On the first day of August, MLBB dropped two bombshells — Balmond's "Vulcan Lionheart" and Aulus's very first Starlight skin "Starwake Corsair" launched simultaneously. As a veteran player, camping out for new skins at the start of every month has long been a habit of mine, but this month is truly different — both skins hit all the right notes for me aesthetically.

As Balmond's second Collector skin, Vulcan Lionheart belongs to the Collector Titans — a black-and-gold base paired with molten orange accents, unfolded mecha wings on the back, a lion shadow shockwave on basic attacks, a whirlwind wrapped in lava fragments on Skill 2, and an ultimate that shatters the ground on impact, summoning a colossal lion head phantom. All in all, it boils down to one word: breathtaking.

This skin also comes with a dedicated entry animation, idle pose, recall effect, kill effect, and exclusive voice lines — the full Collector-grade treatment, no corners cut.

But Collector skins are never cheap. The Exquisite Collection is a gacha event, not a direct purchase, with a typical cost ranging from 2,400 to 3,400 Diamonds. Though if you're willing to camp the daily half-price draws and grind the recharge tasks, you can bring it down to around 2,000 Diamonds at minimum. Personally, I'm planning to wait for the first-daily-draw half-price discount — the event runs all August anyway, no need to rush it.

Side note: if any of you guys need to top up Diamonds, check out COCODP. Fast delivery, solid discounts, I've been using it myself and never had any issues.

Now moving on to Aulus. Starwake Corsair is Aulus's very first Starlight skin, themed around futuristic space pirates — a cyan and silver-gray color scheme, a pirate tricorn hat paired with a long coat, and the battle axe redesigned in a sci-fi style. What makes it even more tempting is that there's also a Painted Skin called Starwake Reaver, which unlocks after purchasing the Starlight Pass for an extra 100 Diamonds.

The Starlight Pass itself costs 300 Diamonds and permanently unlocks the base skin. The Painted Skin purchase window closes at the end of August, and there's no telling when it'll rerun — so if you're on the fence, my advice is don't hesitate. If you're an Aulus main or looking to pick up the hero, this skin is easily the best value pick out there.

Having both skins drop at the same time does put some serious pressure on your Diamond wallet. Balmond's side requires pulling from the gacha, while Aulus's side needs the Pass plus an extra 100 Diamonds for the chroma — all in all, you're looking at 2,500+ Diamonds minimum. Personally, I'm going for Aulus's Starlight set first. At 300 + 100 Diamonds, the cost is right there and the value is undeniable. As for Balmond, I'll just test my luck with the daily half-price first draw — if I pull it, it's a total steal; if not, no real heartbreak either.

On another note, I've gotten into watching MLBB streams on Poppo Live lately. A lot of streamers show off the in-game effects of new skins right away, and seeing them in action before deciding whether to pull is way more reliable than just watching the trailer.

One last reminder — whether you're pulling for Balmond or buying Aulus's Starlight Pass, make sure you've got your Diamonds stocked up first. COCODP's prices are a better deal than topping up directly in-game, and every bit saved counts.