Introduction
Welcome to my Brand guide! Let me introduce myself first. My summoner name is kOokOoRazi and I've been playing League of Legends for almost 2 years now (started like 3 days after Udyr was released). This is also the very first guide I've written for ANY game I've played so please tell me what I can do to improve it. I sit at around 1500 ELO in ranked games but my normal ELO is pretty darn high (200+ wins over losses) and I've played with people such as Chauster, Kobe24, saintvicious, wale, puregoldenboy, Doublelift, etc whenever they decide to play normals and have won. I plan to make my appearance in the ladder when Season 2 starts so watch out for me!

I bought Brand the first day he was out and he has become one of my favorite champions. I kind of stopped playing him for awhile and began to play junglers because my team usually lacked one but now that one of my friends has picked up jungling, I've decided to begin playing him again as a new and improved overall player! I've tried many different combination of items, summoner spells, etc. and this build just works best for me (I stole the item build from scarra huehuehuehuehue). To give you an idea, I've literally NEVER lost a lane as Brand (no exaggeration here either).

Now about Brand himself. Brand is one of the best laners, being able to beat other strong laners such as Annie, Lanewick, Rumble, etc. The only champions that even have a chance against Brand are AP Alistar, Mordekaiser, Urgot, and Corki. He also has some of the highest AoE damage out there, beating mages such as Annie, Anivia, Rumble, and Vladimir. He's a pretty strong duelist as well. In my opinion, his only weaknesses are that he kind of diminishes 40+ minutes into the game due to bad AP ratios (compared to other mages at least), lacks a reliable CC, needs to land at least 3 of his spells to do damage, has long cooldowns (can be solved with blue buff), and is squishy (like most AP carries).

Masteries
I go 9/0/21 on Brand. This is the standard mage mastery page as it offers everything a mage could want (mana regen, CDR, AP, spell pen, etc.) I take good hands over perseverance because perseverance is a useless mastery if you bother to do the math. To give you an idea, you get 4 extra mana regen once you reach 100 mana regen-which probably won't even happen anyways. Less time spent dead also allows you to farm more often and lose out less on exp. I take a point in greed over lvl 3 meditation because all the gold you get counts. I mean how many times have you waited an extra 10-20 seconds at your spawning pool just to build an item you really want? With greed, you'll be doing this a lot less. The rest is pretty self-explanatory.

Runes
Magic Penetration Marks
Self-explanatory.
Mana Regen per lvl Seals
I run these so I don't run into any mana problems without blue buff.
Good Alternatives: Flat Armor, flat AP, AP per lvl, HP per lvl.
Magic Penetration Glyphs
I prefer these over AP per lvl or flat AP because Brand has pretty bland AP scaling (his highest being 0.65). They also allow me to practically do true damage to squishy champions early in lane and synergizes with sorcerer's shoes.
Good Alternatives: AP per lvl, flat AP, flat CDR, flat magic resist, magic resist per lvl.
Magic Penetration Quintessences
Same reason as above.
Good Alternatives: Flat AP, flat HP, movement speed

Explanation:I take ignite because it just adds on to Brand's already high burst and has decent synergy with his passive. It also reduces healing by 50%!

Ignite Damage Chart
Explanation:In my opinion, and probably most players', flash is the best spell in the game. It just has so many uses such as escaping, chasing, gives you better positioning in team battles, and although not many people know this, it also resets your attack animation!

Other option:Ghost is better than flash for long distance movement. Don't really know what else to say. You can replace either Flash or Ignite with this.

From my personal experience, Ghost+Flash is the best combination for late game, Ghost+Ignite is the best combination for mid game, and Flash+Ignite is the best combination early game.

Passive: Blaze

Brand's spells light his targets ablaze, dealing 2% of their maximum Health in magic damage per second for 4 seconds.

Explanation:


One of the better passives in my opinion. Has decent synergy with Ignite and it feels great to watch someone think they got away only to die to this passive. It also grants all of your spells extra bonuses. This passive is one of the reasons why Brand is so good early game. Benefits off of all the magic penetration runes as well.
Q: 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

Explanation:


This ability is Brand's only CC. I max this second because it does more damage than Conflagration and it allows you to stun more often. You can also use this to last hit and maybe even heal a little hp with your hextech revolver or to check a brush before you enter as its mana cost is fairly low.
W: Pillar Of Flame


After a short delay, Brand creates a pillar of flame at a target area, dealing 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to enemy units with the area. Units that are ablaze take an additional 25% damage.

Cooldown 10 seconds

Cost 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mana

Range 900

Explanation:


Brand's bread and butter. This is his main source of damage in all stages of the game. I max this first because it gains the most damage per lvl. Use this on a creep wave in lane if you ever get low on hp. This skill combined with a hextech revolver basically allows you to stay in lane forever. Try not to spam it too much though because you WILL push your lane which makes you more vulnerable to ganks. This ability can also be used to get opponents in the fog of war.
E: 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 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 seconds

Cost 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 mana

Range 675

Explanation:


Outside of Brand's ult, this is his only lock on ability. This spell has 3 uses. You can use it right after your Pillar of Flame to instantly clear creep waves, to start your poke/harassment/1v1 combo (which is E>Q>W) or you can use it on ablazed targets in team battles to do AoE damage. In team battles, I tend to use this spell after I use my ultimate.I max this last because it benefits the least per lvl out of all Brand's spells but you can max this before Q if you're still new to Brand and can't land your Q yet. Never use this ability first in a spell combo unless you're 1v1ing someone.
R: 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 missile speed increases. It will bounce five times, and can hit the same enemy up to three times.

Cooldown 105 / 90 / 75 seconds

Cost 100 / 150 / 200 mana

Range 750

Explanation:


This is Brand's strongest ability. It works exactly like Plague Rider's ult from HoN or Lich's ult from DoTA. For those of you who don't know how that works, you shoot a ball of fire at your target and the ball will ricochet off them and hit any nearby targets. You can kind of say it's like Fiddlestick's Darkwind. I tend to use this ability first in team battles because I find that it gains the worst bonus from your passive. You can also use this in 1v1s for the extra damage. It's a little unreliable near minions but is completely devastating in team battles near Baron or Dragon. This ability also makes Brand a little difficult to gank because when your opponent and jungler get near each other kill you, this ability combined with Pillar of Flame and Conflagration will almost guarantee you at least 1 kill. The best time to use this spell is when 2 champions bunch up together with no creeps near them because it will only bounce between them, dealing massive damage. Never use this ability when a lot of minions are around your target or if no one's around them unless you're desperate or are feeling REALLY lucky.

Brand NEEDS a solo. If you aren't getting one you shouldn't have picked him to begin with. So head to your solo lane if you aren't gonna lvl 1 team fight (which rarely happens. Just play it safe and farm until you reach lvl 3. Usually you want to go up against a melee solo because it's so easy to control them as Brand (Exceptions are Mordekaiser, AP Alistar, and possibly Gangplank). Notable Brand food are Garen, Akali, Kassadin, Jax, Renekton, Nasus, and Singed. You might want to switch lanes with someone if you're going up against a Corki, Urgot, or Mordekaiser but you can take them on if you play it safe and punish their mistakes (Like they used an important spell and it's now on CD).Last hitting with Brand should be a breeze considering his attack animation is so amazing. Although it might be a little difficult, try to get 6 creeps per wave using only 6 auto attacks (You can also use spells but just make sure your W doesn't hit more than 1 creep). This ensures that your lane won't be pushed and allows you to easily deny your opponent because they won't be able to get any support from their jungler or tower. They're also more vulnerable to ganks this way. I find laning with anyone a lot easier if you set yourself a goal. My personal goal with Brand is to reach at LEAST 80 CS and 1 kill by 10 minutes into the game. If I don't achieve this goal, I punish myself by doing a few push-ups. Well anyways, once you reach lvl 3, start harassing your opponent every time they try to last hit with Conflagration (this is why only landing 1 hit on a creep is important as they won't be able to towerhug from you). You don't really have to combo them but don't hesitate to follow up that Conflagration with a Sear+Pillar if the opportunity presents itself. Once they're low enough, you can go for the kill with your E>Q>W and Ignite combo. And for the love of god don't miss your stun if you flashed into them to get the kill because you've just wasted a perfectly good summoner spell while making yourself look like an idiot.

Side note: If you don't know how to last hit at tower, then my farming method might be a little difficult for you. If this is the case, just use your W>E combo the the creeps RIGHT before they reach your tower. This combo should be able to instantly kill the ranged minions once you're lvl 5.

Another side note: If you're somehow losing your lane, don't be afraid to ask for a lane switch. If Brand gets shut down early, it's nearly impossible to come back because he diminishes so hard late game. You should also switch with an ally if they're losing THEIR lane.

Mid game is all about ganking, controlling buffs, and Dragon. You're still going to be in lane though so just continue whatever you were doing earlier but be a little more cautious because you WILL be ganked more often now. If your team decides to steal buffs or go for dragon, quickly push your lane using your W>E combo and go help them. If possible, force a Dragon every time your ultimate is up because Brand's ultimate is just so strong in this stage of the game. However, if the other team has champions like Amumu, Sona, or any AoE CC, you'll probably lose so just keep Dragon warded and prevent them from getting it. If you've already taken a tower down, don't be afraid to help out your allies by ganking. If you see their jungler or at least 3 champions of the other team at top lane, immediately start Dragon. You should also be beginning/continuing to get your core items now. Don't forget to buy a couple wards at this stage into the game.

Team battles should start to happen now. One small mistake during this phase can cost you the entire game as well so don't be THAT idiot who loses your team the game. You now have to control Baron as well as buffs and Dragon. Speaking of buffs, you should get blue buff every time it's up. With blue buff and a blue pot, you can practically perma stun a single target. Just stick with your team, don't overextend, and try to pick off enemy champions with wards. Once you pick someone off and/or if you see someone without a global teleport at bottom lane, start Baron. If your team is way ahead of the enemy team, just force a Baron.

In team battles, you should stay behind your tank(s) and spam your abilities. Your standard team fight combo is going to be R>E>W>Q. You can also start with W but I prefer to start with R because your W gains damage on ablazed targets while your R just gains projectile speed. NEVER initiate a team battle unless you catch an important target off guard. Just nuke whatever's closest to you. Don't even try to run past their tanks to reach their carry as that will probably just get you killed. This also means don't tunnel vision someone and chase them past their tanks.

Champions that work well with Brand in team battles:
Amumu, Galio, Sona, Orianna, and Jarvan all synergyze with Brand because all of their ultimates make it a lot easier for you to set up your combo. Sona and Galio both also do a pretty good job of keeping you alive. Fiddlesticks works well with Brand because of his passive and his ultimate. His passive allows you to do more damage while his ultimate can kill all creeps around you so all your Pyroclasm bounces hit champions. Crowstorm+Pyroclasm is also OP as hell (If I ever get fraps, I'll show you a replay of Honver's Fiddlesticks Crowstorming into a team while I used all my spells. We literally aced the other team in less than 2 seconds).

Champions that destroy Brand in team battles:Assassins are probably Brand's biggest weakness in team battles. Brand only has 1 CC so it'll be pretty difficult to kite them all. Poppy is your biggest threat as she can literally destroy you in less than a second. Your teammates can't really help you against her either due to her ultimate. I don't really find the others as intimidating (Although they're still pretty damn scary) because I can just pop my Zhonyas Hourglass if they blink to me. Once they blink into you, they have just put their escape spell on CD for at least 3 seconds which should be enough for my team to get them off of my back if not kill them.

Conflagration->Sear
This is the most important cycle you should try to master. It allows you to set up your Pillar of Flame, gets you kills, allows you to kite, and allows you to get in more auto attacks in a 1v1 situation. You'll be using this cycle with 99% of all your other ones.

Conflagration->Sear->Pillar Of Flame
This is your standard 1v1 cycle. Use it to harass, gank, and net kills. In lane, this combo will take out about 30-45% of someones health at lvl 4.

Pillar of Flame->Conflagration
Use this cycle to farm creeps. Once you're lvl 5, this combo with your passive kills off the ranged creeps. Don't spam this too much in lane though because you'll push your lane hard.

Sear->Conflagration->Pillar of Flame->Pyroclasm
This cycle gives you the most AoE damage as fast as possible with Brand. However, you won't be able to stun anyone with this cycle so I don't tend to use it much.

Pyroclasm->Conflagration->Sear->Pillar of Flame
This is your standard team battle cycle. It doesn't do damage as fast as the cycle above but it does allow you to stun 1 target for 2 seconds (unless they have tenacity or a cleanse). I prefer this cycle over the one above.

Pillar of Flame->Conflagration->Sear->Pyroclasm
From my experience, you should only use this cycle if your team lacks CC because your enemies will be able to disperse from your ultimate because it's projectile speed is pretty slow. I don't use this cycle much because the 25% damage loss from your Pillar of Flame is pretty big.

Red Circles:Good areas to ward if you're soloing top (Just ward one of those areas. Both is redundant)

Blue Circles:Good areas to ward if you're soloing middle. Ward two areas AT MOST.

Green Circles:Good areas to ward during mid game and late game. Wards on your side of the map are defensive wards and in my opinion, should only be warded if the enemy team has more map control than you do. Wards in the other team's jungle are offensive wards and should be warded if your team is winning or on par with the other team. Dragon and Baron should always be warded regardless of which side you're on.

DO NOT ward ALL of these areas. You'll just be gimping yourself as you won't have any items. Just ward a few green circles (3-4 AT MOST) and leave most of the warding to your jungler and support.

I honestly have no clue what to write here so I'm just gonna end it. If there's anything I can do to improve this guide, please don't hesitate to tell me! Hope this guide helps you whether you're starting to learn Brand or you're an experienced Brand who just wants to improve your gameplay! If you have any item suggestions or anything don't be afraid to tell me those as well.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask or buddy me (NA only-sorry EUs).

Copy'ed by Slapknight
Original Link: http://solomid.net/guides.php?g=2110#chap1
Hope you have fun with this build, i do! It's the best build i've tryed out untill now.
Now go out and pwn some noobs!

Guide created!-June 26, 2011
Updated Item Build section and fixed a few grammar errors-June 26, 2011
Updated the Early and Mid Game section, Team Battle section, and added a warding section-June26, 2011
Added an Ignite damage chart-June 27th, 2011
Explained Brand's skills a little bit more, added another item build for those who prefer the catalyst, and added a spell cycles section-June 29th, 2011
Added a few champions that work well with Brand in the team fights section-July 17, 2011