese cinema, working on The Wandering Earth, Monkey King 4, Airpocalypse, Once Upon a Time, and Turandot.
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