This build is NOT for new Brand players, if new Brand players are looking on how to play Brand and how to skill and build look to other builds. This build will not show you how to play Brand, it does not explain on using abilities, what the good combo's are. No this build is for experienced Brand players looking for a different play-style on the OP nuker.

No one said being OP was easy, and with this guide will show you how to get people to say the always fulfilling, "Brand is OP" statement that everyone loves hearing.
This build will force others to QQ, the difference between this build and other brand builds, they tell you how to play brand, I show you how to be OP by avoiding death and dealing great amounts of trolling through your AoE and incredible burst.

Enjoy killing teh noobs

Ps. I apologize for the length, but if you want to be OP you need to be patient.

(July the 8th, 2011) Edit - on the advice of a friend I changed the order of finishing Sorc boots until after DFG is complete, considering that early in the game most people wont have magi resist.

(July the 20th, 2011) Edit - Noticed in late late game with abyssal scepter, while the MR and AoE mr reduce is nice, the extra damage from Void Staff appears to be the better way to go, after testing it in some games.

Brand uses simple caster runes, Magi pen reds, CD blues, and mana regen yellows. Now I prefer flat mana regen yellows cause after you get Rod of Ages you'll have all the mana and regen to last. Some would disagree and say magi pen blues as well, but it is in this one's opinion that cd per level will help because on the math side of things your almost getting a whole nother 9% cdr at level so if you snag a blue buff and if you decide to grab an extra CDR item you will surely be capped at 40%.

Now Quints however are a different story, if you decide to go with flat ap blues then ap quints maybe what your looking for, or if you have magi pen blues then perhaps even more magi pen is what you want. But quints in my opinion are there to boost your early game as much as possible so going with the flat health quints will give you that extra survivability you want.

Basic Caster Mastery, this one balanced more for laning, if you want to mid you sure can just alter the mastery a bit.

Flash: the only way to be OP on Brand is to survive survive survive, that is your most important task in these games is to survive, you do that and people will rage. And this spell makes people rage, and if you troll like I do it will make you lol profusely getting away with less then 100 health.

Ignite: Is very good to Co-ordinate with your passive, especially on those people who are just about to get away with low health, hit em with a spell and ignite and if done at the right amount of health you'll snag a few of those people who try to get away from your OP-ness.

Other options include Exhaust, and Teleport. Every thing else is either for noobs, people with out runes or tanks and supports. Its up to you to be OP as possible and taking the right Summoner Spells is important.

Now, Items.

Most people will tell you that, "OH BRAND NEEDS ARCHANGEL QQ DOWN VOTE" and these people are wrong because it is my opinion that with the rune set, and the right MIND set that you can spam at the right time and win everywhere, now hopefully you get first kill or assist to get Kage's asap because that is very important early game to have kage's early to be able to farm with out having to get last hits all the time.

Boots for brand are obvious, more spell pen = more damage = more QQ.

Now if you've come to this build not wanting to utilize everything about it to be OP then you've come to the wrong place. Being OP means using everything at your disposal and DFG's active makes you that more OP but you have to use it in order for this build to work. The amount of nuke you get from a 30% damage plus your full rotation will put to rest almost any foe that stands in your way 1v1. It also has the ever important 15% CDR that makes this item cake for brand, or a steak which ever you prefer. THIS ITEM IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ON BRAND, it must be used to initiate team fights on the tank or 1v1 on full health opponent, this item will turn 1v1's in your favor.

Now Rod of Ages is another item that, I'm sure many other people on this wonderful website will flame me for, but as i said before surviving is your most important task on Brand. With this item full stacked you gain many healths, many manas and many ability powers. Which will make you able to withstand some punishment.

Rabadon's is obvious, More ap = more OP duh, although you can bypass this item if you aren't getting a ton of kills to get Rylai's for an amazing passive, more ap and more health.
But getting the Deathcap is very important in this build to give you that HUGE boost in ap.

Now Abyssal Scepter, (if you can even get to a full build that is) is another very good item with its ap, magi resist and its passive, it allows you to take less damage from abilities.

Now with these items you should be able to dominate games because of Brand's unique abilities and his incredible nuking capabilities.

Now i recommend sticking true to this build, but if you want to be more glass cannony or more tanky, then consider, void staff, GA, Banshee's, Hourglass. The first 4-5 items are almost a must if you want to succeed at being OP.

Other builds will tell you the basics on how to play Brand, this build is to guide you on how to be OP so prior knowledge on playing Brand is necessary. Now most of us Brand player's know that he is in fact one of the squishiest casters in the game. As I have said before it is very important to stay alive, and not die. Now being a squishy and being an OP Brand will make you the target of many ganks, the only way to avoid this is to be smart and have map awareness, look for mia's and don't assume that you can farm and pillar that Yorick with half health.

In order to be OP you have to be smart, you have to be able to hit skill shots and you have to stay behind your team. You can never and i mean NEVER initiate team fights even if it is to throw your DFG at someone, it is never a good idea to be in the middle of anything, ever. 1 ashe ulti or Taric stun and your done, their team has had enough time to stun you slow you and get enough damage on you to get and easy kill. You are no use to your team dead.

Plain and simple avoid 1v2s, use your E+Q stun to run away if you ever have any doubts on your survival. Always shadow a teammate stay behind them, let them do the initiating and you add support to them when necessary and run before you are overwhelmed.

Harassing in early game lanes is important so that you will always have the upper hand when going in for the kill, whether that be waiting for your lane partner to have that skill or mana to kill the other lane, or even waiting for your own ultimate and/or cd's. Try at all possible to get first blood, if first blood means diving a turret, you dive that turret harder then an ultied poppy. First blood is very important on Brand to get Kage's as soon as possible. But also remember to not give the enemy team first blood and dying for nothing, because that is also one of the biggest mistakes you can make when in a lane or in mid.