Orianna joins Radiance: the reveal at the PAX West panel
On Sunday, September 6, during the Riot Games panel at PAX West in Seattle, Orianna appeared on screen next to the Radiance logo, the fifth Riftbound set due on October 23, 2026. She is the first name added to the set's champion list since August 3, when Riot introduced Seraphine, Ziggs, Jarvan IV, Ekko and Evelynn and left «four more friends» unnamed. Riftbound Report broke the news with a photo of the livestream: so far Riot has published nothing on the official site. Preview season proper starts on September 25 at RQ Los Angeles.
The factWhat was shown on screen
PAX West 2026 wraps up today in Seattle, and Riftbound was there with its own booth, number 4221 in the Summit building, plus a block of panels shared with the other Riot games. In Sunday's developer panel, covering League of Legends Classic, Teamfight Tactics and Riftbound, the slide that has been going around since last night went up: the Radiance logo on the right, Orianna's artwork on the left, no card and no numbers.
So mind what was said and what was not. The confirmation is that Orianna is in the set. Nobody showed the card type, the cost, the domains or the text: no gameplay element at all. The word «Legend» was not even used in the message that went around the community, and that distinction matters, because in Riftbound a champion can also appear as a plain unit.
ContextNine Legends, five known names
In its August 3 article on the 2027 sets, Riot lined up the Radiance numbers: 180 cards, 66 of them Showcase, set code RAD, a new Ultimate Rare rarity announced but not yet shown, and the products on the way — boosters and booster displays, the Seraphine versus Evelynn Showdown Decks, the Vault Bundle and the Pre-Rift kits. On the champion side, five names and a wink: «And four more friends!».
If Orianna is one of those four, the open slots drop to three with three weeks to go before previews begin. It is the most reasonable reading, but it stays a reading: until Riot writes it down, on our pages Orianna remains «a champion confirmed for the set» and not «the sixth Legend».
September 25 to October 9
Official reveals begin at RQ Los Angeles, the last Regional Qualifier of 2026, and run for two weeks.
October 23, 2026
Radiance launches in English, Chinese and French on the same day. Pre-Rift in stores from October 16 to 22.
CalendarDates to mark
| When | What |
|---|---|
| September 25-27 | RQ Los Angeles: Radiance previews begin |
| October 8 | Rules update for Radiance |
| October 16-22 | Pre-Rift: prerelease events in stores |
| October 23 | Radiance launches in English, Chinese and French |
| October 28 - November 1 | Lucca Comics & Games, with Riftbound on site |
| November 6-8 | European Regional Championship in Stuttgart |
Why it matters to us. Radiance is the set the first European Regional Championship will be played on, from November 6 to 8 in Stuttgart: anyone aiming to qualify will build decks on cards they have not seen yet. Every name that comes out early — Orianna included — is time gained to work out where the tournament scene goes after October 23. In between there is also Lucca Comics & Games, from October 28 to November 1, five days after launch: the first chance in Italy to see the set on real tables, and worth arriving prepared for.
How to read itA confirmation, not a preview
Riftbound Report is a community account, not a Riot channel: here, though, it is not spreading a rumour but relaying a public Riot Games livestream, and the photo of the slide is there to prove it. Only the written version is missing: after last year's PAX Unplugged, Riot published a recap of its panel, and it is reasonable to expect one this time too. In the meantime our Radiance hub keeps collecting only what is confirmed.
In short
- Orianna was confirmed for Radiance during Riot's PAX West panel on Sunday, September 6; the news comes from a photo of the livestream posted by Riftbound Report.
- No gameplay details: nobody knows yet whether she is a Legend or a unit, and Riot has not published an official article.
- Radiance launches on October 23, 2026: previews from September 25 at RQ Los Angeles, Pre-Rift from October 16 to 22.
Sources: Riftbound Report, PlayRiftbound — Looking at Riftbound's 2027 Releases, August 2026 Roadmap, Riftbound at PAX West 2026. Images: Riot Games.
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