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Hello everyone, I am Omni^ or OmnieVe as is the name of my League of legends Summoner.

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And this is my first guide ever, hopefully of many. I write this to you, now, after having written all of it and I must admit that it ended up being quite a bit longer than i expected. I guess that I must have had a lot more that I wanted to share than i thouth.

I choose to make a Brand guide first, as he is, at the moment, one of my favourite champions in Dominion, but that changes for me quite often.

I started out playing Dominion quite a while ago with my girlfriend on the basis that it was faster, and more fun (i.e. you got gold faster) and since then I have played just around 1.000 games of Dominion. I have now switched over to Summoner's Rift and ranked (I suck, don't bother looking me up hehe), but I do still often enjoy a game of Dominion. It is fast paced, and even though many don't think so, it is also very tactical in its own right.

The end of the guide will also feature a little (it's not little) tips and trick's section to Dominion, some things you know, maybe some you don't, and I am sure there is a lot more to say, but I ran out at least.
That section will remain in my further Dominion guides, but changed so it tells about how the specific champions can use those things.

Read this guide if you want a better understanding of my thouthprocess when it comes to the different sorts of Items, Runes or Masteries. If you can't be bothered to read it all, and I guess I can see why not :) then just try out the build and see if it fits your playstyle or not.

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Pros High burst potential + Pretty reliable stun + Great AoE + Excellent teamfighter + Brand's high burst, combined with his AoE and CC capability makes him a very strong pick for Dominion. Brand is an easy champion to play, and with a bit of practice, not that hard to master either, and can be a real annoyance on The Crystal Scar. If positioned correctly in the Fog of War Brand can, unseen, interrupt captures of towers and that way delay the enemy untill backup arrives.

Cons - Relatively squishy - Highish cooldowns - No escapes/blinks - Weak vs CC If Brand is focused and killed before he can get his combo(s) off, then he is rather useless and for that reason he is very weak against CC. Brand has no escapes, other than his Flash, and therefore he needs to watch his positioning at all times. Starting off Brand's cooldowns is kind of high so he will have to stay back, behind tanks while his abilities become available to him again.

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This is really self explanatory, use it to secure a kill on an enemy running away, or in your burst combo to burst an enemy down 1v1.

But on some occasions you can go Heal or even Exhaust, even if those aren't what AP Carries normally use. Pay attention in Champion Select, and if none of your team gets Exhaust then you take it, same goes for Heal really, but Exhaust is a must have on any team.

I always laugh when I see 5 ignites and then it turns out that there is a Jax on the enemy team. Remember Ignite might give YOU a kill, but a well-timed Exhaust might save a teammate or two (or yourself).

Note: That is ofcourse if you plan to go top, you wont really ever need Exhaust in a 1v1 bot.

This is kind of a niché Summoner Spell, and personally I don't like it. If the enemies know what they are doing, then they will just stop attacking you in teamfights and focus someone else, until the shield has worn of, and then attack you again, in which case using and having it will be a waste.

Note: I guess it can be used with some success in a 1v1 bot, perhaps vs a champion like LeBlanc who has a big burst, with a potential to kill you before you finish your combo. But I still maintain that Ignite is the better choice.

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There are no doubt that 75%+ of the players who only play Dominion, only uses Ghost. I did so myself when i started out on League of Legends. But after I started on Summoners Rift Flash was a normal way to go for me, especially after seeing all the pro's make remarkable escapes with it, and since then there is no turning back for me. (Unless I am Singed or Vlad (I don't play Olaf))

Flash is for me still the better choice on Dominion, it gives you a means to escape that Ghost simply doesn't and a means to engage a fight. But, and there is always a but, it has to be used the right way, and YOU need to know WHEN to use it. Flash has a cooldown of 300 seconds, which is a lot, after the preseason nerf, whereas Ghost has a cooldown of only 210 seconds. So with that long of a cooldown it means that in the average game of 20-25 minutes, you can't expect to use it more than 3 times, maybe 4, but 3 is more realistic because you shouldn't always use it just because you can. Use Flash to escape over walls to get the most out of it and to gain a bigger distance to the enemy/enemies chasing you. Remember that Flash is a calculated skill, one that should never ever be used in panic. As Brand you wont always get one-shotted, so you will have time to move to the right wall, and then use Flash to get over it, often with 5-10% HP.

Note 1: Remember to be UP AGAINST the wall when you Flash, then you can Flash a longer distance than showed in the tooltip, but if you are a distance away from the wall, all you will achieve is hit the wall, and then die in the shame of a wasted Flash.

Note 2: You can also use Flash to engage enemies, as you can with many champions, although Brand is not one to use that much, but there are times where a Flash Conflagration + Sear combo can lead to a kill, but it shouldn't be done "just" to secure a kill. In Dominion objectives (towers) are what matters, and only "waste" Flash if you can either interrupt or secure an objective.

Should you decide to use Ghost then that is ofcourse a viable option, but please, just as with Flash, use it with care and think it through before activating it.

Never use it from the start of the game! I see many, ok almost everyone on EUW does this, activate Ghost once they have cleared the fountain, just so that they will get to the top faster. Don't do it, just don't! You are not Rammus or even Evelynn with Mobility Boots and you won't be able to take the tower before the enemy gets there, so why waste Ghost ?? Leave it till after the fight is over and you either have to run for your life, or chase that pesky Teemo who has just activated W and is running with 25hp.

Note: If you do use it to escape a fight, remember that it is a skill that somewhat quickly INCREASES distance, and not like Flash that gets you out of an area instantly. That means that enemies can still attack you for a while, and if they have some CC then you might not get away at all anyway.

This goes for both Flash and Ghost
Don't click the button, unless you are 90% sure that you will get away. I would say 100% but everyone makes mistakes in that area. If you are not sure, then take the death as a man (or woman) and leave the Summoner Spell open for the next fight.

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I run a pretty standard 21-9-0 for my Brand Masteries.

The 21 in Offense are pretty straightforward, but note that I do not put a point into Summoner's Wrath like many usually do. I do not feel that the extra 5 Ability Power and Attack Damage is all that nessesary, nice they are ofcourse and if you want it, take a point out of Havoc or Sorcery.

I choose to put 9 points in to Defence rather than Utility, simply because I don't feel the need for the extra Mana and Mana Regen, but if you have a problem maintaining your Mana then don't be afraid to go 21-0-9.

If you do, then get these:
1 in Summoner's Insight
3 in Meditation
2 in Expanded Mind
3 in Mastermind

At the moment I prefer the added Health, Armor and Magic Resist you get from the Defensive tree, but I have not yet tested the effect of getting 1 point in Summoner's Insight and 3 in Mastermind which will shave off 43,5 seconds of your Flash's Cooldown

It could also be a strong choice but as of yet I have not yet found the demand for a shorter Cooldown of Flash. I feel that there are champions that could benefit more from that, but with the Distortion upgrade for the boots it could make a big difference in wheather you live or die.

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• Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
• Greater Seal of Scaling Health
• Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
• Greater Quintessence of Ability Power

That gives you a total of:
+7,83 Magic Penetration
+9,74 Hit Points Per Level (174,96 at Level 18) (LoLKing shows 175.24 but that is what I calculate it to)
+14,85 Ability Power
+1,53 Ability Power Per Level (27,54 at Level 18) (28,04 on LoLKing - Wish I knew why)

I feel, just as I did with the Masteries that the extra added health is the best option for Brand, along with the scaling Ability Power Glyph's.

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• Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration: Not enough mana? Get these.
• Greater Seal of Ability Power: Get these if you want to be a Glass Cannon.
• Greater Glyph of Ability Power: Get these for more early game damage.
• Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration: Get these for even more Magic Penetration.

Other than that, Runes are pretty straightforward, and apart from having Greater Seal of Scaling Health instead of Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration, they are pretty much standard AP Carry runes.

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Blaze:
Brand's spells light his targets ablaze, dealing 2% of their maximum health as magic damage per second for 4 seconds, for a total of 8%.

Not a bad passive at all, kinda works like a small Ignite, and in correlation with Blackfire Torch it is really powerful. You might not notice it doing much, but in the overall damage output it does matter.

In a 1v1 bottom lane it is also good for the added harass.

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

Note the 2 second stun, this is what differs a good and a bad Brand player. When I first played him in dominion (quite a while ago) I literally sucked with him, and felt like he was one of the worst AP Casters in this gametype. But like most champions, you need to know how to utilize the champions kit, and take advantage of their strenghts, and with Brand that is a high burst on a stunned target.

I prefer having this skill on Smart Cast to land the stun faster, but it is a matter of prefference and it takes some getting used to, especially against diving champions like Akali

Get this skill at level one, and then max it last. You use it for the stun, and the occasional harass.

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 94 / 150 / 206 / 263 / 319 (+ 75% AP).

Cooldown: 10 seconds
Cost: 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mana
Range: 900

There is a slight delay on cast, so there is a chance for the enemy to dodge it. Use it when they can't. If they are taking a tower for instance there is a delay on their movement away from it, and it is easy to land. And remember that not all people care to dodge it, trust me, it's true. Or just don't notice it coming.

This is Brand's main damage spell and it should be maxed first.

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 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds
Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 mana
Range: 675

An ability with two uses. It all depends on the kind of fight you are facing, read below to see when to use this skill. Remember that it has a shorter range than Sear and Pillar of Flame

Max this second for the AoE capability and the lowered Cooldown.

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 next bounce will prioritize champions. It will bounce up to four times for a total of five hits, and can hit the same enemy up to three times.

Cooldown: 105 / 90 / 75 seconds
Cost: 100 / 150 / 200 mana
Range: 750
Projectile Speed: 1000

Great Ball of Fire. Nothing less than that.

It can be used in a 1v1 situation at bottom, since it can bounce back from minions too, but remember that the max damage that can be done to a single champion is 3 bounces = 450 / 750 / 1050 (+ 150% AP)

Throw it in the midst of a teamfight and you are good to go really, with it hitting four champions, one of them twice, if it is a 5v5 ofcourse.

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This section will try to explain to you, when to use what skill(s) and in what sequence.

One Vs One:

If you are facing just one champion, which you often do in Dominion even if you are not going bot lane, then you have to utilize the stun that Sear provides.

Therefore hit the enemy champion with E = Conflagration then Q = Sear to stun.
Follow that up with W = Pillar of Flame and R = Pyroclasm + Ignite

This combo will ensure a 2 second stun on the target, and therefore an easy way to land Pillar of Flame, and since you got the target aBlaze with Conflagration then you also get the 25% extra damage on Pillar of Flame.

Note: Bare in mind that this is a sure kill on quite a few champions, especially when combined with Blaze and Blackfire Torch, BUT there is also a lot of champions where this will not be enough to secure a burst kill, Malphite, Shen and Cho'Gath springs to mind, and in those cases it might be wiser to "just" E - Q - W combo them, and save your Ultimate + Ignite for later. So pay attention to the minimap and see if you, or the enemy, has reinforcement coming, before you decide to go all-in.

Teamfights

A teamfight is with 2 or more enemies on either side, and that is a place where Brand has a chance to shine.

The One Vs One combo is meant to stun a target and get the 25% extra damage on Pillar of Flame

The Teamfight combo seeks to fully utilize the AoE effect on Conflagration

When a fight starts, or when you decide to start a fight, aim to land W = Pillar of Flame first on as many targets as possible, then follow up with E = Conflagration on a target that IS aBlaze. Next try to land Q = Sear on the most threathening target and follow up with R = Pyroclasm

Ignite whoever you feel is most important/likely to survive/biggest threat

This combo makes Conflagration damage all enemies around the initial target, and gives a huge AoE damage, a lot more than many expects, and lets your team shread the last of the enemies health.

Tip: Brand is very, very strong in a One Vs Two, on the basis of them being a bit squishy, especially if you fight under your own tower, and even more so if you have Wooglet's Witchcap. Simply just W, E, Q, R, Ignite, 'Stasis', and see the tower finish them if they are still alive.

Now to the fun part, the items, the things that gives Brand his powers.

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Starting items:

With the preseason nerf to Boots, it is no longer viable to start with Boots since they only give you +25 Movement Speed. Therefore only buy the upgraded ones in one go. I choose to start with them for the Magic Penetration and the extra maneuverability they give in the initial fight.

I always get 2 of these from the start of any Dominion Game. They can often be the difference between life or death, and if you win the initial fight at top tower easy they can be used to bring you back to full HP, instead of having to recall without the money needed for your next items. You can also get a Mana Potion or two if you feel like it.

Early Game:

This item will be your first buy, and you should have it just about the time you hit level 6. It gives you all the stats that you need with this buildtype, Health, Ability Power and Magic Penetration.

Mid Game:

As a general rule of thumb, get Void staff early if the enemy team has 2 generally tanky players going top. But I like to get it no matter what as a 3rd item anyway, because I simply love the Magic Penetration after the preseason patch, but more of that later.

When to Wooglet's? That is something I wonder myself often. The reason why I wait with it, is the cost, it is 1200 gold more than Void Staff. Basicly for the same money as you pay for Void Staff, you get 2x Blasting Wand's and a Chain Vest. Basicly I get this item first if I feel like I need the armor. If you do get this first, then don't get Void Staff at all, will explain below.

Late Game:

Before the latest patch I would upgrade Haunting Guise right away into this item, it is simply that good on Brand. But now that they added Fiendish Codex and 1000 gold to the cost, I do not feel that it is that cost effective to upgrade earlier. But what it gives now is even better than before, with 20% Cooldown Reduction instead of 10 and 10 Mana Regen per 5 seconds.

Chances are that you wont ever get to build this item, even if you have skipped over Void Staff, but if you do snowball out of control, get it. 500 Health, 80 Ability Power and a decent slow is too good to pass. And the slow also procs for 4 additional seconds on your spells due to Blaze, albeit only 15% slow.

Situational:

You can choose to get this, mainly if you need the Magic Resist, but there are better ways to get that stat. You are not gonna utilize the Magic Penetration to it's fullets as the range of that is only 600. Advice: Don't buy, just get a Null-Magic Mantle or a Negatron Cloak if you are facing an AP heavy team.

I used to swear to this item, and got the Chalice of Harmony when the game started, for the extra Mana Regen, but on Brand, maintaing your Mana isn't that hard, and therefore many of the stats are a waste on that and Athene's Unholy Grail. But as previously mentioned, if you feel like you need the Mana Regen, get this item. But it WILL make you weaker and delay your damage output.

Honestly I have no idea why this is in the recommended build in-game. Don't get me wrong, I love the item, but there are just too many downsides to it on Brand, and in Dominion as a whole. It takes 10 minutes to stack, therefore it must be a first buy item, ideally you start with Catalyst the Protector and a few Potion's, then get a Blasting Wand right away and finish the recipy A.S.A.P.. That all means that you wont have much early damage/penetration, and it will delay your core items for too long, in which time the enemy will probably be stronger.

Most likely you wont ever get this item, it is very rare that I do. It takes a certain enemy team combination, to make spending 3000 gold on this worthwile. Basickly if a few of the enemies are stacking health then this item really shines. And the 20% Cooldown Reduction isn't bad either, it is really sweet actually. But waiting for 1600 gold to be stacked up in your wallet, is simply making this item very little costeffective.

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Well to me, Magic Penetration is what it is all about as an AP Burst Carry in Dominion. With the PreSeason changes to the game, Penetration is now calculated differently.

Before it used to be Flat Penetration first, and then Percentage Penetration after, but now those have been reversed (and Penetration items/runes/masteries nerfed aswell)

Example: You have Sorcerer's Shoes (-15 MR), Haunting Guise (-15 MR) and Void Staff (-35% MR),and you are facing an enemy with 100 Magic Resist.

Old calculation: (100-15-15)-35% = 45,5 MR left
New calculation: (100-35%)-15-15 = 35 MR left

In Dominion very, very few buy Magic Resist, unless they play a champion that needs it in the build. Lets face it, many builds exactly what they read in the guide and do not tend to get just a Null-Magic Mantle or Negatron Cloak to counter enemies damage.

If we take that pesky Teemo as an example, he starts with 30 Magic Resist and he gets 0 per level. If he is pure AP Teemo then he wont get ANY Magic Resist (because why? It gives no damage right...)
(30-35%)-15-15 = -10,5

Ok at this point I must admit that I don't know how to calculate damage with negative resists, and it isn't something I am that interested in, but I can say from experience that it hurts like a bomb.

But with champions like Teemo that has that little Magic Resist, Sorcerer's Shoes and Haunting Guise are enough to do true damage, and if you are facing a team like that, just leave it with those two items.

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The when to Wooglet's section

I really should do a lot of tests, and look into the math before making statements like I tend to do, but that is a bit more work that I feel like wanting to do now, maybe in some of the next guides.

But I see a lot, lot of players go Boots, Prospector's Ring from the start and then go in to building Wooglet's Witchcap, and to me that is the wrong way to go.

Firstly, if you start with Prospector's Ring, then yes you get some early game Ability Power + Health and a bit of Mana Regen, but you spend 950 gold on an item that doesn't build in to something, and with the nerf to the resell price on items then it is deffinately not worth it in my eyes.
Secondly, Wooglet's Witchcap is an expencive item, 3500 gold is a lot, and to get that gold you need to get kills, assists and towers, but while you build it you only get +40 Apility Power each per Blasting Wand, which in my book is not enough.

For only 280 gold more than the combined cost of Wooglet's Witchcap you get Haunting Guise and Void Staff.

Haunting Guise and Void Staff = 95 Ability Power, -15 Magic Penetration, -35% Magic Penetration and 200 Health, Versus Wooglet's Witchcap's 100 Ability Power, 40 Armor and +25% Ability Power. And a really nice Active aswell, but if you don't remember to use it then what good is it for? (Don't want to sound patronizing, but many including myself forget it)

Note: After the changes done to Wooglet's Witchcap, then it is an easier item to get, while still getting the recipies. Before you had to get a whole 1600 gold for the Needlessly Large Rod, now you can get 40 Ability power per buy from the 2 Blasting Wand's it takes.

Even if you don't want Void Staff, and I will understand if you wont, get Haunting Guise, it is simply too strong. It isn't often that I get Void Staff either, it all depends on the enemy team.

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We all hate...

To be at the fountain without the gold needed for our items. And when you start out wanting to build the biggest items, with the most damage, then you will often die or get low, which means recalling, and you most often wont have the 800-1200 gold it takes to finalize an item or just for a piece of the big item.

That is why I have found this build to be the most effective. Because it is COST-Effective. In Dominion you need money for items, which are secured in kills/assists/towers. Unless you are bottom lane you wont have the option to farm minions for gold. Therefore you need to get kills.

And to do that you need early-game power, that will snowball you in to late-game power.
If you start by going after the lategame items, such as Wooglet's Witchcap and after that Blackfire Torch, then your build will be weak early and that way your income will only consist of the ambient gold generation, and then you wont ever get to the late-game build.

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Again with this item you are facing decissions.
Lets say you got a good start, you have your Sorcerer's Shoes and Haunting Guise and you have only just reached level 6. Then what?

You can go for the expencive route of Wooglet's Witchcap or upgrade Haunting Guise to Blackfire Torch. Wooglet's Witchcap is 1035 gold more expencive but gives more Ability power aswell.

But usually I go straigt for the Blackfire Torch. It gives you less Ability Power that is true, but power isn't everything (Said by a Jeremy Clarkson fan Gulp).

Blackfire Torch also gives you +20% Cooldown Reduction, and that is to me much more important. Lets face it, a 10 second cooldown on Pillar of Flame is quite a lot. But with Blackfire Torch + Sorcery you get 24% Cooldown Reduction, which brings the Cooldown down to a more manageable 7,6 seconds.

And that is before we even begin to look at Blackfire Torch's passive that burns enemies for an additional 3,5% of their MAX health over 2 seconds. I have seen this be the reason why an enemy didn't make it away alive.

Okay this section will try to cover some tips and tricks for Dominion. Many of these things might be basic to you, but maybe one or two will get inspired and use them. These things will be copied to my future guides aswell, but in each area I will try to show how some of these things can be exploited by the champion at hand.

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Fog of War is a cloud covering portions of the map from enemy sight, and an area is only revealed if there is a champion in the area, or by wards, traps, plants and minions.

Fog of War enables you to move from one area to another without being spotted, but be aware that this is also the case for your enemies.

In Dominion Fog of War covers the center of the map, except the imidiate area surrounding the two Buff Relics. Venturing in here is not something to be done lightly.

You can use the Fog to your advantage, but it requires map awareness, and that is not something you can learn by reading here, expecrience will teach you that. Knowing when your enemies have recalled, how long there is till they spawn and where they are most likely heading when they exit your view on the minimap is all something you must notice, and try to use to your advantage and then try to catch them out, either alone or with teammates.

Not the two red lines on the picture above. They show a way to top tower that keeps you hidden in the Fog of War. When you are heading for top, don't just click the area around the top tower and let the game itself decide the path you walk there. Manually stear along the showed path.

This will ensure that you are hidden in the Fog of War, and that way, the enemy can't know that you are coming, they might know that you have spawned, and that you are nowhere to be seen, but they don't know anything for sure.

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As Brand you can take advantage of this in different ways, what I like to do is utilize the 900 range on Sear and Pillar of Flame and hide in the Fog of War either at top tower, or the ENEMY'S bottom tower (once taken). As shown in the two screenshots below Brand can hide in those spots, and reliably land Pillar of Flame from the dark, and follow up with Sear for the stun. But what I prefer to do, and this is mostly for top, since that is where I go for the most part and because it is safer, is simply to walk out of the Fog of War and into range of Conflagration, then follow up with Sear for the stun, and then Pillar of Flame, and simply walk past them and into the tower. If they follow you then they take even more damage from the tower, if they back off then you have safely defended your tower, and most likely forced them to recall. This is also very effective vs two enemies, but remember you can only stun one of them. Note: While this may seem dangerous, leaving the Fog of War and approaching an enemy champion, who can "simply walk out of towerrange and fight squishy you, trust me, the ammount of players even noticing you before it is too late is very low, and 9/10 times you land the stun while the are still in range of tower shots.

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There are 5 towers in Dominion all of which are important. You must capture and hold more towers than the enemy team, in order to make their score tick down from 500 to 0.

The 2 easist towers to take and hold are the ones closest to your fountain, the bottom tower and the mid tower.

The tower that will prove the hardest to get, and where most of the fighting will take place is the top tower. But there is so much more to a game of Dominion than the top tower.

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The Bottom Tower

The bottom tower is really, really important for this game. I can't stress that enough. Many people have the idea that if the one person bottom lane dies and looses his tower then he is a noob, a fool and certainly useless. But people need to remember that if he looses his tower, then it is really hard for him to take it back, if the enemy he is facing is still there defending it. 1v1 under turret is really difficult and the longer it takes YOU to help him retake it, the further your TEAM falls behind. So when you spawn or recall, help him out and put him on a "level" playingfield against his opponent.

Also, if your team has already safely secured top tower and you decide to gank bottom lane to get an easy kill, then ALWAYS push the lane and take their bottom tower and let your teammate defend it while you go top again (or back first). Ping the tower if he is not following, regardless of your health. The reason for this is that if you go bottom lane to help, then you will involuntarily pull another enemy down there too, and if you leave the lane, then your teammate will get overrun and you will loose your own bottom tower.

Two people bottom lane attracts attention, so push for an advantage!

It doesn't matter at all if he can hold it once you take it, he might only be able to hold it for 15-30 seconds before having to flee, but when you take their bot tower, they will HAVE to send more than 1 champion to retake it, and that frees up so much at top, so you can take it, or push for their mid tower.

Forcing the enemy to react to your teams moves is better than you having to react to theirs!

Note: If you are the one soloing bottom lane, don't ever be afraid to call for help, either to defend your own tower if you are low, or to gank the enemy and take theirs. Use the chat, thats why it is there, or use pings.

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The Enemy Team's Mid Tower

Scenario: You have just taken top tower after winning a fight, you are there with 2 other champions while they have 1 alive (not counting the 1v1's bottom lane).

What do you do?

What most people do here is recall, you have just won a fight, you might just have enough for that Amplifying Tome or Long Sword and you would rather be at full Health than 85%.

But if you have the chance to do so, then push the minions to their tower, or simply run there, and try to take it. They will only have 1 champion defending it, while you are 3 at relatively good Health. Doesn't matter if you get it, you will have the fight pushed to them, and they will have to defend, all the while you keep top tower and hopefully a 3 to 2 advantage.

If you do manage to get the tower, or even neutralize it, then perfect, their score will drop even faster. Experience has it that you probably wont be able to take that tower 3v1 and still have much time till the other enemies respawn and get there. So once it is neutralized/taken/they come, back away from there.

He who runs and lives, lives to fight another day!

Normally when a teams mid tower is taken, and undefended, they will stop to take it, but since people like to get points and therefore end top of the scoreboard, more than one will do so, instead of the wise choice of letting one recapture it and the rest proceed to top.

This gives you enough time after taking their mid tower to recall, buy and then get top before they get there, or at least get there while one man holds them back.

It does NOT matter how long you hold a 4TH tower, as long as you extend the time you have 3!

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Not much in this section that Brand can utilize more than other champions, but I will say this: When you as Brand push the minons to the enemy's middle tower, remember that you are quite squishy, and if you haven't got complete confidence in knowing where some of the remaining enemies are then you can easily get jumped from the middle of the Fog of War, at the entrence to the Health Relic. And if you do get focused down, then your teammates will lack a damage source. If you push to get, or pressure the enemies middle turret and die, it will have been, not only for nothing, but you will for sure loose top tower too, and they will have the advantage. So mapawareness is key before you push for objectives on the enemys side of the map. Especially as Brand because he lacks the escape that Ahri or Ezreal has. So when you walk alone, pay attention!

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Again probably a section that everyone will say; Duh I know that already. But trust me on this, not everyone does, and even those who know it, wont always, if ever, do it.

I see this time and time again, especially at top tower but also when the enemy is pressing through the middle of the map towards your middle tower. People gladly walk away from the added protection the tower gives them and face the enemy head-on. Just don't!

Stay at the tower, let the enemy come to you, especially if it is top tower. They will NEED to capture it, so that the points start ticking in their favour. All you need to do is stop them from doing so, and the extra damage the tower gives you helps out loads, and can ensure an easy 2v3 victory if played correctly, sometimes even more.

When attacking a tower defended by the enemy, seek always to poke them down if it is an even numbered fight. If you are a melee character and have no way to poke, then stay back and let your teammates get the enemy low and look for an opportunity to go in and finish them off. If you as a melee champion get stunned and take 2-3 tower hits + enemy damage, you have sold the fight to them, and failed your team.

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Brand should do this too, but it basicly goes for everyone, even more so, if you or others have a stun or a snare like Grasping Roots or Dazzle. A stunned enemy taking tower shots is a sight for sore eyes, and it just makes it all the easier for Brand to land his skillshot. Be aware of how the tower aggro's. If the enemy approaches the tower bringing with them a swarm of minions, then note that the tower will attack the minions first, untill an enemy champion, within tower range, attacks you or any of your teammates. Also minions capturing the tower may very well be in the way of your Sear, so landing a stun might prove difficult. When attacking a tower defended by the enemy, poke them with Pillar of Flame and Sear, and if you do land a stun on one of them, seek to quickly burst them down before you take too many tower shots. If you do get low, back off and find a healthrelic, or even recall to heal.

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NO! You fight to win...!

Just as shown on the Fog of War section, certain areas are like meant for camping. And certain champions, especially those with a burst will do great if they take advantage of those situations.

Champions who rely on their Spells instead of Auto Attacks, need to get their whole combo off before getting CC'd, and for the vast majority of time, the champion who gets the first "shot"/combo off, will win the fight, especially if they are evenly matched in damage and defence.

So take advantage of The Crystal Scar's possibilities for ambushes, and ensure that you win the fights.

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Scenario:

You are at the red dot and heading top on the hidden route, when you notice a group of 3 enemies headed there aswell from their spawn (blue dot). You have 2 teammates waiting and defending top and you want to help them out and get there as fast as you can.

Or you can do a move that I really enjoy pulling off. Walk and hide in the bush where Brand is and watch them go past you. They will feel like they have a chance taking the top tower versus just 2 enemies. Once you see them again exiting the Fog of War (blue X), then you start moving around them and behind them. They will have their eyes and skillshots aimed at top tower, and often wont notice you. That way you and your 2 teammates can collapse on them and they will be too confused to focus the same targets.

Note 1: Ideally you will want to wait untill they actually start attacking your teammates at top, to be absolutely sure that their focus is somewhere else. If they spot you and all 3 turn around and focus you imidiately, then you are cut off, and completely screwed.

Note 2: If you are a champion with a speedmultiplier like Teemo's Move Quick or an escape mechanism like Ezreal's Arcane Shift, and you notice that they are too many or too strong for you and your team to defend the top tower, then this move can be used to buy you some time. Simply walk behind them, attack them to draw their attention, and then run away and let them chase you for a while.

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If you do decide to do this move as Brand then be careful. Make sure that their focus is on your teammates and not yourself. You are not that tanky, and if they collapse on you, you will die, and most likely wont get off your combo. It takes complete mapawareness to do this as Brand and if you make a mistake, then you let your team down, and more often than not it would be wiser just to proceed to the protection of the tower and fight there. Note: Ideally you will do this move if you have Wooglet's Witchcap. If they do focus you, you can activate the Stasis and let your team deal damage while the enemy switches focus to them. That way you more often than not get your full combo off anyway.

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Well there was bound to be a section like this wasn't there. All of this might (again) seem obvious, but best to mention them anyway.

Many people seem to think of themselves and themselves only, in League of legends as a whole, and in Dominion especially. Most play Dominion to rewind and relax, to try out new, irregular items, and as such, don't really care about the team as a whole. Which is also a reason why you often see a team with 5 Ignite's or 5 AD Carries.

And I know that word from me wont change people mindset to this, especially because before they read it, they will have had to scroll through the whole guide, which has become rather long by now.

But even if you are playing an irregular champion or build, you still need to think about your teammates. Because I know you don't want to loose the game, even if it is just for fun.

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Recalling:

Think about when you recall. Many people recall when they have enough gold for an item, even if they are at full health. Here, yet again, mapawareness is key. If the enemy is leaving spawn and heading to top tower, don't recall "just" to buy, stay and defeat them under turret, and then go back. Many times I am left alone defending top by a teammate because he went back for a Blasting Wand or Pickaxe. Result is that your teammate die and you loose tower, or if he is smart he runs, but you still loose an important objective. Look around the map, note the position of your team, check deathtimers on the enemy, and THEN make your decision to go back.

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Supportivness:

Who says that Sona is the only one who should support? Many champions have spell's that can be used to great effect on themselves, but ALSO on their teammates. Spells like Nidalee's Primal Surge, Jayce's Acceleration Gate or Zilean's Chronoshift.

Do you have a Stun, a Snare, a Speedboost, a Heal or anything in that category, and do you see a teammate running for dear life, then move away from your path and help him escape death. Don't Heal yourself from 90%-100%, Heal your teammate instead. If he dies, then you have to wait for reinforcements, if he lives, then he will run to you as soon as his Health has regenerated.

This also applies to Summoner Spells, you might be at 100% Health, but if you can save a teammate or 2 then pop Heal and save them, maybe it is not enough, but what if it is? They might not notice it, nor say 'thank you' but you will know, that you were the reason they are alive. So don't be afraid to use Summoner Spells like Heal and Exhaust for anything else but to help a teammate escape.

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Grouping:

As mentioned earlier retaking a tower defended by the enemy isn't easy, and at full Health it takes at least an evenly matched number to be successfull. Sometimes you will see yourself going top alone and you notice 2 enemies standing, waiting to defend. If you are a champion that doesn't have a poke ability, then wait for god's sake. Wait for your teammates to group up with you, instead of tower diving 2 enemies and die. If you wait for your 3 teammates, then at worst it will be a 4v4, if you die, you will leave your team to fight a 3v4.

And don't just leave that knowledge for yourself, if you have just spawned and you see a teammate about to charge in, then Ping them to Retreat, og type 'Group' in chat. Use the time when waiting to farm minions and push allied minions to the tower, or to take Health Relics or Buff's

Not much to say down here, think you have all read quite enough if you have made it this far. And if you have then I truly hope you liked it, and that I have not wasted your time.

If you feel like it, then please vote, up or down doesn't matter to me, but whichever you vote, please leave a comment, and I promise to respond to them all.

If you have constructive feedback, or critisism, or if you spotted errors in the few calculations there are, then please write that too and I will try to optimize everything.

Have a nice day

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