Hi.

My name is DeadVenom. I'm a mid laner in League of Legends who has been playing Brand consistently for a good 3+ years now.

I came here to Mobafire to write my own ****ty guide on my favourite champion. Before you lose yourself, this isn't a high elo guide. This isn't Diamond level ****. It's a solid-as-I-can-make-it guide to help newbies and/or you, grasp a better understanding of Brand.

If you're a nerd like me, you'll probably want to have a view of his lore. I'll try my best to sum it up for you:

Brand's not a person. He is not purely evil, he is not purely good. The creature "Brand" is an enigma. An entity of burning hatred that exists only to "cleanse" the land of Valoran of all things; good, bad, corrupted. The form he takes now is one he took from a pillager of Lokfar, Kegan Rodhes. Kegan is lost forever, but Brand has only just awoken from his long absence. After being held in an icy prison (possibly by Lissandra) for a millennium, he struck a false deal with a Summoner, be free, and fight in the League of Legends. When Brand was freed, he spiraled into a violent rampage across Valoran, burning everything he saw to the ground, eventually, he was overcome by Demacian forces, and was given a final chance; fight in the League of Legends, or perish. He naturally chose life, and was given the chance to purge once again.

I mained Brand all the way up until now as I've started to break into top lane a little more. Myself aside, let us begin.

Pros:

- Dominant laning phase, good range
- AoE specialist
- Relatively low mana costs and cooldowns
- Good late - mid game burst
- Effective level 6+ roaming
- Can 1v2 ganks
- Can dominate teamfights with his ultimate

Cons:

- CAN run out of mana quickly if used un-wisely
- Has no escape/mobility apart from summoner's
- Becomes a priority of focus for the enemy team late game
- Falls off slightly is he loses lane
- Has difficulty fighting against CC
- Very skillshot orientated

You can use a few different combinations for runes when it comes to Brand. Personally, Hybrid Penetration reds really work for me along with Blade Weaving in your masteries. Scaling Health seals are ridiculous on tanky mages like Swain and Brand. Armor is not a problem. When you find yourself playing against the run of the mill Zed or Yasuo, it's a smart idea to have a separate page with Armor seals. You can alternate between MR glyphs and AP glyphs but personally, the MR gives you survivability against counters and bursty opponents, although it limits your damage early on. AP quints are very standard, you'd be mad to run anything else.

Simple stuff once again. Has no real special traits when it comes to masteries. He works well with a standard AP page. CAN possibly variate depending on your preference or if the lane opponent is AD.

Brand's kit relies solely on combos. If used in the wrong sequence it can prove fatal for yourself. I'll try my best to give you a quick analysis of Brand's kit.

Passive - Blaze.



This is Brand's passive. Blaze triggers when you cast a spell on an enemy. It works as a mini-ignite, if you will, burning through 8% of their max health over 4 seconds (2% per second). Good for burning enemy pots and occasionally things like barrier, heal or shields. It has nice synergy with the passives from Liandry's Torment, Morellonomicon, Rylai's, etc.

(Note that each of your abilities will apply this effect when used on enemy champion, minion or monster.)


Q - Sear



Brand's Q. Sear is a short range skillshot that deals light magic damage and applies Blaze. If the target is procked with Blaze, Sear will stun the enemy for 2 seconds (at all ranks). This is your one-shot ticket to first blood. Cheap mana cost and a decent cooldown. Max it last due the low damage scaling and the fact the stun doesn't change.

W - Pillar of Flame

Your W. This is your CORE ability. Max it immediately. The damage and range is unmatched by many other skillshots. The damage is even further increased by 25% if the target is procked by Blaze. The only downside is the delay. The trick to landing it is to judge where your opponent is GOING TO GO rather than where they are at that moment. Takes some getting used to but you'll grasp the concept of its timing quite quickly.

E - Conflagration



Your E, and your primary combo starter. Think of it like Kerosene. Now think of your Q as gas. Now think of your W as the airplane that just crashed into your backyard and blew your entire neighborhood up. Your most reliable combo is E (to apply Blaze) + Q (to stun) and then W right on top to light 'em up. Great for amplifying your W damage and an occasional flash burner when combo'ed. When used, it instantly damages the target, like Vladimir's Q. Max Conflagration by level 13.


Ultimate - Pyroclasm



Your ult. This is your team fight potential and Brand's main trait. If used between a large group of scattered enemies, the damage is likely to be low. But if you can land it between 2, even 3 enemies the effects can be catastrophic. Each bounce applies Blaze and if an enemy is already affected by Blaze, the next bounce (if it hasn't gone 5 times already) will hit the nearest enemy champion. I've even used this for countless Baron and Dragon steals as well (trololol or whatever). It has great synergy with other AoE ults. Galio and Brand is a combo me and my friend like to play just purely for the teamfight potential. Max this between levels 6, 11, and 16 accordingly.

Brand's laning is very strong because of his great harass and high damage. He specializes in AoE damage specifically, which makes for nice farming. Depending on your skin (Zombie Brand or Default), his AA animation is easy enough to get used to so that you have no problems last hitting.

Your primary goal in lane is to...win. Poke with W but don't be stupid with it or you'll go OOM in no time. You have a 2 second stun at level 2. Your passive burns through pots easy. Harass if your tool or pushing back.

Brand's lane push power is strong, but, again, don't go overboard of you'll get spanked by the jungler if he's smart and knows what the minimap is. You have no escapes apart from Flash so be super careful early game. Your E + Q + W + Ult can instakill squishies in later stages of the game, and is best saved for when your opponent can't stop you and/or has low health. Ignite coupled with your passive can have ridiculously fatal effects on your opponent, tanky or squishy.

Brand can also occasionally turn ganks around with his great aoe. If their jungler is a weak ganker like Warwick (pre level 6) or Shyvana, your chances of scaring them away are higher than you'd think. If you can land a solid W + E combo and even land a stun on one, they'll be pretty scared to go back into your lane. If not, repeat the process until they fall off or disconnect.

If you're getting camped alot, a good strategy is to save your mana by not going full ****** on the minions. Your best bet is to save your Q for ganks. Challice can solve some of your mana issues but is a more passive early game item and will limit your damage more than if you were to build Haunting Guise on your first couple of recalls.

There's probably some minor/major details I've missed here that better players might have noticed, sorry if I have.

Brand's item sequence is actually quite versatile. He isn't like Swain where you can build ANY AP item and get away with it, he's specific...but open, in a way.

Dorans ring and pots is your essential start off. I recommend byuing even more pots on your first and second recalls along with a ward or two. As stated before, Challice can prove for a nice farming and defense option but makes you less of a hard hitter. I usually find myself rushing Haunting Guise and eventually Liandry's Torment if I'm crushing lane or even just doing "fine". Guise gives you health, AP and magic pen which are Brand's key traits. Sorcerer's Shoes or Ionian Boots of Lucidity are the only options you should consider when it comes to boots. If you end up building Athene's Unholy Grail you should definitely get Sorc Shoes, if you end up building Liandry's you can build either, but I personally recommend cooldown boots for more versatility.

Mid game items can vary depending on your playstyle and/or level progression. Void Staff and Rabadon's are core. You cannot play without these two items. I suggest Void before Rabadon's for better early damage against scrubs who stack MR because of you, and because it's cheaper, but it's up to you.

Late game you should have decent HP and AP regardless of how fed you may or may not be. Baron and Dragon fights are there for you to take part in as your team will need your AoE and CC. Rylai's, Morellonomicon and Zhonya's are your 3 possibilities when it comes to late game items. Morellonomicon's passive is nice when coupled with Blaze, Zhonya's makes you harder to kill and Rylai's gives you a nice HP and a slow that can stack with Blaze. A solid final build for Brand should be;

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Liandry's Torment
Rabadon's Deathcap
Void Staff
Zhonya's Hourglass
Rylai's Crystal Sceptre

There's tonnes of **** I've missed, for sure. I'm not ranked, nor do I play ranked but I have a solid idea of how to play the game, objectives, things like that. Overall Brand's a great mid laner. He's a badass, is alot of fun to play, is a monster late game and can overcome many of the meta mid laners that you see these days like Ahri, Zed, Oriana, Xerath and Yasuo.

"This place will burn, not by cinder flying or breath of wind, but by the vengeance of my hand". - Brand

Good luck and have fun!