League of Legends Season 2 in 2026 brings back two familiar names: Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge. Gameplay designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison confirmed their return, signaling changes that could affect how you approach rune choices and champion builds.
If you played during the old mastery era, you likely remember how these options shaped damage and mobility setups. Their reintroduction suggests adjustments to the current system, giving you more ways to tailor your playstyle in the upcoming season.
Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge return to the Rift
Riot confirmed at First Stand 2026 that Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge will rejoin the rune roster in Season 2. The announcement came during a live gameplay preview, setting expectations for changes that affect how you draft and build.
Reports point to Patch 26.09 on April 29, 2026 as the earliest likely release window, based on the current patch schedule. Riot has since shared additional details through a developer update.
You can expect the two keystones to fill distinct roles:
- Deathfire Touch: sustained burn damage that rewards repeated spell hits
- Stormraider’s Surge: burst-triggered mobility that enables repositioning
| Rune | Primary Focus | Likely Users |
|---|---|---|
| Deathfire Touch | Damage over time | Control and poke mages |
| Stormraider’s Surge | Movement speed | Burst mages and skirmishers |
These additions reshape your rune decisions and may shift priority picks across multiple roles.
Deathfire Touch
You apply a burn effect whenever your abilities hit an enemy champion. Each instance of ability damage triggers a bleed that deals 1 (+3.125% AP) (+5.625% bonus AD) magic damage every 0.5 seconds, with the total duration based on the type of damage you deal.
- Single-target abilities: 4 seconds
Total: 8 (+25% AP) (+45% bonus AD) magic damage - Area-of-effect abilities: 2 seconds
Total: 4 (+12.5% AP) (+22.5% bonus AD) magic damage - Damage-over-time effects: 1 second
Total: 2 (+6.25% AP) (+11.25% bonus AD) magic damage
This keystone originally left the game during the 7.22 preseason update in 2017, when the mastery system transitioned into runes. Riot replaced it with Scorch, which kept a lighter burn theme but offered less scaling impact.
In 2026 Season 2, Riot brings Deathfire Touch back as a Sorcery keystone, shifting it from its former position in the Ferocity tree. You now select it primarily for mage-focused builds that rely on repeated spell damage and scaling ability power. Its return may prompt adjustments to overlapping burn effects within the rune system.
Stormraider’s Surge
Stormraider’s Surge returns after its removal in the 2018 preseason, bringing back its high-mobility playstyle with an updated 2026 icon.
When you deal 30% of an enemy champion’s maximum health within 2.5 seconds, you gain:
- 40% bonus movement speed
- 75% slow resistance
- Duration: 3 seconds
This effect rewards burst damage and fast trades. You trigger it through quick combos, then reposition or disengage while the movement boost and slow resistance remain active.
Riot previously replaced this keystone with Phase Rush, which carried over the movement speed theme. The health-based damage trigger later appeared on the Stormsurge item. In Season 2 of 2026, Stormraider’s Surge takes back its slot in the Sorcery tree, replacing Phase Rush and restoring its original identity.
