Build Guide by Pelikins
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Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
Masteries
A Good offense is a Good defense.
Brand boasts a full skill set of nukes and one of the best nuke passives in the game.
He is able to combo his skills together for additional effectiveness and has one of the highest outputs of any champion in the game.
Brand is also capable of devastating entire teams due to his AoE effectiveness.
Because he is such an incredible nuker, and his AP ratios scale well, he should be built with an offensive nature.
While this build may leave you vulnerable to some assassins and is not recommended in solo play, it is highly effective in a team with support.
It is recommended to play Brand in combination with champions which boast high amounts of disables (especially stuns and knock-ups). The best way to engage in team fights is to stay within the support of teammates and chain skills on disabled opponents.
I find that a Brand using this build can take out most enemy champions (including tanks) with a single spell rotation. This means you don't need to be necessarily choosy on selecting a target but instead should focus on presenting as little of a target of yourself as possible until the other team commits to killing one of your allies. At which point, hit the squishiest dps or support you can get a hold of and hit multiple targets when possible.
The hourglass, of course, will come in handy when the enemy anti-carries comes for you. With the hourglass, exhaust, and flash, Brand has enough defense to survive the assassination attempt and retaliate.
Masteries:
I tend to favor utility masteries on Brand. The utility tree has everything Brand needs to be effective.
Lowered CDs on summoner skills are very favorable since summoner skills will be a major part of your survivability throughout the game.
The lowered CDs on his abilities allow Brand to farm and harass in the lane effectively if he has enough mana to play with. The utility tree will also give extra base mana, and mana regen.
Since kiting and hiding behind teammates is your main defensive mechanic, the extra movement speed goes a long way for you.
While the offensive tree offers extra AP, additional CDR, and 15% MR penetration.
Magic Penetration is especially effective on Brand because it also improves the effectiveness of his passive ability.
Skills:
I like to build Brand with AoE team fighting in mind. Using this skill sequence will also allow Brand to farm most effectively. Though not the most ideal 1v1 skill order, Brand is still more than effective against single targets with this build order.
I grab Conflagration first level. This is the easiest ability to harass with and you should never have 100% mana on a caster. I conservatively take a couple shots at my opponent with this in the first couple levels.
I then grab pillar of flame. I usually wont use this for a couple levels. But if the enemy goes into the creeps and you can harass and farm at the same time with it, go for it.
Since Brand's abilities combo off on another, it is a good idea to get his third skill, Sear, on the third level. If the enemy decides to try and take you, the addition of this third skill early will punish him well.
I then focus on leveling Pillar of Fire for farming and team fighting purposes. The ignite augment of pillar is the most damaging and for an AoE it is one of the hardest spells to avoid.
I level conflagration second and use Sear mostly to ignite my enemies and start combos in team fights.
Of course, keep your ult max level possible. As it is amazingly good on multiple targets.
Runes:
Magic Pen marks: Magic pen will help all four of your skills and your passive. These are amazing on Brand.
Mana Regen Seals: These will help you farm and harass in the early game effectively.
CDR glyphs: Since you are huge into comboing your abilities the sooner the longest cd is up, the sooner you can combo again. This means CDR glyphs are of huge value to Brand.
Flat AP Quints: 15 AP at level 1 will go a long way in helping you control your lane and potentially shut down your opponent's 1v1.
Getting one kill early will snowball your champion to success. This is why I go flat Runes over /level runes. Winning the early game sets the pace for the rest of the game.
Itemization:
For this reason, I enjoy the Meki Pendent.
You will also want to mitigate some early harass to keep from being forced from the lane. I grab 2 hp potions for this reason.
Brand is very squishy but is capable of controlling his opponent and punishing them if they make a mistake. For this reason, it is best for Brand to solo his lane. He doesn't have the hp recovery to 2v1 which makes middle lane a favorable option for him.
After farming for a short while, I go back and buy boots. I sometimes restock on potions if the harass I'm receiving is considerable.
After boots of speed I build a Tear of the Goddess. Brand uses a considerable amount of mana to harass and combo. Having a steady stream of mana to get the most out of you abilities is essential.
Next item is Hextech Revolver.
The Hextech Revolver is an excellent item for Brand. Since all four of your abilities are damaging abilities and it works on your passive as well, Brand is able to self heal considerably using this item. The recent buffs to spell vamp make this item by far the best early game AP item to build for Brand.
I then build Sorc Shoes. The magic penetration will effect all 4 of your abilities and your passive. This will significantly effect the amount of damage you deal and hence to a smaller extent the amount you will heal.
I then buy an hourglass. At this point in the game, the non-solos are getting deep into their builds and have high amounts of burst damage. This does not bode well for your pitiful amount of hit points. The active on this item will save you from focus. It is a great place to hide while you wait for CDs to refresh for a second spell combo. The hourglass is not just recommended on Brand, but a necessity.
I now purchase a Deathcap. The death cap will greatly improve your damage output. It compliments the rest of the itemization well.
My next item is a crystal scepter. The scepter is as effective on Brand as it is on Cassiopia due to the fact that it works on Brand's passive. The passive dot will continuously slow the enemy. In large team fights AoE slowing is highly effective.
I then upgrade the tear of the goddess to an archangel's staff. The staff will give a decent amount of AP especially since the tear should be fully charged by this point and the cap will give 30% extra.
I then upgrade the revolver to a WotA. This upgrade may be moved up in the build order if it highly benefits any of your teammates.
Closing Remarks:
Brand is truly powerful champion (I wouldn't be surprised to see him "adjusted" next patch).
His ability to devastate entire teams with powerful spell combinations makes him a huge threat on the summoner field.
I hope you enjoy my build.
Please comment below.
Thanks for reading!
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