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Brand Build Guide by

Brand - The Inner Fire

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Brand Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion More Brand Guides

Spells:

Teleport

Flash

Ability Order

Brand Passive Ability

Introduction

I have read various Brand guides and feel that the guides are only half right. I want to share my build and my strategy for Brand and hope you all see better results with this guide. Keep in mind that this guide is designed for playing Brand as a mid-lane champion.

Summoner Spells

-As a solo laner it is important to carry Teleport. If you need a quick regen in between farming and harassing then just recall and teleport back. Another use I have for Teleport is to teleport on a minion in either top or bottom lane. If the enemy champions are chasing my allies close to our turret and there is a minion behind them, then I will teleport right behind them and unleash everything I have on them. Most people when in the chase will neglect the minion and not see a surprise from behind coming.

-Flash is a great tool to have all around. It allows you to escape if you are targeted. It also serves as an offensive tool. If the other champion in mid lane is about 40% HP then I will Flash in their face and do my stun combo and unleash maximum burst output.

Skill Sequence

I like to start off with Pillar of Flame. It allows me to harass the enemy at a decent range.

Next I like to get Conflagration which serves three purposes:
-Farm off groups of minions after initiating with Pillar of Flame.
-Doing damage to enemy heroes close to their minions which makes them back off.
-Starting up combos in a 1v1 situation.

Once hitting level 3 I get Sear. Having one point in Sear is enough until you get three points in Conflagration. After maxing out Pillar of Flame I put points into Sear. If Conflagration does not instantly farm minions after initiating with Pillar of Flame, then you should put another point in Conflagration.

Put points into Pyroclasm whenever possible.

Combo Mambo

The following are a few combos I like to use for different occasions.

Basic Farm Combo:

Self explanatory. You use Pillar of Flame on a group of minions followed up by Conflagration.

Denied!:

This is the fastest combo you can do. This can be used to interrupt an enemy from channeling or you can disrupt a possible gank. Act fast and you can save your own life.

Bread and Butter:

In a small number situation I like to open up with Conflagration on an enemy champion. This sets them ablaze allowing me to stun them with Sear. After they are stunned it gives me the perfect setup to end it with Pillar of Flame to get the extra bonus damage from the enemy being ablaze. If you know you can seal the deal with one more blast then feel free to use Pyroclasm to ensure your kill.

Items

Foundation:

My initial starting items are Sapphire Crystal and a Health Potion. This gives you the initial mana you need to stay and do damage in the lane. You should stay until you have enough money to get Boots of Speed and a Ruby Crystal. This gives you additional survivability. The objective is to rush Catalyst the ProtectorCatalyst and get Rod of Ages as soon as possible while getting Sorcerer's Shoes in between. This gives you the survivability, regen, and ability power you need to stay strong in the lane.

With the survivability in check it is time to move on to the powerhouse damage output. Depending on how well you do, you can save up for Needlessly Large Rod or you can grab the cheaper Blasting Wand. The goal is to get Rabadon's Deathcap. If it seems like a large stretch then first get a Blasting Wand and then use that to make a Void Staff. It is a cheaper "in-between" item that gives good damage until you can afford Rabadon's Deathcap.

It will be no surprise that you will soon get focused after having this much damage output. It's time once again look into survivability but not neglecting your burst output. Getting a Rylai's will do just that. It gives a nice HP boost as well as giving you additional AP and a slow effect as a bonus.

I am still testing to see what final item would be good. There could be various depending on the situation. Will post more soon to come, but I can tell you what not to get!

What Not To Get!:

There are some items that seem like key items to get for Brand but I will explain why these items do not work.

-First is Archangel's Staff. Yes Brand does consume a lot of mana and requires mana regen to keep him in the game. This seems like a great item to rush, you get the mana regen and an AP boost right off the bat. The problem is that now you have neglected early survivability. You have the mana, but if you don't have the HP to stay in the battle then the mana does not matter anymore.
-For only 180 more gold you could've gotten Rod of Ages first. This gives you the HP, MP, and AP boost you need. Plus you get the effects from Catalyst the ProtectorCatalyst which greatly regenerates your HP and MP when you level up.
-By late game this extra mana boost is unnecessary. The amount of mana you have late-game should be enough to do the job with the damage output you do.
-If you have room near end game and need an item to play around with then go ahead and get it. I just stress that this is an item not to rush for in the very beginning of the game.

-Next is Morello's Evil Tome. Again this seems like a great item for any caster. It gives AP, Mana Regen, and CD reduction. Sure why not! Well here's why not.
-The AP isn't that great for its price.
-The mana regen is already covered by runes and early game Catalyst the ProtectorCatalyst.
-The maximum cooldown reduction you can have is 40%. The masteries set give roughly 9% cooldown reduction right off the bat.
-A blue buff from golem will give the benefits you are seeking from this item.
-Deathfire Grasp is a much better alternative if you are really seeking mana regen and cooldown reduction. It's just as good with a splended active ability.

Team Work Tactics

In a team fight situation you want to keep yourself at a safe distance and let your teammates initiate the battle. Trying to initiate a battle will only cost an extra death in the scoreboard. You want to try your best to open with Pyroclasm onto the enemy carries setting them ablaze and then following up with Pillar of Flame and Conflagration.

If you can try to save up Sear for any stragglers trying to run away. Another reason you do not want to use up Sear right away is if the enemy team has channeling spells or interruptable ultimates, for example:

Using Conflagration and a quick Sear to stun and interrupt these champions will benefit your team a lot.

Summary

Brand has the potential to be one of the best AP carries in the game if used correctly. I personally have tried various AP carries but I get the greatest results in team fights when using Brand. Be smart and you will like what you see.

I hope this guide helps everyone when trying out Brand. I do appreciate any comments/critiques to help improve this guide. I do plan on adding more descriptions later in the near future.