Riot Games made a formal announcement, and the Champions 2025 bundle is completely out of the VALORANT in-game store; thus, buying it again will not be possible. The 2025 Champions cosmetics, which were the collector’s items, now turn into a limited-time exclusive and enter the vault of unavailability of the previous years’ bundles. The announcement was a bombshell that exploded in the VALORANT community, and players reacted quickly with a wide range of reactions, some celebrating the removal while others expressing sadness over the loss of the distressed skin set.
VALORANT Leaks on Twitter released the official news that the bundle is gone for good. Players won’t be able to acquire the Vandal or the butterfly knife, which have been sources of debate. And the responses? It was pure chaos. Some gamers are actually very happy that they managed to get it, like Skye who said “im glad i got the skin and flex when it did yay.” But isn’t the flexing with the limited-edition skins a real thing? On the contrary, there are players who say things like “good, no more MID on my shop” – harsh but true, I guess, for some players.
The very cool aspect of the limited buy gives these Champions bundles such a unique or annoying personality, depending on one’s viewpoint. ZataksterGG said it perfectly, “this is why you always buy the limited edition skins because they never come back.” That fear of missing out (FOMO) is very strong, my friends! But there are also players like hotgermanbabe who admitted, “i kinda wanted this one but im not spending $60 for 2 skins im not crazy anymore” which sounds pretty relatable. The price of these bundles has always been a contentious issue, with DFreniek ironically mourning for, “Oh no! Overpriced skins gone 😭. Anyway…” – that pretty much sums up one side of the argument.
It is indeed very fascinating to witness a divided community regarding the question of whether the 2025 bundle was even good. To a large extent, the responses show that there is a whole debate going on about which Champions bundle was the best. FynthFPS remarked, “2023 is the only one that is better than 2025 is 2024” while others claimed that the current year’s bundle was mid. The term “mid” has appeared SO many times in the comments, it seems to be the new go-to insult for skins that are not liked. However, IRezbi believes it is “easily one of the best” and Vitroz_7 is calling it the “Best butterfly knife ever” so yes, beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder or whatever.
It is difficult not to make comparisons with the bundles from the past years; the comparison is almost unavoidable when players even go as far as requesting the return of 2021 Champions skins. Kasturi_Patel commented, “i wish the 2021 could come back :(” and N0Booddy even asked if they could have the 2021 Champions League skins sent to their account, which is exactly how we feel, dude. That 2021 Vandal has nearly become a legendary figure, with SamNuho revealing “Didn’t buy my 2021 is far better than this mid” – indeed, the flex is very powerful with this one.
It’s unbelievable that players are already discussing the next time the skins might be available. GOEKIJAN, for instance, inquired about the possibility of resales because “they did a resale of a skin in League?” referring to Riot’s other game League of Legends. ImStinn even speculated, “I ain’t buying another skin unless it’s champs 2021 vandal. It’ll happen eventually same as league.” Thus, the hope for the comeback of older Champions skins is always there, even though Riot has been rather consistent in their limitation.
The debate about the actual quality of the 2025 bundle is also quite mixed. TommyMaverickk presented an outrageous description, saying, “It sounds like you’re shooting high-quality cymbals with a gun that shoots drumsticks at bullet speed,” which, to honest, sounds pretty cool. But nightrifter did not like it that much and switched to the others, saying, “it doesn’t hit as good as the other ones in terms of songs” – it seems that music and audio design come foremost when it comes to skins.
And the pricing argument is undoubtedly still alive and kicking. Sixty bucks for a pair of guns and a knife? Most people’s answer is a resounding no, especially if hotgermanbabe is to be believed when she says that she only bought the 2022 bundle “when i was crazy for microtransactions” – that really is quite a transformation in character! Initially, you would buy everything but now, you are more selective about your gaming budget.
The removal’s timing corresponds to the usual schedule for Champions bundles, which means they typically are available only for a limited time during the Champions tournament. However, getting the official confirmation that it is never coming back always produces a different experience. Gibby_ybbiG declares that he is a “proud wielder of the champions 2025 vandal and knife” and you know what? They have every right to feel that way! That is the beauty of limited edition items – the owners do really feel special.
But then the big question that everyone is asking is, what comes next? _ztaku even posed the question “What’s next fr” which is indeed the million-dollar question. Riot has been quite consistent with their Champions bundles and therefore it seems likely that we will see a 2026 version next year, but the thing is, whether there will be any alterations based on the community’s mixed reception from this year’s feedback.
The division in the community is very interesting to watch. LuiiVALO on one side says “the amount of hate I’ve seen is crazy” while GenPeej on the other side acknowledges “I understand the hate I mean I was expecting more to be honest.” It is a continuous battle between those who consider the bundle to be overhated and those who really find it disappointing compared to the previous years’ bundles.
Despite everything, the Champions 2025 bundle becomes VALORANT’s myth – yet another limited edition set that some gamers will love while others will ignore. The exclusion from the store leads to that artificial scarcity which fuels desirability, even for virtual goods. Therefore, regardless of whether you were a fan or thought it was mid, it has already disappeared, and those who bought it will enjoy showing off their exclusive virtual wealth. As for the rest of us, we can still wish and hope that, maybe just maybe, Riot would be nice enough to return the 2021 skins that seem to be in such high demand. But most likely, she won’t because that’s how limited edition items work – they come with restrictions!
