You will see familiar names return in League of Legends 2026 Season 2. Riot Games confirmed that Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge are coming back, bringing two former keystone runes into the current game.
Gameplay designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison shared the update during a recent preview, signaling a shift that could affect how you approach damage and mobility builds. As these runes reenter the system, you can expect adjustments that fit the modern version of League while drawing on their original identities.
Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge Return to the Rift
You will see Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge reintroduced in Season 2 of 2026. Riot confirmed their comeback during a live gameplay preview at First Stand 2026, signaling a deliberate return to older keystone designs.
The reveal followed the tournament’s closing moments and came directly from Riot’s gameplay leadership. You can expect their release as early as Patch 26.09 (April 29, 2026) if the current schedule holds.
What you need to know:
- Both runes return as keystones, not minor runes
- Riot has not shared final numbers or updated scaling
- Modern adjustments are likely to match today’s balance standards
Deathfire Touch previously rewarded sustained ability damage, while Stormraider’s Surge favored burst trades and mobility. You should anticipate reworked values and interactions that align with the current item and rune ecosystem.
Deathfire Touch
Deathfire Touch functioned as a keystone mastery until its removal in Patch 7.22 during Preseason 2018. When you dealt ability damage to an enemy champion, you applied a burn that ticked every 0.5 seconds. The total damage and duration depended on the type of ability used.
| Ability Type | Duration | Total Damage Scaling |
|---|---|---|
| Single Target | 4s | 8 + 25% AP + 45% bonus AD |
| Area of Effect | 2s | 4 + 12.5% AP + 22.5% bonus AD |
| Damage over Time | 1s | 2 + 6.25% AP + 11.25% bonus AD |
Each application refreshed the burn but did not stack multiple instances. You gained consistent pressure in extended trades, especially on champions who could reapply spells quickly.
Riot replaced it with Scorch, a lighter burn effect in the Sorcery tree. Scorch delivers less sustained damage, which reduced early trading power for many mages.
With Deathfire Touch confirmed to return in Season 2 of 2026, its placement remains important. It originally sat in the Ferocity tree, which suggests a possible fit in Domination, especially since that tree has lacked a fourth keystone after Predator’s removal in 2024. However, because the effect primarily benefits mages and overlaps thematically with Scorch, you could see it positioned in Sorcery instead, potentially prompting adjustments to avoid redundancy.
Stormraider’s Surge
Stormraider’s Surge left the game during the 2018 preseason overhaul, but Season 2 of 2026 brings it back into focus. You activate it by dealing 30% of an enemy champion’s maximum health within 2.5 seconds.
Once triggered, you gain:
- 40% bonus movement speed
- 75% slow resistance
- 3-second duration
This effect rewards fast, high-impact trades. If you burst an opponent quickly, you can reposition, disengage, or continue chasing with strong mobility and reduced vulnerability to slows.
After its removal, Phase Rush took over the mobility niche in the Sorcery tree. The movement speed identity shifted there, while the health-threshold burst concept later appeared on the Stormsurge item. Because Phase Rush currently occupies that slot in Sorcery, you should expect direct interaction between the two systems.
Whether Riot adjusts Phase Rush to limit overlap or replaces it outright remains undecided.
