A fan-favorite champion that narrowly missed out on being voted for a full update in both
2019 and
2022, Shyvana’s rework is finally arriving on live servers with Patch 26.06, launching on March 18th, 2026. Developed in collaboration with dedicated Shyvana mains, the update aims to modernize and refine some of the more lackluster aspects of her kit while preserving her core design philosophy. It also evolves her visual identity to better align with modern
Demacia, the region to which she is tied.
Alongside the rework, Shyvana will temporarily receive an exclusive
“Leg Day Bundle,” featuring her skins at a discounted price. The bundle is a nod to a
viral Reddit post from 2016 that jokingly speculated about how the dragon warrior would react to Ezreal kissing her leg. Riot
embraced the meme that same year with a similarly named bundle, and now brings it back in celebration of her long-awaited update.
Shyvana's In-Game Model Concept Art. Credit: Riot Games
Shyvana’s Abilities
Passive - Scalemail
Takedowns on enemy champions, large minions, and large monsters grant Shyvana Scalemail stacks, improving her defenses.
Q - Emberstrike
Shyvana’s next attack strikes both the target and the surrounding area. This Ability can be recast. While in Dragon Form, it gains an additional recast, dealing massive damage to a single target.
W - Inferno Aegis
Shyvana gains a shield, movement speed, and after a short delay, the area around her detonates. While in Dragon Form, the explosion will heal her if it strikes an enemy champion or monster.
E - Molten Burst
Shyvana launches a fireball that explodes upon striking a large target and slows them. In Dragon Form, it passes through and explodes upon striking large enemies, leaving behind a trail of fire.
R - Dragon’s Descent
Shyvana transforms into a Dragon and leaps forward, fearing enemies along her path. While in Dragon form, she becomes larger and her basic abilities are empowered.
Core Rework Philosophies
As is often the case, reworks are moments of both celebration and apprehension for fans of older or underplayed champions. Bringing major changes to both gameplay and visuals, these relaunches can be either hits or misses, sometimes leaving players feeling disconnected from their favorite champions. True to Riot’s usual approach, Shyvana’s rework prioritized preserving what makes her special for dedicated fans. To ensure this, Riot flew out committed Shyvana players to their Los Angeles offices to provide direct feedback on her gameplay, art, and overall design.
Shyvana's Dragon Form. Credit: Riot Games
From the start, the concept of an “epic dragon” resonated most with players. The rework amplifies this idea, allowing Shyvana to fully utilize her model and kit to feel like a powerful creature capable of overwhelming her foes. Gameplay-wise, this is reflected in her dragon-form model and abilities, which now scale in size with the rank of her ultimate. Visually, her dragon-form attacks now use wings, claws, and fangs to engage enemies, further emphasizing her ferocity.
In terms of her kit, Riot focused on making her AD bruiser build her primary path, while keeping her AP artillery mage build viable as a niche, off-meta option. Most of Shyvana’s spells remain familiar, with meaningful updates to improve interaction and feel. Her passive now synergizes more broadly with her kit—takedowns on minions, monsters, and champions all grant Scalemail—rather than just dragons. This change is intended to make her viable in both jungle and toplane roles, giving her strong sustain and durability regardless of the type of objectives she focuses on. Her dragon form also slightly empowers and changes her abilities.
For instance, her Q retains its attack reset, gains a recast that speeds up with attacks, and adds an extra recast during her ultimate. Her W provides a shield that scales with her passive, further increasing her durability as she slays enemies of all types. A major thematic addition is the fear effect on her ultimate, as her dragon’s descent now sends shivers through her opponents when she leaps into battle.
One of the Half-Dragon's skin, Darkflame Shyvana. Credit: Riot Games
