The Snowdown Showdown is a seasonal event to commemorate the Time of Snowdown. Riot Games introduces a few changes to the game and items that are only available in the world of Valoran. They also introduce a few cosmetic changes to the game such as themed skins and discounted runes.
The Time of Snowdown is a Special Celebration of the Valoran people to commemorate the passing of one year to the next.
For countless years, the citizens of Valoran have celebrated the end of the calendar year in numerous ways. Even while the Rune Wars raged their fiercest, most people still reserved time to celebrate the passing of one year into the next. Each city-state observes this holiday– known as the Time of Snowdown – in its own unique way. The yordles of Bandle City prioritize merriment and indulgence, throwing week-long banquets and feasting on roasted meats and sweet liquors. Demacia observes the Time of Snowdown with a strong sense of reverence, hosting grand ceremonies which commemorate the past year’s fallen heroes. Even the insidious Noxians honor the Snowdown with surprising gentility by offering clemency to select prisoners of non-violent crimes.
The people of Valoran venerate the Time of Snowdown with such devotion for reasons rooted in history of the world. Many parts of Runeterra have always suffered bitter, merciless winters; this is especially true on Valoran after the devastation wrought upon the world by the Rune Wars. Valoran’s inhabitants have historically ceased their political squabbles to band against the greater threat of nature run amok. Countless tales of yore recount instances of sworn enemies easing their hostilities with one another in order to share in lavish feasts or to allow soldiers a chance to return home briefly. In modern times, the League of Legends continues the ancient traditions by adopting the holiday as a time of revelry – both to celebrate the peace that the League brings to Valoran and as a way of giving back to the city-states that granted the League its unique position of power in the world. League embassies in each city-state are made open to the public, and feature three week festivals to which all are welcome. The Institute of War holds an exclusive month-long celebration, and invites distinguished guests from all across the continent. Special runes are forged and awarded to exemplary summoners. Great celebratory scrimmages are held in the Fields of Justice, culminating in an epic battle royale amongst the League's most powerful summoners.
The League calls this celebration the Snowdown Showdown.
Champion Skins
The Snowdown Showdown banner for 2009.
Snowdown Champion Skins, like Harrowing skins, have been released for a various League favorites since 2009. The first groups of these festive skins began as limited edition only - meaning once they left the store they were not coming back in the future. More recently Snowdown skins have been made Legacy, meaning after they leave the store at the end of the event there is a chance they might come back in the future for a limited time.
Due to League of Legends's dramatic increase in its community, the Snowdown Showdown skins that were originally released as limited edition were changed to Legacy skins in December 2013, and put back on sale during the year's holiday event. Riot stated that the
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... overwhelming player feedback has been that this creates an extremely negative experience for players who cannot acquire their favorite skin for their favorite champion. We believe that skins should be more about self-expression and fun than exclusivity, so we are rereleasing them in a limited way
As the value of exclusivity will lower in the process of bringing back the limited edition skins, Riot is giving compensation to the veteran players that originally bought the holiday skins in 2009 and 2010. They are gifting RP RP equal to the cost of the skins they purchased, giving Vintage treatment to the loading screen of those Snowdown skins as well as an giving those players an exclusive summoner icon. For more information please check out Riot's plan for vintage Limited Edition skins post.
Snowdown Showdown Skins
The Snowdown Showdown log-in screen for 2011.
2009 Snowdown Showdown (Legacy)
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Template:Csi (only available from December 23 to December 27)
Template:Csi (only available from December 31 to January 3)
A Gifting feature (Only new purchases. Cannot gift Riot Points, skins, and champions which are already possessed.)
Items
The health and mana potions in the item store were replaced by the Eggnog Health Potion and Eggnog Mana Potion. The effect of the potions were identical to their counterparts.
During the 2009 Snowdown Showdown, special holiday runes were released and they were only available from December 16 to January 6. Three of them were Tier 1.5, and three were Tier 2.5. During the 2010 and 2011 Snowdown Showdown, only 4 runes were released.
2009 Snowdown Showdown
Mark of the Crippling Candy Cane (Tier 2.5, critical damage)
Glyph of the Special Stocking (Tier 2.5, cooldown reduction)
Seal of the Elusive Snowflake (Tier 2.5, dodge chance)
Mark of the Yuletide Tannenbaum (Tier 1.5, critical chance)
Glyph of the Gracious Gift (Tier 1.5, AP per level)
Seal of the Stout Snowman (Tier 1.5, HP per level)
The Snowdown Showdown of 2012 found a welcome gift in League of Legends of two ward skins to celebrate the festive season. These skins were free throughout the duration of the event.
In 2013 the two ward skins returned for free use again for the duration of the event along with the new candycane ward. For a limited time, these three ward skins were also purchasable for 640 RP to add them permanently to your account.
You’ve shot off five Final Sparks and achieved immortality through constant Chrono Shifts, but now it’s time for a Showdown.
For the next Featured Gameplay Mode, you’ll be able to duel it out with friends and foes alike on an icy battlefield that promises contests of epic proportions.
With three paths to an honorable victory, will you go full ham and draw first blood, wave clear your way to 100 CS or channel your inner Ziggs and demolish the turret before your opponent?
If you queue up with a buddy for the beatdowns, you’ll notice that you need two kills to earn the dubya, or the two of you can combine to hit that century CS mark.Sharpen your swords and ready your hextech revolvers. The Showdown approaches this Snowdown.
Legend of the Poro King
Legend of the Poro King Trailer
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"Gather your friends, for Snowdown draws near.
Don't say me, I or them, we're together this year.
There's a chill in the air and frost on the scene --
In big comfy chairs, it's forward we lean
Mice flicking, Keys clacking, our skillshots land clean.
No earmuffs for us -- we wear headsets, you see.
Minds focused, eyes wide and lit up with glee
We win some, we lose some, that's how the game goes
But that's fine, we're together, among friends, no foes."
This year’s Snowdown brings with it our next featured game mode… and a legend. The “Legend of the Poro King”. We’ve dramatically changed what fights on the Howling Abyss will look like, so let’s get straight into the rules:
Played on the Howling Abyss, Legend of the Poro King is a 5v5 Blind Draft game mode, where your goal is still to destroy the enemy team’s nexus. However, you’ll have some Poro companions with you (to throw at each other of course), be diving deep to make #bigplays and work together to summon some help from the legendary Poro King himself.
New summoner spells
When playing the Legend of the Poro King, your regular summoner spells are replaced with two new ones, made just for the mode:
Poro Toss / Poro Dash
Active - Poro Toss: Throws a PoroPoro a long distance, dealing 20 + (10 × Champion's Level) true damage to the first enemy unit hit. Poro Toss can be recast for the next 3 seconds after it hits an enemy to cast Poro Dash.
Riot Games does not make responsible for the seemightly reckless use of Poro Toss, if PETA ask, the PorosPoros are fake.
To the King!
Passive: Hitting an enemy champion with a PoroPoro gives your team a Poro Mark. Upon reaching 10 Poro Marks, your team summons the Poro KingPoro King to fight alongside them. While the Poro KingPoro King is active, no Poro Marks can be scored by either team.
Riot Games does not make responsible for the constant commitment of magnicide against his royal highness, but it's responsible of PorosPoros injured in the process by the wretched and soulless teams.
The Poro King is benevolent and will aid whichever team has summoned him. He can be dispelled, but only to return again when enough favour has been curried with him. As a tanky siege minion, he brings an impressive power boost to whichever team he’s aiding.
His powers include:
Tanky siege minion with a LOT of health. Let him be your front line!
The Poro King absorbs all Poros within his range being thrown by the enemy team, making him a powerful pushing force.
The Poro King will heal nearby allied champions every 5 seconds for health and a smaller amount of mana based on the team’s average level.
Every 5 seconds, the Poro King will lob out Poros in an arc around him, dealing magic damage to enemies where they land.
End of a mode
“
"Say farewell to your friends, for Snowdown has passed.
The Legend of the Poro King conquered at last.
We won some, we lost some, we tossed many poros.
Some landed and some missed, that is just how it goes.
Who really won this Snowdown? Only the poros know.
Every single game, a unique Snowdown surprise.
The year may be over, but only Amumu cries--
Even if it's over, we learned one thing at the end:
Snowdown gathers strangers, but we all leave as friends."
On top of all the new gleeful features, every year summoners are met with a new animated login screen. They usually showcase one or more of the year's new Snowdown skins and are backed with music fit for the holiday to set up the mood as everyone enters the game.
RP RP equal to the cost of the skins they purchased, giving Vintage treatment to the loading screen of those Snowdown skins as well as an giving those players an exclusive summoner icon. For more information please check out Riot's plan for vintage Limited Edition skins post.
Eggnog Health Potion and 
Eggnog Mana Potion. The effect of the potions were identical to their counterparts.
Mark of the Crippling Candy Cane (Tier 2.5, critical damage)
