Riftbound: Radiance adds three named mechanics that change where value is created on the table: Deploy, Show Off and Disarm. Riot Games introduced them in the official Radiance overview published on 25 September 2026. The set is scheduled for 23 October 2026 in English, French and Chinese, after Pre-Rift events from 16 to 22 October.
This guide explains only what the publisher has confirmed so far. For the release date, language rollout and product overview, see our Radiance reference article.
Deploy: Gear moves onto the battlefield
Deploy lets you play a Gear card directly to a Battlefield instead of keeping it in the usual Gear area. That placement matters: the Gear provides its benefit while it is deployed there, but if an opponent holds that Battlefield, the deployed Gear is killed.
The practical lesson is positional. A deployed Gear can reinforce the location that matters most, yet it also becomes tied to the fight over that location. Before deploying, ask two questions: can the Battlefield be defended through the next opposing turn, and is the effect worth exposing to removal through a change of control? The mechanic rewards players who plan their movement and contest timing rather than treating Gear as value that sits safely away from combat.
Radiance also expands the relationship between Gear and Units. The official overview uses Orianna’s Legend ability as the example: Equipment can become Units, and Equipment that becomes a Unit is automatically unequipped. That is a confirmed interaction, not a universal promise that every Equipment card can transform.
Show Off: reveal information to unlock an effect
Show Off asks a player to reveal a qualifying card from hand or from the board to unlock an additional effect on the card being played. The requirement is therefore part of the cost of planning the sequence: you need both the Show Off card and an eligible object to reveal at the correct moment.
Revealing from hand can trade hidden information for tempo or efficiency. Revealing from the board may be less costly in secrecy, but it makes the condition visible in advance. In deckbuilding, the important question is not simply how many Show Off cards to include; it is how reliably the deck presents the required qualifiers without filling the list with cards that do not advance its core plan. Until the full card gallery is available, exact ratios would be speculation.
Disarm: reduce Might during an attack
Disarm reduces the Might of an enemy Unit when it attacks. Riot describes it as working in a way comparable to Assault, and multiple instances make the reduction stronger. The mechanic is therefore defensive interaction attached to the combat step rather than a permanent rewrite of a Unit’s printed statistics.
For the attacker, this creates an incentive to check every available Disarm source before committing a key Unit. For the defender, stacking several reductions may turn a previously favourable attack into a poor exchange. The official preview does not yet establish every timing case or card-specific exception, so individual cards should be read alongside the current rules text when revealed.
Bomb tokens and what is still unknown
Radiance introduces Bomb tokens, but the first overview deliberately gives only a broad direction: more Bombs lead to a bigger explosion. Their exact effects depend on the cards that create or use them, so it would be premature to describe a universal Bomb rule beyond the publisher’s announcement.
The same caution applies to complete decklists. Riot confirmed nine new Legends, with full Showdown Deck lists due on 16 October, while previews run from 25 September through 9 October. At this stage, the useful preparation is to understand the mechanics and identify which existing shells can support positional Gear, reliable reveal conditions or defensive Might reduction—not to present an unverified “best deck.”
What to test first
- Deploy: test whether your deck can defend the chosen Battlefield after committing Gear there.
- Show Off: count qualifying reveal targets and track how often the condition is live without awkward hands.
- Disarm: record the attacks it changes, especially when several reductions combine.
- Bombs: wait for the exact generating and payoff cards before assigning fixed deck slots.
Radiance does not merely add more card names; it pushes decisions into location, information and combat math. That makes the preview window useful even before every list is known.
Official sources
- Riftbound — The Radiance Overview, published 25 September 2026.
- Riftbound — Présentation de Radiance, French official version.
- Riftbound — French roadmap, for the French-language rollout.
Sources checked on 4 October 2026. The header visual is an original editorial illustration created for MoxCards; it does not depict an official card or product.
