This build has been archived and is for historical display only

This build has been archived by the author. They are no longer supporting nor updating this build and it may have become outdated. As such, voting and commenting have been disabled and it no longer appears in regular search results.

We recommend you take a look at this author's other builds.

Not Updated For Current Season

This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page

Brand Build Guide by

#1 Brand by Kanetsugu

15 3

32,491 Views

10 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Kanetsugu

Brand Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (10) More Brand Guides

Choose Champion Build:

Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Ability Order

Brand Passive Ability

Introduction

Brand is a mage with high burst and strong AOE. When Brand is fed he can pretty much take out whole teams because of his high AOE burst. His high damage allows him to harass early game and take the lead through kills. Brand also has good farming via his W and his E if you have blue buff to spam.

Brand relies on the player to have good positioning to stay alive during teamfights. As Brand you need to be in a position that maximizes your damage on the whole team while still playing safe.

Pros

Strong Burst
High AOE damage
Great Teamfight
Does not need much AP for Damage
High Base Damage
Tankbuster Passive
Good Farming

Cons

Naturally Squishy
Mana Hungry
Skill shot stun

Item Builds

Starting Items

+ - Sustain and mobility

Damage, Health, Farming

Core Items

Standard Build

Explanation

Getting the Doran's Rings first gives you the bit of mana regen your need to cast you abilities. Because Brand has such high damage without much AP, all you need is the early Doran's Rings and Sorcerer's Shoes to be effective. Rushing the Rabadon's gives you the most raw damage toward's mid game and will help you poke much more effectively. Rylai's after Rabadon's gives you the much needed survivability and grants a nice slow that adds to Brand's only 1 cc.

Tanky Sustain

Explanation

This build focuses on getting a Catalyst the Protector early to get more health, mana and sustain. Getting will make you durable and getting the early Catalyst should reduce any mana problems you may have in lane.

Lane Sustain Build

Explanation

If you don't feel Rod of Ages is your kind if item and you are having trouble sustaining yourself in lane, you can opt for the early and building into an early as this will still give you a nice chunk of AP, especially if another teammate gets it as well. Rabadon's will give you more AP and Rylai's will give you increased health to make you more durable.

Other Important Items

Explanation

Banshee's, Quicksilver and Zhonya's all give important stats to resists to help you survive more. If the enemy team has heavy CC you should probably pick up a to get out of it or pick up a Banshee's Viel to block a negative spell. gives you much needed armor and a 2 second invulnerability to stop the focus from going on you.

Runes

Marks

Most of the time, you will see me run these marks as well as most other players. If your lane opponent is not running any magic resist runes or masteries, these marks combined with Sorcerer's Shoes will make you do true damage to them.

Seals

Greater Seal of Replenishment
These runes give you a nice bit of early game mana regen. Brand has great harass early game, so the early mana regen helps him keep his harass up.

Armor seals give you extra resistance from any auto attack harassers. Run these seals if you know you are going to be facing an AD champion mid lane or if you just want that little bit of extra tankiness.

These seals give Brand better mana regen late game. I don't feel these are as necessary as some of the other seals because you should be getting blue buff whenever you can anyways.

Glyphs

I find myself running these Glyphs more and more lately. Having the extra 13 magic resist (plus 6 if you get the masteries) helps tremendously against another AP champion

Another option of Glyphs to get on Brand. These focus more on mid to late game damage providing more AP later on rather than early game.

Quintessences

Movement speed Quints let you chase better, dodge skill shots better and escape better. Overall great Quints to run on any champion.

Great for that early AP to harass better. Take these to get a better early game.

More health is always better. Gives you extra tankiness to survive a strong burst champion or a potential gank.

Masteries

First off I'd like to begin by talking about me using instead of . Now you might be wondering, why does this guy have attack damage on a caster? Well there are two pretty good reasons why.

Having Brute Force gives you more attack damage for last hitting rather than 4 ability power. The 4 ability power won't matter much early on or later on, and getting minion kills is super important. I highly recommend getting and . Also, trading hits with the enemy caster at level will likely go in your favor with that extra bit of AD.

Explanation

For utility, I get Expanded Mind and Meditation to help sustain my mana usage. Summoner's Insight for the cooldown on flash. Improved recall is just my personal preference and can be put into another point if you wish. I also recommend getting Runic Affinity to get an increased duration on any blue buffs you may get.

For the offensive tree, I get all the AP masteries except Mental Force. Instead I get Brute Force and Butcher. These two mysteries make it easier to last hit and the 4 AP in Mental Force doesn't impact much of your damage.

Explanation

Putting some points into the defensive tree allows for a bit more survivability in lane. Getting the magic resist will hopefully negate a little bit of harass in middle lane as it will usually be another caster. The extra health in Durability and Veteran Scars will help a bunch too.

Explanation

These masteries focus on more defense if you feel you need to play more safe in lane, as well as later into the game. This is not a usual mastery page for a caster but could be beneficial because of the survivability added and as well as cooldown reduction. Also you are still able to get the 10% magic penetration in the offensive tree.

Summoner Spells

Ignite is great for those kills that would have just gotten away. Does an insane amount of true damage late game too.

Flash is such a great summoner spell even after the nerf. The ability to jump over almost all walls to escape is almost too valuable to give up.

Exhaust is super strong, being able to shut down any champion for a few seconds is really good. This is another spell I'd recommend.

Great for mobility if you feel flash just won't be enough to get away.

Cleanse is a great summoner spell that can get you out of bad situations. You may want to get this if there is a strong CC that may shut you down in a fight or kill you in a gank such as a Rammus taunt.

Heal makes you super hard to kill in lane because you can just heal the burst from the enemy. After the buff there are a lot of people that like to use Heal in middle to counter any burst.

Skills

Blaze (Passive) - Brand's spells light his targets ablaze, dealing 2% of their maximum Health in magic damage per second for 4 seconds.

This is a great passive to have against high health champions and can also secure you kills that might have gotten away with a sliver of HP. This skill also gives bonuses to your other skills.

Sear - Brand launches a ball of fire forward that deals 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+65% of ability power) magic damage. If the target is ablaze, the target will be stunned for 2 seconds.

Cooldown 8 / 7.5 / 7 / 6.5 / 6 seconds

Cost 50 mana

Range 900

This is the skill you always want to hit after you have your passive on the enemy as this is Brand's only CC. I max this skill second because it does more damage than Conflagration and it allows you to stun more often.

Pillar of Flame - After a short delay, Brand creates a pillar of flame at a target area, dealing 75 / 120 / 165/ 210 / 255 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to enemy units with the area. Units that are ablaze take an additional 25% damage.

Cooldown 10 seconds

Cost 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mana

Range 900

This is Brand's main source of damage. I max this first because it gains the most damage per level than Sear and Conflagration. Also in lane, if timed correctly is great harassment.
I generally use this for harassment because it was a much higher range than Conflagration.

At first you may feel as though the Pillar erupts too slowly. After you play around with it for a bit you will be able to time this correctly to hit it. Getting used to the size and timing of the damage.

Conflagration - Brand conjures a powerful blast at his target, dealing 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+55% of ability power) magic damage to them. If the target is ablaze the conflagration will damage nearby enemies as well.

Cooldown 12 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 seconds

Cost 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 mana

Range 675

This spell is pretty useful in that you can Pillar of Flame a creep wave early on and Conflagration to clear the wave. Also another use in a 1v1 situation is to E>Q>W a person to get a very nice burst.

Pyroclasm - Brand unleashes a devastating torrent of fire that bounces between enemies, dealing 150 / 250 / 350 (+50% of ability power) magic damage each time it bounces. If a target is ablaze, Pyroclasm's missile speed increases. It will bounce five times, and can hit the same enemy up to three times.

Cooldown 105 / 90 / 75 seconds

Cost 100 / 150 / 200 mana

Range 750

This is Brand's strongest ability and works sort of like Fiddlestick's Darkwind. I generally use this skill at the beginning of teamfights as it gains the worst bonus from it's passive. This ability also makes Brand particularly annoying to gank as Brand can use this skill to bounce between the jungler and the laner to probably secure a kill. It is usually undesirable to use this ability next to minions as it may just bounce to minions rather than champions however in a 1v1 lane it may get you the kill.

Skill Combos

Skill combos are crucial in playing a good Brand. Knowing how your spells are affected by your passive will dictate how you want to use your skills. Let's go through every skill and how they can be used in a simple combo.

Sear

If the target is ablaze, the target will be stunned for 2 seconds.

This is Brand's only form of CC. Getting the stun is one of the most important things to playing Brand. There are a couple of ways to do this.

The most common way is to use and then shoot . This is the easiest way to proc your stun.
->

Another way is to use and quickly hit to get a fast stun.
->

And finally sometimes I will use and then use to get the stun off. You may be wondering, wouldn't the 25% damage from Pillar be better? In most cases yes but sometimes I feel I need to cast the Pillar first as it has longer range and you might not be able to get close enough for a Conflagration.
->

Pillar of Flame

Units that are ablaze take an additional 25% damage.

You usually only want to proc this passive with Conflagration or Pyroclasm only. This is because you want to save your Sear for the stun as it is your only form of CC.
->

Conflagration

If the target is ablaze the conflagration will damage nearby enemies as well.

You will want to proc this passive if you want to push your lane or after you use Pyroclasm in a teamfight to spread fire to the rest of the team. After you can use Sear and Pillar of Flame to it's full extent. Conflagration is the basis of a burst combo in a 1v1 situation.

Pyroclasm

If a target is ablaze, Pyroclasm's missile speed increases.

This is the worst passive out of your 4 skills as Brand. The missile speed may be beneficial in some situations, but as was stated in the Skills section above, you will usually use it first in a teamfight.

Spell rotation when laning

This is the spell rotation you should use when fighting someone in 1v1 in lane most of the time. Using into will give you the stun you need and keep your target ablaze for your passive to proc. At the end of you combo you use your ultimate to finish them off along with an if you have it.

Spell rotation in teamfight

This is the spell rotation you should use in a teamfight. Casting first will not only hit most of the enemy team, but will also light them ablaze to follow up on the rest of your combo. should be after because it will light the rest of the team ablaze and set up for your for a stun into finally for the 25% extra damage.

Items

Generally I just go with Sorcerer's Shoes because of the Magic Penetration. However there may be times where there is too much CC that you just get stunned and bursted down. In which case you would want the Merc Treads.

Damage Items

Doran's ring is a very strong early game item. It gives you Health, Ability Power, and Mana regen. Brand uses this item very well with his early game damage and doesn't need as much ability power to do the damage he needs to.

This is usually the first item I rush on Brand just because of the insane amount of AP you get. You will be able to burst almost anybody down with this item and Sorcerer's Shoes.

I really like this item on Brand. It gives you a nice bit of health and AP and gives you a utility slow which may help out when chasing someone and you miss your Sear.

I get this item for the sustain that it gives you. It helps your laning early too if you get it early as you will probably not be able to be pushed out of lane. Also if you have another AP Caster on your team, it can help them and stacks if they get one.

Pretty much just try to get this when the enemy starts stacking magic resist.

This is a good item if you want to have more survivability. If you get the Catalyst first, you will get health, mana, and sustain from it's passive for your laning phase. This is a great item for any mana problems you may have later on as well. I'd much rather get this item for mana than Archangel's.

This is a good item if you want magic resist and ability power. The passive is also good if the enemy doesn't have a lot of magic resist.

I don't usually get to the point in the game where I can get this item. However, it is very good for getting focus off of you for 2 seconds in a crucial teamfight.

Not really an item I like to get although it does give you a nice amount of AP and Mana so you don't run out of Mana late game. Although by then you should be getting the Blue Buff for your team.

Defensive Items

This is such a great item. It gives you a whopping 56 magic resist and a Cleanse every 60 seconds that works on suppresses. Definitely get this item if there is a suppress such as on the other team.

This is a great item for survivability because of the health and to negate a random stun that might be going after you.

This is a good item if you want magic resist and ability power. The passive is also good if the enemy doesn't have a lot of magic resist.

I don't usually get to the point in the game where I can get this item. However, it is very good for getting focus off of you for 2 seconds in a crucial teamfight.

Early Laning

Assuming you are laning solo mid, you want to harass as much as you can. is a very good harass if you can hit it. Waiting for your opponent to go up to last hit is usually the best time to try and hit your . Also if you don't feel confident in hitting your , you may consider getting as your first skill and harass with that.

Brand's early game is very strong and you should use your utility in and your passive to your advantage at all times. Hitting the crucial > can net you an early kill. If you can get an early blue buff from your jungler, you should start pushing the lanes and trying to harass as much as possible while still being aware of the other jungler's ganks.

Mid Game

Mid game you should either be still farming or grouping up and taking objectives. Ward up the enemy jungle if possible and try to take the buffs when possible. Controlling the buffs and objectives are key to dominating mid game and riding into a strong late game. Make sure you are getting all the blue buffs on your side of the jungle. Poke the enemy as much as possible with your spells especially your as it will do massive damage.

Late Game

Most of the focus should turn to Baron and pushing down towers. Look for opportunities to catch someone off guard and immediately using and for a stun and a kill. Make sure to help ward up and not get caught out of position which could end in a free baron or a push to win. If sieging a tower, poke as much as possible you engage.

Team Fights

Your goal as is to hit as many members of the team as possible with your AOE's while also staying as far away from the damage as possible. Use and to poke the enemy. Try to use your ultimate at the beginning of an engage to get your passive on most of the team so your Pillar can me used to it's maximum potential. Try to stay out of the line of fire as Brand needs very good positioning to be effective. If you are caught you could very well die without being put to full use.

Final Thoughts

I'd like to thank FYA Umashi for releasing spectacular guides. Most of the things I put in this guide are based off of his guides.

Please upvote if you liked the guide or it helped you out. If you didn't like it, try not to downvote it immediately and give me critique on how I could improve the guide.