So this time, the community has gone wild, full-tilt. Which one is better, the 2022 OG Champions Butterfly Knife, or the freshly dropped 2025 edition? And with that, the answers started diverging, opening up the whole conversation even more.
It all started when VALORANTLeaksEN casually popped the question: simple enough, right? Which Champions Butterfly is better? I’d imagine there was some media comparing, probably showing both designs side-by-side. But man, the responses? Deafening with insults and sarcasm.
Let’s get down first. For all of the casual viewers who did not look into the fine print of paint and other razzmatazz gallantly thrown around by VALORANT skins, know that the Champions Butterfly Knives are some of the most prized melee weapons throughout the entire game. The Champions Collection is exclusive and only drops during major esports events. So in a way, it’s a little flex to have one; either you were there or you paid VP when it was on sale.
Like I said, the 2022 knife has stood for a time, appreciated for its looks. Let me cite one user: MaoLeRetour_ just said, “2022 better color and design by far.” And that have to be respected. Sometimes, O.G. just hits different, especially with the color scheme. So classic vibes have been cherished by plenty of players since.
But that brings up the 2025 edition. New and shinier are the updated animations, and these animations are reportedly very, very, very important to a whole lotta people. Like, a huge deal. Yay. Elijah_Boyy said: “2025 for the animations, plus if u don’t upgrade it u still have 2021 animations.” What? Actually, that makes prepare to glisten. Show off your on-trend dances, but if you ever feel nostalgic, you can definitely switch back with a few clicks. Double the possibilities is kinda unfair if you ask me.
And there’s never a halt to the love coming for 2025. “For sure, 2025. Just look at the animation. 😍” said Slotslv, sending some heart-eyes emojis to express it. You can almost feel this women’s excitement permeate through the screen. SheidoF backed that up with “2025 by far.” I guess it needs no further explanation. When you know-you know.
Now, the good thing about the good?
Well, some players on the other hand swear this collection has gotten worse. rmlvkg commented in Portuguese, which literally means, “cool that the collection only worse lol.” Ouch. Pretty hard critique. Maybe the changes weren’t for everyone, or the design just feels a little off to what was there before.
One more thing about the inspecting anim: “Dispite the 2025 not having an infinite inspect. It clears the fuck out of the 2022. Most spammeable knife ever,” said EatMiyeon. For sure, the new one might not have that never-ending inspect how some like it, but at least it can be spammed hard! And, in the context of a high paced-yellow barricade like VALORANT, spamming such a knife animation while waiting for rounds will make one feel strangely satisfying.
And of course, you must have one contrarian. Hah02357 came right in: “No butterfly better.” Fair enough. Maybe they’re karambit fans. Speaking of karambits, TimzOfficiel questioned: “When new karambit?” Because why not divert the entire conversation? Classic.
But most responses went for the 2025. DaleGerous007 exclaimed, “Ohhh c’mon ofc 2025,” as if it should be a no-brainer. Debjyoti990 would give no room for any other opinion: “2025 without a doubt.”
The community is interestingly divided on that. ElZaMonsieur said kind of, “Subjectively-speaking, 2022,” to refresh us that a lot of this is just preference. What one player considers a better design is going to almost certainly be something completely different for the next. Some value color and design; some value animations and feels more in-game.
Such debates amongst the players Riot games truly warms up. Never is it one about which gun looks cool; it’s about which has better features, smoothest animations, and most spam potential. With the Champions collection being so limited and exclusive, it brings out the urge of everyone to voice their thoughts on it.
The beauty of it, though, is that between the 2022 one and 2025, one thing is clear: the VALORANT players are very passionate about their cosmetics. And who can blame them? Cosmetics are a major part of game identity. They are how players express who they are, display their style, and maybe throw some theatrics towards their opponents.
Are they actually better? If we learn from all the comments done below the tweet, 2025 is indeed leading just a little, mostly because of those new animations. But then again, there are some die-hards still standing on behalf of the classic and obviously lovely 2022 Butterfly, of whom adore the nostalgic classic design. Maybe the answer is that both are awesome in their way and it just depends on what you value the most. Or, in 2026, Riot will go and unveil an even cooler one, and here we go again. Wouldn’t that be something?
