Help recreating Pantheon's ultimate

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Hello!
Long time lurker and VFX apprentice, I’m trying to recreate one part of Pantheon’s ultimate in UE4 (Grand Starfall - Video Below)

more specifically the part where pantheon is “charging” his ultimate or before he jumps. What is really making me scratch my head is how to make those “bursting” textures close to the ground. (see gif below)
(Screen capture - ce8642780b4d4831ffdd58827e28504e - Gyazo)

Is it a mesh based effect or sprites? What would the base texture look like?
How would you guys approach this basically.

Thanks in advance,
Azeros