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Since its origins as R3D, SK Gaming has been an elite competitive Vainglory organization housing an incredible amount of talent. So much talent, in fact, that in some ways SK has been forced to mix and match, looking for those magical combinations from three teams worth of players. After trial and error across regional European play and the Vainglory International Premier League, there’s a chance SK has just hit upon a massive winning combination.

The new SK Prometheus team features longtime star jetpacks and big-time playmaker WalDeMar alongside perhaps Vainglory’s youngest, brightest rising star: L3oN. Joining as substitutes are Prometheus veteran Raph29, Bayu and Redwolf as emergency sub.

L3oN seems to have natural game chemistry with jetpacks and WalDeMar, and if that starting threesome can construct some comps around L3oN, they can be a serious threat.  

The new SK Prometheus roster has all outstanding mechanical players and an air of mystery. Unlike most professional teams where there is a locked roam, jungle and laner, when these players come together it is difficult to tell who will play which role. They are able to swap positions on the fly mid-draft, diversifying their team compositions to cover more comfort picks. It also helps that jetpacks, who is a well-known jungler, typically plays jungle as a “second support,” which means his playstyle naturally translates to the roam role when L3oN will jungle.

At elite levels of play, you cannot win with a single superstar. It takes all three playing with excellence. SK Prometheus’ new roster does have a lot of star power, but these are three players who should be able to dance to the same tune and put up big results.

Let’s look closer at the individual players …

JETPACKS (JUNGLE/ROAM)

This natural jungler has played in every competitive tournament since the dawn of Vainglory’s eSports days. He has a very deep hero pool — one he can now use in various roles to best effect through the draft. Will he bust out a full-tank or Sorrowblade Krul, or will we see some of his other favorite picks in the wake of the Breaking Point changes?

L3ON (JUNGLE/ROAM)

You may not yet know his name, but this is one of the highest-skilled players in the world. Yes, he’s making a name 1v3’ing people in EU server Ranked play, but it will be his ability to synergize with two other well-known star players that will determine just how high he can rise in prominence. He is a mechanical genius who can carry games by himself, but SK is hoping with this new combination, he won’t have to.

WALDEMAR aka BestCelesteEU (Laner/Jungler)

This player may seem quiet and humble, but but don’t try to pick on him. He’s scary-good and known for big plays in big games. Numerous times in the past WalDeMar introduced new innovative metas into the competitive scene, and he’s sure to save some tricks for the second VGL Winter Qualifier. Expect his game experience to really impact how Prometheus can out-strategize their opponents.

SK PROMETHEUS, #1 SEED IN THE RINGO BRACKET

SK Prometheus enters the second qualifier with a new roster and a higher seed, but with the same goal. SK again has the strength to win the title and secure their seat at the Winter Live Championships, but they’ll have to fight their way through a bracket region featuring (2) SNOW Avalanche, (3) AngryPandas Black and (4) RebelJaguar, with a possible epic semifinals showdown with European and Qualifier 1 champs Team Secret.

But perhaps Prometheus’ toughest challenge will be to build the synergy and chemistry that comes with thousands of hours of play. We know we’ll see clutch plays and highlight-reel moments, but the difference between wins and loses will be the quality of their communication and rotations. Then, we’ll know just how good SK Prometheus can really be.

VGL EU WINTER QUALIFIER 2 BRACKETS

LiberationX is in a familiar situation starting the second VGL Winter Qualifier without a single point in the standings. Will their loss in the round of 32 ruin their hopes of reaching the Winter Season 2016 North America Live Championships?

After a massive upset crushed the dreams of VGL Bracket Challenge participants everywhere, North America champions LiberationX left the first VGL Winter Season Qualifier with no points and a lot of question marks. If LiberationX wants to defend their Autumn Season title, they will need to recapture some of the magic they showcased last season.

In order for LiberationX to earn enough points to qualify for Top 8 in the standings and a trip to the 2016 Winter Season Live Championships (assuming that every team finishes in the same order), LiberationX would need to finish in at least third place. A fourth-place finish means that they earn 55 points and tie with every 5-8th place finisher who earned points for finishing in 5-8th from both qualifiers (20 points and 35 points from the first and second qualifiers respectively), and there’s no guarantee that would be quite enough to see them through.

Let’s look at the possibilities …

First-place finish:

If LiberationX finishes in first place in the second qualifier, they earn the #1 seed at the Winter Live Championships.

Second place finish:

With 100 points earned from a second-place finish, LBX would seed into the Live Championships as the 4-seed. They could potentially move up to third if Nemesis Hydra finishes fifth or worse. Additionally, if Nemesis Hydra collapse and Alliance finishes worse than eighth, then LiberationX could find themselves as high as the 2-seed. However, considering the human highlight reel of LostBoyToph and captain Hardek have lead Nemesis to consistent top tournament finishes and Alliance is both world champions and now features superstar jungler CullTheMeek, neither of these scenarios seems very likely.

Looking forward: (2) LiberationX vs. (3) Team Smurf Vainguard

As we approach the Feb. 13 start of the second VGL Winter Qualifier, all eyes will be on LiberationX … and a potential rematch against the team that upset them so shockingly in the first qualifier: Team Smurf Vainguard. Can LBX get revenge in the Ringo bracket region, or will their entire Winter Season melt onto the Halcyon Fold cobblestones? We’ll find out shortly.

VGL NA WINTER QUALIFIER 2 BRACKET

What a way to make an entrance.

Two days after famed Dota 2 pro organization Team Secret acquired a Vainglory team, that squad of KValafar (lane), Palmatoro (jungle) and Mowglie (roam) swept their way to the VGL Europe Winter Qualifier 1 title, 3-0 in the finals over SNOW Tsunami.

Team Secret, which began the qualifier as European champions Media Pixel eSport, played a nearly flawless tournament, racking up impossibly strong numbers after surviving an early scare in the Round of 32. Palmatoro finished the run with 52 kills and only 13 deaths, along with 50 assists. KValafar was ferocious in lane with a combined KDA of 70-31-60. Meanwhile, Mowglie continued to be the most dynamic, playmaking roamer in all of Europe, both on his signature Phinn pick and others when Phinn was taken away.

With the finals victory, Team Secret secures enough Qualifier points to guarantee a spot in the Winter Europe Live Championships, starting March 18 in London. (Get tickets.)

Heading into the qualifier semifinals, both SNOW teams remained, with hopes of an Avalanche vs. Tsunami finals. But Team Secret dashed those dreams, defeating SNOW Avalanche 2-1 in a hotly contested semifinal before dispatching SNOW Tsunami in three decisive games in the best-of-five finals. SNOW Tsunami and Avalanche finished the qualifier in second and fourth place, respectively, earning critical points toward their own Europe Live Championship appearances.

Having won this qualifier, Team Secret’s new Vainglory group can now begin to integrate the human, technical and data resources of a large, successful professional eSports organization prior to the second qualifier, which starts on Feb. 13.

Re-watch the finals broadcast, and follow qualifier statistics and leaderboards for all teams, powered by FameGlory.

Watch the finals replay here: http://www.twitch.tv/vaingloryleague/v/39087050

 INTRODUCING OZO!

Quick and nimble, Ozo leaps from hero to hero as he bounces around the battlefield. He is at home in the center of a chaotic fight where he can deal large amounts of area-of-effect damage. Remember to build defensive items to maximize the amount of time he can stay in combat. Read about his abilities below.

HEROIC PERK: CARNIE LUCK

Ozo receives 10%-30% additional healing, barrier and fortified health from all sources. (This does not affect health regeneration.)

THREE-RING CIRCUS

Ozo performs a three-hit combo with his ring. Each part of the combo is a separate tap within a 5-second window.

• First hit: Ozo thrusts his ring forward, damaging the target and other enemies in front of him.
• Second hit: Ozo dashes through his target and deals damage.
• Final hit: Ozo spins, damaging all nearby enemies.

Each hit deals weapon damage and triggers basic-attack effects. Ozo heals for each enemy damaged by any of these hits, with hero damage granting a greater heal.

ACROBOUNCE

Ozo hops onto the head of a nearby target (enemy, ally or creature), slowing it by 60% and damaging it. While Ozo is airborne, quickly tap a nearby target to bounce off one head to the other. Three hops maximum. The final hop deals increased damage. If Ozo hops at least twice, he’ll get a burst of move speed. Reduced crystal scaling vs. minions.

BANGARANG

Ozo charges up before tumbling to a targeted enemy hero. If he reaches the target within 1 second, he deals damage, stuns for 0.5 seconds and flips the target over his ring to behind him. While tumbling, Ozo will knock aside and deal reduced damage to all other enemies in his path.

OZO AND ‘RED LANTERN’ KOSHKA LORE:
“THE RED LANTERN FESTIVAL”

By SugarVenom

“Wait up, Ozo!”

Mad blue sparks flashed from Ozo’s ring as it bumped down the cobbles of the Undersprawl’s main avenue, Ozo in its center, Koshka dashing doubletime after him in her prettiest red party dress. Red lanterns cast a charming glow on the dingy neighborhood, and paper cutouts decorated the windows of even the roughest taverns. Ozo spun to a flourished stop by the minion pens at the city gate. “I win!” he cried. The minions clapped.

Koshka caught up and gave Ozo’s nose a pinch. “It isn’t impressive if you ride in the ring!”

Ozo hooted laughing, crouching among the fragrant kumquat trees that grew by the fence, his tail flicking. “Don’t be jealous that I’m faster. And can jump farther.”

“You cannot,” said Koshka as she hopped the fence to the minion pen. “No one jumps farther than me. Come now, sweeties, it’s festival time!” she crooned at the minions.

“Can too. I can jump this whole city in one leap. And I’m stronger than all these minions put together. My ring weighs more than two elly-fants. Just try.” He held his ring out over the fence.

“What’s an elly-fant?” Koshka ignored the ring; the minions grunted and shoved their noses into her palms as she handed each a red envelope. “Don’t be rude,” she ordered, bopping one greedy beast on the noggin. “Open it over there.” The beasts crowded in a corner away from her, tearing open their envelopes. Two shiny gold coins dropped out of each. The minions tried to eat them.

“I can transform into anything,” bragged Ozo. “Guess what I am!” He paced back and forth along the fence on all fours, meowing.

Koshka giggled. “That’s nothing. I can pretend to be a girl.” She stood up on her two feet and pranced around the pen, her chin jutted up, and murmured in a breathy voice, “Look at me, I’m a princess. I like peanut butter.”

“I can summon the wind!” cried Ozo, then puffed out a big breath at her.

Koshka stumbled as if blown backward. “Whoa. Just for that, I’ll summon the rain.” She stuck out her tongue and blew a big zzzzrrrrbbbt at her monkey friend.

Ozo jumped away right in time, throwing down his ring and standing in the middle. “Well I can cast a protective barrier. Nothing can get me in here!”

Koshka wiggled her bum and shot forward on all fours right at him, leaping over the ring. “I’m way too strong for your dumb barriers!”

“You’re powerful,” said Ozo, “But I bet I can fit more kumquats in my mouth than you can.”

The pair dashed for the kumquat trees and jammed the fruit into their mouths, counting until the numbers were just muffled syllables. Koshka had to concede the victory to Ozo when her lumpy cheeks filled to bursting.

“Okay, okay,” said Koshka, chewing up the last of her mouthful. “But I can do a magic thing.”

“Nuh uh. You don’t know magic.”

“I know a thing,” she said. “Watch.” She scooted up close to Ozo and looked at his face. Her fingers slipped behind one of his ears. “Look what I found!” she announced, and held up a melon candy.

“Whoa,” whispered Ozo in awe, taking the candy. “You do know magic.”

“Happy Red Lantern Festival,” she said, hugging his neck, and the two sat and ate candied fruit together, watching the lanterns glow red on the cobbles as the sun set.

The End.

Read more Ozo Lore: ‘Showoffin!’

INSIGHT ON OZO’S ACRO-BOUNCE ABILITY FROM SUPER EVIL SENIOR GAMEPLAY ENGINEER AWALLTOO:

Ozo’s Acro-bounce started with something I wanted for Blackfeather: an in-and-out, lunge-to-an-enemy and dash-back-to-an-ally ability. It felt like a natural fit for Ozo, because monkeys are agile and nimble, but since Ozo is a bruiser, we reversed it: instead of in-and-out, the first was a leap to an ally and then a leap to the enemy. He could use it to reposition, get back to his target, or gap close quickly. Unfortunately, our first try was clunky and prohibitively hard to use because it required four taps.

Right before Christmas, I was driving home and it came to me: what if there was a way to make it work in fewer than four taps? Preselecting a target could make it three taps. Could we do two? What about one? We came up with a bunch of ways to reduce it for more accessibility and tried out a one-tap version: he found the closest ally to his target and automatically bounced.  This was cool because he could bounce off of an ally to reach an enemy who was otherwise out of range, but problematic because you didn’t really have any way to control where you went, so it didn’t really work out either. This left us with two extremes: our original problem was too many taps; our new problem was too little control. We knew we had to strike a balance between them.

After some more brainstorming and iteration, we wound up with an ability that took two taps to activate, but only one more for each additional target. Because you could queue up more bounces with just a single tap, it meant that you had time to control your trajectory as you were moving, and that felt great. At first, it was buggy and unreliable and people complained, but they only complained because it wasn’t doing the advertised thing.  When it worked, people loved it and had a blast. That was when I knew we’d found something with a lot of potential. From there, we fixed the tech problems, spent a lot of time polishing and tuning the ability, and it became the iconic part of his kit that it is now.

It was Chainsaw’s idea to let Ozo earn one gold coin for the bounce. The minute I tried it, I knew it was a winner.  And as an added bonus, it only took two lines of code.

The Lunar New Year is coming! Get ready to play every day during our Lunar New Year celebration to collect in-game gifts, cards, Double Glory & more!

‘RED ENVELOPE’ NEW YEAR GIFTS EVERY DAY!

Need more Glory to unlock heroes for the new Draft Mode in Ranked? Have your eye on an awesome skin and need more cards? Sign in each day during the big Lunar New Year Celebration between Feb. 2-13 to get escalating Red Envelope Glory gifts! The total Glory is massive, so don’t miss a day!

Here’s the daily breakdown:

HEROES ON SALE IN THE MARKET

For the first time ever, we’re discounting heroes in the Market (both ICE and Glory prices). Use the Glory gifts you’re collecting to unlock the heroes you need to play the new Draft Mode in Ranked. This special Lunar New Year sale is for a limited time, so get sale heroes while you can!

 FREE UNLOCKS WITH LOG-IN DURING CELEBRATION

iOS GIFT: KOSHKA!

In preparation for the limited-edition Red Lantern Koshka skin coming in Update 1.14, each account that plays on an iPhone or iPad between Feb. 2-12 will receive a free Koshka hero unlock. Just sign in and play any time during the Lunar New Year event! This Koshka unlock brings you one step closer to meeting the new Ranked play hero requirements. 

ANDROID GIFT: RINGO!

Log into your account on an Android device between Feb. 2-12 to get a free Ringo hero unlock. Remember: The free hero rotation does not apply to Ranked play, so this incredibly versatile sniper brings you one step closer to meeting the new Ranked play hero requirements. 

DOUBLE GLORY DURING LUNAR CELEBRATION

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, every game you play on Feb. 7 and Feb. 11 will grant double Glory post-match! It’s two more ways the Lunar New Year will help you accelerate toward a wide array of hero unlocks to keep the game fresh and give you more game mode options.

• Play for Double Glory on Feb. 7 & Feb. 11, starting at 8AM PST
• Double Glory lasts for 24 hours from each date.
• All you need to do is play; you will get twice the Glory as normal for every match you complete!

‘CRAZY 8’ LUNAR NEW YEAR CARDS EVENT

Cards ‘Crazy 8’ returns on Feb. 11 at 4PM PST for one day only!

For 24 hours only during the Lunar New Year celebration, players will be able to earn guaranteed cards. Starting at 4PM PST on Thursday, Feb. 11, your first eight wins will reward you with guaranteed cards. The more you win, the better and better the cards will get!

• Wins 1-4: Get a guaranteed Rare card.
• Wins 5-7: Get a guaranteed Epic card.
• Win 8: Get a guaranteed Legendary card!

This special card event will end at 4PM PST on Friday, Feb. 12. Remember, this event only lasts for 24 hours! Don’t miss it!

Play every day to take part in the biggest in-game event in Vainglory history! Tell your friends, get in games, collect your gifts and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us.

Koshka never misses a big celebration, and ‘Red Lantern’ Koshka is no exception!

 INTRODUCING ‘RED LANTERN’ KOSHKA

To celebrate Lunar New Year, Koshka explodes onto the Fold in her luckiest red party dress, the one with the pretty peacock on the back, oh! and did I say DRAGON CLAWS? Plus, she sets off firecrackers with every ability! 

Read about ‘Red Lantern’ Koshka’s Festival adventure with her friend, Ozo!

INTRODUCING SUPER EVIL ARTIST ZINNA!

Hi, my name is Zinna. I come from Shanghai, China and now I’m living in Tokyo, Japan. I am a fantasy illustrator for card projects and a concept artist for other game projects.

I spend Chinese New Year with my parents and other family members. We have very traditional celebrations. My grandpa even writes calligraphy. We have a big meal together and set off firecrackers at midnight.

My favorite Vainglory hero now is Catherine. I’m so happy I had the chance to draw her for the Catherine and Kestrel piece. They have distinct appearances which I wanted to bring into full play. Catherine is very cool while Kestrel is livelier. I tried different poses for them, which was important and the most difficult step. In the drafting step, the drawing composition, poses of characters, environment and light should be considered. I put emphasis on their facial expressions. The subtle emotional cues show much and that is always a big challenge for me.

I always feel calm and peaceful when I draw “gothic characters”. For the Storm Queen piece, I imagined she is someone who has lost her humanity and feels nothing about the true world. In the past, she was a normal person; I can tell that from her blood and scars on her face. She must have been hurt and turned into a demon; now she only has a little human consciousness. She seems to be staying in a lonely and dark castle with the ravens and expecting nothing. Hopelessness gives her power. She has no weakness.

Ozo is the first time I’ve drawn a monkey! I liked the challenge of his face and his pose. Koshka and Ozo are clever characters who have bright and bubbly personalities. I imagine they have a leisurely life in an interesting and lively city. 

I have been totally attracted by this amazing game and I am so excited to draw the heroes! Happy to see that Vainglory is very popular in China. Hope you enjoy it and let us meet in the game!

Unlock ‘Red Lantern’ Koshka during update 1.14 and keep her for good. But remember: When update 1.14 is gone, this skin will be gone from the Market!

Update 1.14 introduces the new Winter Season jungle.  At the heart of these changes is the desire to creative a tradeoff between efficient jungle clearing and battle readiness. If you want the most gold possible in the shortest amount of time, you’re going to be vulnerable at low health to a Krul jumping down your throat and smiting your soul. Let’s first summarize the changes …

WINTER JUNGLE CHANGES

• The Gold Mine always returns to neutral after capture.
• Minion Candy now works on neutral jungle miners and lasts the full 60 seconds. Remember: If it’s neutral, a candied miner can still turn on you!
• Jungle camps are now more powerful overall, with more defense, damage and move speed.
• Heal camps now restore more health & energy to compensate for tougher monsters, and the restoration scales with your level.

JUNGLE BREAKDOWN FROM COMPETITIVE PLAYER ROAM

Strategy and diversity sit at the core of these jungle changes, rewarding those with precise calculation. Let’s take a detailed look at each change:

THE NEUTRAL GOLD MINE

Gone are the days when one team “controls” the Gold Mine as a capture-and-hold point. This helps prevent mid-game snowballs and makes every Gold Mine payout worth fighting for (and steal-able)!

• If it’s safe to take Gold Mine, you can do so at any time without having to worry about maintaining possession. If you cannot take it, then pop a Minion Candy to make it a more difficult objective for the other team.
• Leash the Gold Mine mid-teamfights to pull it within range of the enemy team, and focus on using your positioning to maximize neutral miner damage to the other team, while minimizing the damage to your own. Remember: The Gold Miner deals ranged attacks! 

BIGGER EMPHASIS ON MINION MINES

• A reminder on the basics: An ally Minion Miner will provide crucial jungle vision for your team, fight on your side and make your lane minions stronger vs. enemy heroes and turrets. Controlling a single mine is a win-win; the only real decision is whether to take it immediately at 4 minutes or whether to wait until Minute 8 when it’s worth a ton of gold.
• Now that you can take one Minion Mine without over-pushing your lane or feeding the enemy extra gold, you can use a candied miner as an extra jungle ally to fend off invasions (or help keep invade gains). This is especially important with the new jungle lethality. You may need the help of an extra friend when if you’re forced to fight at half-health.
• Using a Minion Candy on the new Gold Miner is an obvious choice, but the most successful players in Update 1.14 will also utilize Minion Candy to buff Minion Miners. Not everyone realizes that you could always use candy on a Minion Miner; it just hasn’t been important until now.
• Minion Candy now lasts for the full 60 seconds once being popped on a Minion Miner and alongside the added Health introduced in 1.13 we can expect them to be a great support in the jungle.
• Prevent early-game snowballs by capturing a Minion Mine early to help you defend when playing from behind. And with the vast amount of gold and XP available if a Minion Miner is stolen, it’s worth carrying a Minion Candy or two to defend your jungle friend.

JUNGLE CAMPS: DISTRIBUTING DAMAGE

Jungle camps now have more strength, defense and move speed. But to prevent premature casualties, the healing camps provide extra health and energy. This puts more depth precisely at the way we choose to distribute jungle aggro (who the monster hits) and how opposing teams can meet head-on in the middle jungle.

• In order to properly maximize XP and bonus gold (on Ironguard Contract), jungle duos must know how to take on the jungle camps. To effectively do this without sacrificing levels, they have to learn how to split out the damage as well as the aggro. Do not kill one monster at a time. It’s best to evenly split the damage across all the monsters, then have the roamer leave the vicinity just far enough to to still gain bonus Ironguard gold but not XP. Leaving XP range is known as “hyper-leveling.” This helps your jungle carry reach Level 2 before your first fight.
• Keep in mind that your roamer cannot simply tank all the jungle monster damage like before. You’ll need to spread the damage between your jungle duo in order to not cripple one jungler or the other.

JUNGLE CAMPS: MOAR SPEED!

• Aggravated jungle camps will now pursue you with more move speed. This means these more lethal monsters will pose a danger to both melee and ranged junglers.

JUNGLE CAMPS: TOUGHER DEFENSE

• Jungle monsters will get tougher over time as you level up, so they won’t be push-overs at any point in the match. That means these tips will consistently apply throughout the game.

JUNGLE CAMPS: LETHAL STEALS

• Stealing the enemy’s back jungle camps are now much more punishing to you. You might steal the gold, but you’ll walk away with a health meter reflecting the jungle battles you just had. It’s important to remember just how risky it now is to steal enemy back camps, even if you secure an early kill. You’ll be very vulnerable in the time afterward.

JUNGLE CAMPS: SCOUT TRAP PLACEMENT

• The placement of Scout Traps is now even more effective when placed properly to deal damage, especially in early levels. Not only can these net you a kill with a trap, but it can also save your jungle camps from being stolen.

KRAKEN TIMING

Kraken is the heavily contested objective of the late-game. Having Kraken be available more often results in more team combat, contested areas and strategic decisions.

• Kraken’s respawn timer is down from 4 to 3 minutes.
• Kraken is slightly weaker to basic attacks and slightly more resilient to abilities.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With all these Winter Season jungle changes, there’s much more depth in how to approach jungling. The new jungle opens up new possibilities while keeping the learning curve balanced for both new and experienced players. Experiment with different jungling styles — conservative and aggressive alike — as this will not only improve personal mechanics but team coordination as well.

You need to be extra-thoughtful when deciding how to approach jungling. Carefully decide each match between the ultra-efficient jungle clears we’ve grown accustomed to and battle readiness. When that enemy team tries to catch you underprepared, will you be ready?

ROAM is a former Vainglory competitive player widely considered one of the best roamers in the world. He now works for Super Evil on secret projects of great import.

The heroes of Vainglory are celebrating the Lunar New Year! We decorated the Halcyon Fold for the occasion. Celebrate with downloadable desktop art! 

THOUGHTS ON VAINGLORY’S LUNAR NEW YEAR MAP FROM SUPER EVIL ARTIST EVILONTHEINSIDE

For the Lunar New Year map, I shifted the level to evening, which meant making everything more blue. This set the mood and made the red lanterns pop out. I made three types of lanterns: round, diamond, and cylindrical. After consulting my Mandarin-speaking friend, I wrote “Year of the Monkey” in Hanzi on the cylindrical lanterns around the level where they would have the most visual impact. I made monkey shrines and placed them throughout the level. I changed the flags, the store character, and the architecture, then added fireworks rocket props at both camps.

Our Visual Effects Artist, Fizzler, created fireworks in the background, and I think they are stunning. Doer added animation to some of the lanterns and it looks great. 

If you look really close, you’ll see painted labels on the rockets: cherry blossoms, a dragon, and a pagoda.

Read about ‘Red Lantern’ Koshka here!

Happy Lunar New Year from Super Evil Mega Corp!

Vainglory’s acrobatic monkey is rolling into the Halcyon Fold!

SHOWOFFIN

Knuckles throws the townie kid outta the Mister’s wagon and us Carnie Kids, who know better than to bother the Mister, sit off aways chortlin.

“Stupid kid thinks he’s gonna join the carnival?”

“Maybe he’s a juggalah or a rope walkah?”

“He can’t do nothin.”

The townie’s just a scruff of a thing, skinny and short, ‘bout eight years old. He snorks his snot-nose and glares at us. “I can do stuff,” says him, and opens up his hand. Knuckles’ watch gleams on his palm.

Us kids consider deep the consequences of having Knuckles’ watch in our possessions.

“Aight,” says we, “you can do a showoff.”

We take the orphan over to the outskirts, the small tops and wagons with the geek displays. Us not in town selling townies firecrackers and lifting wallets are wrangling glo-glo-girls into the red lanterns that’ll be strung up for tomorrow’s Red Lantern Festival. Townies line up early at the gates cuz the carnies throw the best bash, plus out of town you can’t get nabbed law-wise for possessing explosives.

“Most important thing you gotta do to be a Carnie Kid,” we tell the orphan, “is showoffin.”

“Rules for showoffin are, don’t be boring, and all stories are true.” We nod along with the sacred words.

With a hella whoosh the ring rolls in, our boss danglin in the center by his tail, eye level with the little townie, us kids hollerin his arrival: Oz-O! Oz-O! Oz-O!

“One time I got hungry!” yells Ozo in the townie’s face. “So hungry, the sun looked like a delicious peach. So I bounced so high that I grabbed it right out of the sky. But everything went dark, so I threw it all the way back up!” He kicks off and hunches down by the townie kid while his ring settles. “Your turn.”

The townie kid sucks on his lip. “I … uh … well … I stole a … a …”

“Boooooring,” calls one of us, then more, then the whole choir. We don’t have time for stutterererers. “Boooooring!”

“My parents were giants,” says Ozo. We all hush and lean in, ’cause not no one showoffs like Ozo. “Bigger than the big top. I was the giantest monkey baby in the world. But one morning, Dad ripped a fart that blew away a whole village.” He pauses while we giggle. “Unlucky for us, a wizard-woman in that village was so mad, she cast a spell that shrank me all the way down to this. Momma couldn’t take care of me no more without crushing me, so she gave me to the carnival.” Ozo’s fuzzy head shakes so sad that we are all sad too. “But she left me her wedding ring,” whispers Ozo, and holds up his ring.

“Daaaang,” says we, clappin.

“My dad ran off,” blurts the townie orphan, “and Mom cleans houses.”

“Oh yeah?” says Ozo, spinnin the ring under his palm at his long, long arm’s length. “Well my dad was the pet of a raja. The raja wanted a son sooo bad that the rana got pregnant with my dad, hoping the raja wouldn’t notice.”

We all bust up, but the townie kid’s got a sourpuss. “You said your parents were giants,” he sputters.

“Did I?” Ozo shrugs and looks up to the sky, starts hula hoopin so we’ll watch all mesmerized. “True story is, I never had no parents. I was born from a magic banana. Ate my way out and fell off the tree, all alone.”

“None of that’s true,” cries the newbie.

The townie gets shoved for that. “All stories are true, buttnugget!” we yell, and we’re about to riot, but Ozo throws his ring out, knockin the townie down flat on his snot face. Ozo hunkers down over the kid with his head cocked sideways and says something real quiet. The closest of us lean in.

“Wish I had a momma to sit home worried about me,” he says. “Go home.”

“Yeah, go home to your mommy!” we say, draggin the townie off to the gates.

Ozo stays back to watch the decorations go up from inside his ring, hanging on with fingers and toes, rollin so the lanterns spin round and round, becoming glowy red circles.