Brand is a
powerful nuker focused on area of effect damage and skill combos around
the element of fire. He has a very powerful passive and a strong stun on
his Sear ability, giving him great team utility. Brand is a great
farmer and has a very powerful laning presence making him a great solo
lane AP carry.
This Brand guide aims to be a basic and simple introduction on basic strategy that should be adopted when playing Brand, it is recommended for people just starting to use Brand.
This Brand guide aims to be a basic and simple introduction on basic strategy that should be adopted when playing Brand, it is recommended for people just starting to use Brand.
Abilities
-
Blaze (Passive):
An extremely powerful passive, that is great against squishy champions
and durable champions alike. This skill is unaffected by Ability Power,
making magic penetration very important for this skill. This passive is
also a key factor in Brand's ability to combo his skills together for
bonus effects. -
Sear:
A single target skill shot nuke. This skill is most powerful mid-late
game when there is lots of poking and battles are less focused around
minions as this skill travels reasonably slowly, making it easy to
dodge. The main use of this skill is for the long stun duration it
offers if the enemy is ablaze. -
Pillar of Flame:
Your main damage ability that also packs a strong area of effect. This
skill has the best synergy with Conflagration for either massive burst
against champions or easily clearing a minion wave. Later on in the game
you want to save this skill till you can hit maximum enemies. -
Conflagration:
The only non skill-shot skill of Brand's (not including his ultimate),
this skill is your bread and butter ability to apply Blaze to the enemy
because of its reliability and good range. This skill is very powerful
in 1v1 lane match-ups as your main form of harassment due to its
reasonable base damage, low mana cost and the added damage applied from
Brand's passive. -
Pyroclasm (Ultimate)
This skill is best used against two or three enemies grouped together
with no minions around for maximum damage. It's also great to use in a
team fight after you have landed a Pillar of Flame on most of the
enemies. It has pitiful damage in 1v1 encounters (no minions around
either) though and should only be used if its going to score the kill.
Its reasonably short cooldown allows it to be used in any small
skirmishes that you and your team might have.
Ability Order
Brand's abilities are best leveled: Ult > Pillar of Flame > Conflagration > Sear
Maxing Pillar of Flame first gives Brand incredible lane dominance and gives him amazing damage output for 2v2 and 3v3 skirmishes that happen throughout mid-game. Maxing Conflagration second gives you very reliable source of damage and reduces your reliance on skill shots. Leaving Sear to be maxed last as its mainly used for the stun which does not increase with level.
Your lane match-up will determine which skill you take at level 2. If you think you need a stun against an aggressive or powerful champion grab Sear, If you want some extra damage consider taking Conflagration for the bonus damage with Pillar of Flame.
Maxing Pillar of Flame first gives Brand incredible lane dominance and gives him amazing damage output for 2v2 and 3v3 skirmishes that happen throughout mid-game. Maxing Conflagration second gives you very reliable source of damage and reduces your reliance on skill shots. Leaving Sear to be maxed last as its mainly used for the stun which does not increase with level.
Your lane match-up will determine which skill you take at level 2. If you think you need a stun against an aggressive or powerful champion grab Sear, If you want some extra damage consider taking Conflagration for the bonus damage with Pillar of Flame.
Runes
Yellow (Seals) - Mana Regeneration Per Level
Blue (Glyphs) - Cooldown Reduction
Purple (Quintessences) - Health // Ability Power
Magic Penetration Marks are an obvious choice as an AP caster, increasing your overall damage output. Mana Regeneration Seals provide you with all the early-mid game regeneration you need. On Glyphs you want Cooldown Reduction to reduce Brand's cooldowns, allowing you to do more combos and harass the enemy more early-game. Quintessences are flexible, you can run Health for stronger survivability or Ability Power for stronger harassment depending on your play style.
Summoner Spells
Best Summoner Spells:
-Flash
-Ignite
Brand has no escape mechanism besides the stun on Sear (which relies on two skills to work), while effective against one opponent it cannot stop more and so it is vital that Brand takes an escape/defensive based summoner (Flash in this case). Ignite compliments Brand's burst damage and combined with his passive gives him great damage overtime, often killing enemies long after the battle is over.
Other Good Summoner Spells:
-Ghost
Ghost can either replace Flash or Ignite depending on your playstyle. If you play aggressively and need two escape summoners to get out of danger quickly then Ghost/Flash is the setup for you. If however you play a more defensive role as Brand you can run Ghost/Ignite and rely on your positioning to stay away from the heat of battle.
-Flash
-Ignite
Brand has no escape mechanism besides the stun on Sear (which relies on two skills to work), while effective against one opponent it cannot stop more and so it is vital that Brand takes an escape/defensive based summoner (Flash in this case). Ignite compliments Brand's burst damage and combined with his passive gives him great damage overtime, often killing enemies long after the battle is over.
Other Good Summoner Spells:
-Ghost
Ghost can either replace Flash or Ignite depending on your playstyle. If you play aggressively and need two escape summoners to get out of danger quickly then Ghost/Flash is the setup for you. If however you play a more defensive role as Brand you can run Ghost/Ignite and rely on your positioning to stay away from the heat of battle.
Masteries
The offensive tree provides you with some cooldown reduction, ability power and the all important 15% spell penetration. The utility tree offers mana regeneration, cooldown reduction, improved buff duration and some movement speed.
Item Build
Final Item Build:
-Sorcerer's Shoes
-Rod of Ages
-Rylai's Crystal Scepter
-Rabadon's Deathcap
-Zhonya's Hourglass
-Void Staff
Steps/Reasoning:
-Start with a Doran's Ring, this gives you a health boost, mana regeneration and some ability power.
-On your first trip back you want to pick up your Boots of Speed and a Needlessly Large Rod, if you can't afford it consider picking up an extra Doran's Ring or even a Catalyst the Protector to increase your lane survivability and sustainability.
-Your first big item should be Rabadon's Deathcap, while also finishing your Sorcerer's Shoes
-Now for your 2nd core item which is Rylai's Crystal Scepter, this gives Brand great utility by bringing some very solid slows to his team. Build this item in sequence depending on what you need, build the Giant's Belt first if you want some survivability and the Blasting Wand first if you want more damage output.
-From here you'll want to either grab a Void Staff to break through the enemies magic resistance and increase the damage of your passive, or go for a Banshee's Veil for defense.
-Your final item should be Zhonya's Hourglass giving you a great armor boost and an awesome active.
Alternatives:
-Mejai's Soulstealer (If you are having a good early game).
-Abyssal Scepter (Nice magical resistance de-buff while providing defense against magic).
-Deathfire Grasp (If the enemy is very durable, consider this item to add to your burst potential).
General Brand Tips
- Conflagration is your most reliable skill to set enemies ablaze with, it also has the bonus effect that has the least uses, making it a great first skill in any combo.
- You can use Sear to check bushes quickly and safely.
- Don't use your ultimate against a single opponent, it will only hit once for very low damage, it is best used against 2 or 3 enemies or a single opponent surrounded by minions (and then there is no guarantee of damage on the champion anyway).
- The stun from Sear is not extremely reliable as it is a slow moving skill-shot and it requires two skills to work. The best way to use the stun on Sear is to wait for an ally to use a stun/slow and then to use your stun.
- A great standard 1v1 combo is to open with Conflagration > Pillar of Flame (25% bonus damage) > Sear (hopefully for a hit + stun), this combo is much easier once you have a Rylai's Crystal Scepter.
- Try to save Pillar of Flame in skirmishes and team-fights until you can hit a group of enemies (at least 3), it has a lengthy cooldown and you are likely to only get one off in a team fight.
- Be careful of your passive, it will draw tower aggro.
Early Game (Level 1-6)
- Harass with your Conflagration & Pillar of Flame while focusing on grabbing last hits with your auto-attack. You can zone out weaker lane opponents and prevent them from farming effectively with the threat of Conflagration & Pillar of Flame.
- Once you unlock your other spells you can land a Conflagration combined with either or Sear (for the stun) or a Pillar of Flame (for the 25% bonus damage), following up with Sear is a better option in duo lanes.
- If you are in one of the side lanes you are a very powerful bush camper with Conflagration and Pillar of Flame.
Mid Game (Level 7-12)
- You can now use Pillar of Flame and Conflagration to clear the wave of caster minions quickly and easily, giving you great farming potential mid-game.
- Your primary mid-game combo (especially when you have Rylai's Crystal Scepter) is to tag an enemy with Conflagration and follow up with Pillar of Flame for the 25% bonus damage.
- When you are in need of a reliable stun you want to use your Conflagration to tag the enemy with Blaze and then follow up with Sear for the stun.
Late Game (13-18)
- During the later stages of the game you are likely only to get off one Pillar of Flame in team fights. It is important you save this for multiple enemies as this will allow you to land a stun if necessary and pull off a devastating fast-moving ultimate.
- Using your Rylai's Crystal Scepter effectively is vital to adding to Brand's team utility, Pillar of Flame is great for an area of effect slow while Conflagration is your best bet for a single target slow.
- If you can catch the enemy carry and another single enemy off-guard and alone your ultimate can easily devastate them.
- Pre-teamfight you should be constantly poking the enemy with Sear due to its low mana cost. This will reduce their overall health, weakening them for the impending team fight.
- Try to save your skill combos until an ally has locked an enemy down with some crowd control (stun/snare), this will ensure your skill-shots do not miss.
