This guide was initially written by Raitoundoo. He asked some time ago to code it for him. As he is now no longer active on Mobafire, I published the guide for him. Please keep this in mind, I am not the veteran Brand player. I did put a ton of effort into correcting, coding and adding information to make it a good guide and so I will update the guide as good as possible and listen to whatever advice you have to offer. . Hello Summoners, and welcome to my Brand guide! My name is Raitundoo, I've been hanging around Gold and Platinum level on the EUW server. This guide is for my favorite champion, Brand. Enjoy the read, I hope you'll find it to be useful on your journeys! Brand was the first champion I played in League of Legends. A friend of mine recommended him to me because it resembles "Lich", a DotA champion. He does indeed have a similar ultimate and range, but he is so much more. He instantly became my favourite pick, and never let me down while playing with friends for fun, or in ranked queues. But why should you play Brand? Because he is fun. He is the kind of underplayed champion that when played right makes the enemies and team mates insta buy him after the game. Because he is rewarding for those who try to master him. And let's face it: there is no better skin than Zombie Brand ! BACK TO TOP Pros + Great aoe damage + Potential 100-1 single target burst + Wrecks tanks just as easy + Potent even when far behind + Lane bully + Stun included + Zombie Brand Cons - No built-in escape - Easily focused - Skillshot reliant - Position reliant - susceptible to cc - Uncommon pick - Easy to play, hard to master BACK TO TOP There are two sets of runes that I run on Brand. The first one that can be considered as standard for an APC. It gives you an early edge in terms of power and some defensive stats. The second setup, which I’m currently using, seems to fit the current Meta a little better. Overall these runes are meant to adress Brand's main issues early game and ensure a good chance of snowballing into mid and late game. Standard Alternative Greater Mark of Hybrid Penetration A deeper look: Q U I N T S Standard: Greater Quintessence of Ability Power More flat damage. A real boost to your early game. With these your early game damage is definitely scary. Alternative: Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed These help to dodge skill shots, harass the opponent, escape ganks and secure kills without reccuring to flash. They also mean faster ganks, better position in team fights, and the most important thing, staying alive. Q U I N T S M A R K S Greater mark of hybrid penetration Standard: Greater Mark of Magic Penetration Good during the entire game. You will negate some magic resistance, which ensures more damage. Alternative: greater mark of hybrid penetration As a midranged caster, almost half of the early game damage will come from your basic attacks. The best thing about a stun in an winning skirmish is that you get 2 to 3 extra basic attacks. Even in a losing skirmish, auto-attacking can turn the tables in your favor. Also, most people will run no armor runes against an ap mid. M A R K S S E A L S Standard: Greater Seal of Armor Armor makes you beefy. Helps against minion damage, turret shots, champion basic attacks and AD damage. Especially good against AD middle laners. Alternative: Greater Seal of Scaling Health As with the nerfs to the armor seals, health ones have become better. If you play vs an ad mid, you should be able to dodge his harass with the extra ms, and keep him low enough so he won't be able to engage on you. S E A L S G L Y P H S All round: Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist Most of the time your first item besides boots and doran rings will be chalice. As your early game will most likely be yours, and the only magic resist item you will be getting through the game will be chalice, you can make better use of the scaling MR glyphs. Greater Glyph of Magic Resist Recommended against heavy early harass like Ziggs, Lux etc. G L Y P H S

SKILL PRIORITY . > > > Go to Abilities FOX BUILD FOX RSTART: K RRUSH . ROFFENSE . RDEFENSE: Go to Itemization . RUNES RSTANDARD: RALTERNATIVE: greater mark of hybrid penetration Go to Runes . MASTERIES Click to view! Or Click to view! Go to Masteries . SUMMONERS & Go to Summoner Spells . MATCHUPS . RCOUNTERS: REVEN: RFAVORABLE: Go to Matchups

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For masteries I have two viable sets. You should decide on one of these two based on their team composition. If they have plenty of divers/assassins use the first one, otherwise just go with the second one.


21-9-0

Butcher and Feast ensure an even easier last hitting and some minor regeneration. Combined with a Doran's Ring it offers decent sustainability. Sorcery is pretty much self-explanatory. Mental Force and Arcane Mastery some useful ap, since you dont have any ap runes. Executioner : well, you execute someone faster. Archmage : More ability power. Arcane Blade : Even more damage with autoattacks, never a bad thing. Devastating Strikes : Some nice magic penetration, and some extra armor penetration with your basic attacks. say goodbye to those who flash away from your stun and get away with 10 hp Havoc : More damage. When was that a bad thing?

Block + Unyielding : -3 dmg from basic attacks. Useful early and thats pretty much it. Small miracles late game to escape with 3 hp. Recovery : Somewhat useful during laning phase. Veteran Scars + Juggernaut means extra survivaility early game, and lategame, especially paired with a Rylai's Crystal Scepter & Liandry's Torment.

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This is my go-to Brand mastery setup. Offense page remains the same. I find the mana from Meditation , Alchemist and Culinary Master to be more than lifesavers. The extra 20 hp from the biscuit can mean surviving ganks, ignites & dots. Trust me, you'll love it. Also, Fleet of Foot + the MS quints give an extra 20 ms, without boots. Great for dodging skillshots. The extra range on your trinket allows for safer warding. In my opinion the utility page is all about hidden power.

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Summoner spells help in the utility segment. These have long cooldows, so use them wisely. I personally only make use of the following two spells.

Flash	Ignite
Flash is mandatory. When things go bad I can just flash away to safety. It can also be used offensive to surprise an enemy with a full combo. A final way to use it, is to dodge an ability like Wind Slash to turn the tables and kill your opponent unexpectedly. Flash works over most walls.	Ignite is quite useful. It has a range of 600. Securing kills has never been more easy. It also works wonders against healers. Always take it when up against Swain.

Alternatives:

• Barrier: A great summoner against harder enemies. The Barrier offers protection instead of offense. It scales better than Heal but does not offer effective health.
• Heal: Heal is a more team-oriented summoner. In teamfights you can save yourself or an ally with it. It offers effective health but scales worse than Barrier.
• Teleport: Great against hard opponents. You can go to your lane faster, or gank another lane when the enemy overextended. Teleporting to a turret decreases the cooldown by 60 seconds.

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Blaze (Passive)

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% maximum health. Monsters take a maximum of 80 damage per second from Blaze (320 total damage). Range: 1500

Notes

This passive is just simply AMAH-ZING! First thing you have to know about it is that it's affected by magic penetration & stacks with Liandry's Torment, doubles Liandry's Torment's damage with rylay's slow and also prolonges Rylai's Crystal Scepter's slow. It's perfect for harassing even tanks. 1st and most important rule. if you can't kill someone instantly with your e q w (r) combo, try to make the most of it, and let it tick two-three times before casting your next spell. this way the targets that wouldnt have died from insta combo, are more likely to die. 2nd, if you are behind, and i mean even wayyy behind, you can still deal tons of damage just by keeping your passive up. 3rd, take care when counting on your passive to finish off your enemies, when they have lifesteal. especially vs adc. they can either escape or even kill you.

Sear (Q)

Brand launches a fireball forward that deals magic damage to the first enemy it hits. If the target is ablaze, the target is also stunned for 2 seconds. Magic damage: 70/105/140/175/210 (+65% AP) Range: 1050 Cost: 75/80/85/90/95 Mana Cooldown: 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 seconds

Notes

This is your stun as long as your target is under the effects of Blaze. You can also use it to harass during lane phase, as your enemy is disengaging and you are safely positioned. Even though it will be level 1, it will apply your passive + if he fights back just w, and run. Half his hitpoints will be gone. Never enter a teamfight, where you can be directly targeted with your Q on cooldown, you will most likely die. With about 35% cooldown reduction and Sear maxed, it is possible to apply the stun without having to use other abilities. The cooldown of Sear will be lower than the duration of the Blaze it applies.

Pillar of Flame (W)

After a short delay, Brand creates a pillar of flame at a target 250-radius area, dealing 75/120/165/210/255 (+60% Ability Power) magic damage to enemy units within the area. Blaze: Units that are ablaze take an additional 25% damage from Pillar of Flame. Range: 900 Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana Cooldown: 10 seconds

Notes

This is your hardest to hit ability with the best scaling, and should almost always be maxed out first. In lane you should use it to harass while farming the range minions. If the enemy is really badly positioned, use w on ranged minions and himself, follow immediately on the nearest minion with an e, the range minions will be cleared and you'll have a clear shot for Sear. Follow with some basic attacks and finish off with r, if possible. If you max this second, and i advise it in some situations, use it on the range minions, and use your e to damage the out of range enemy champion. (He will just assume you are maxing W, and won't fear your E) and then finish off with a Q and some basic attacks. This trick can help you in most of the situations when normally you wouldn't be able to reach the opponent. in teamfights, you should aim your Q at the range carries, if your position allows it without exposing yourself, and then nuke them down. use the reverse combo, to lay waste on their front line, by quin one bruiser, e, to spread your passive, and then w to make the most out of it. and r to finish them off. without front line thier carries will either die like flies or just flee and you can secure your objective.

Conflagration (E)

Brand blasts target opponent with fire, dealing magic damage. If the target is ablaze, Conflagration will also spread to enemies within 300-range of the target. Magic damage: 60/95/130/165/200 (+50% AP) Root duration: 0.75/1/1.25/1.5/1.75 seconds Range: 625 Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana Cooldown: 12 seconds

Notes

This is the spell I max out first against high movement speed targets, as it's a click-on ability, you can miss it. I usually get into melee range to use it, one basic attack. One Q while still in clear range, auto-attack, and a W. Follow with auto-attacks and R to finish off as long as it is a clear kill, otherwise just stick to whatever you were doing: farming, securing perimeters, or objectives.

Pyroclasm (R)

Brand unleashes a devastating torrent of fire to a target that will bounce between enemies, dealing magic damage each time it bounces. It will bounce up to four times for a total of five hits, and can hit the same enemy up to three times. If a target is ablaze, Pyroclasm's next bounce will prioritize champions. Magic damage: 180/265/350 (+70% AP) Range: 750 Cost: 100 Mana Cooldown: 105/90/75 seconds

Notes

I started playing brand because of this skill. in DotA, lich was one of my mains, and this is her ulti, only fire version. Most important thing, if you see two carries next to each other with no minions around, insta ult and q then follow up with e + w. At least one will die. If there are minions around its extremely important not to use your ultimate unless they are affected by your passive, othwerwise you can just get one tick out of your ulti. If you plan on using your ultimate on an enemy next to a single minion, make sure the minion survives two jumps of your ultimate, otherwise, you'll miss jumps. Also, avoid using it at max range, as long as you rely on multiple jumps on a target to kill it, since it's travel speed it's pretty low, it can be easily dodged. If you are losing a 1v1 with a champion, with this spell you can win a 1v2. Since it's your ability with the highest range you can try, in desperate times, to use it to apply a slow (with your rilay), ONLY if you're absolutely sure the enemy can't Flash, jump, etc, and you can finish him off in one combo.

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• Pillar of Flame is maxed first. It scales best and is AOE. It's also your main harass ability.
• Conflagration is usually maxed second, as it's a click-on ability and makes farming easier.
• Sear can either be maxed second, for a stun on a lower cooldown ad a bit more damage, or maxed third if you face a nimble opponent / focus on farming.
• Pyroclasm is maxed whenever possible. Which means levels 6,11 and 16. This also means a powerspike, use it in your advantage.

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Full build example

Starting Items

You should always start with doran and potions. You have enough ms, not to buy boots if you face a syndra, and the extra health is better.

First Back

I recommend another doran's ring against burst champions, and when you're a little behind. Get boots as well to get to lane faster, and be able to doge skillshots more easily. A ward for jungle protection.

Or

I recommend Chalice of Harmony when you're snowballing, or when you're in a farmlane with ranged harass. If you're going for Morellonomicon (facing someone like Swain or an AD opponent) then you should build Forbidden Idol instead.

Mid game

You need your tier 2 boots for more mobility as you start roaming and magic penetration. In some matchups (against a lot of CC) you can get Mercury's Treads. The Haunting Guise is a good early item and you want to get Liandry's Torment anyway. For mana regeneration, you really need the Chalice of Harmony (or again, Forbidden Idol instead).

Finalisation

Finishing your Chalice of Harmony early on is a good idea against AP opponents. It offers a nice amount of ability power and 20% CDR. Don't get it if you need the penetration and bulkiness of the Liandry's Torment + Rylai's Crystal Scepter's combo.

This has become quite the popular item. It's pretty cheap and offers 80 AP. But it's the 20% CDR that makes it priceless. Rush it instead of Athene's Unholy Grail if you don't need the MR. As CDR is quite important you should either have this one or Athene's Unholy Grail.

If the enemy has a bit of MR and you need extra damage and health, you can go Liandry's Torment and Rylai's Crystal Scepter. The Rylai's slow applied by a spell cast will amp the damage from Liandry's Torment from that same spell cast. Together it works wonders with your passive. Your DoT will be insane. Never fight without blue though if you sold your Chalice of Harmony. You need the CDR and mana regen to be at your full potential.

See above. Brand has no escape either. If you keep getting caught, this might be a great pick. It offers extra CC which might help you escape in certain situations by permanantly slowing and damaging your attacker. On top of that, 100 AP is not to be sniffed at. You can also swap out Rylai's Crystal Scepter's for Morellonomicon if you went Liandry's Torment if you really want CDR.

THE mage item. 156 flat ability power, plus a 30% increase of your previous and future ability power. Great item and a must-have. As your fourth item this should be worth the while.

Builds out of Seeker's Armguard. Try to stack it first before completing the item. Zhonya's Hourglass puts yourself in stasis for 2.5 seconds, rendering yourself untargetable and invulnerable for the duration, but also unable to move, attack, cast spells, or use items during this time on a 90 second cooldown. This can be a lifesaver as the enemy is forced to attack someone else, or in a clutch fight where they get finished by your DoTs while you are saved by the stasis.

If they stack MR or someone on the other team bought a Locket of the Iron Solari, get Void Staff. The 35% Magic Penetration will work wonders. Above that you gain another 70 ability power.

When you're going to lose lane against an opponent like Fizz, you can get this item. Aim for farm and lategame.

Another defensive item. Sometimes the abundance of Ability power in the other team forces you to build this one. It's a great item if there's another APC on your team as well. Never get it with Void Staff as it lowers the penetration you would get from the item.

A great item to prevent your getting caught out. Get it if they have a good engage which can be denied by the item. They will probably look for another victim if they see a Banshees glowing around you.

Besides the standard items, there's consumables. You can be as powerful as you want, but still lose when there's a lack of them.

Consumables
This is the starting trinket and helps in the laning phase. It should not be upgraded at any stage of the game. The ward lasts for 60 seconds and has a 120-second cooldown. This means that you’re vulnerable for exactly one minute when you don’t have any more wards.	Get the lens when laning phase is over. It can be used to clear wards at primarily Dragon and Baron. When recalling, always use it first. Recalling on an enemy ward on low health might not be the best idea. It can be upgraded to Oracle's Lens when stealth champions are doing good. Always upgrade it when full build.	Stealth wards grant vision. Vision wins games. This is used to prevent ganks, sneaky barons/dragons & invasions. Always buy at least one when recalling. Taking the warding pressure off of the support is always nice. Maybe he’ll let me transform him when I do.	This ward lasts until destroyed. It can be used to bait enemies into a trap if they want to destroy it, It spots other wards and you can prevent ganks from stealth champions. Place one in the brushes in the river whenever possible.

Potions:

• Health Potion: Health potions heal you up obviously. You gain 150 health over the course of 15 seconds. Staying in lane for a long time is a must when you want to get farmed and these make it possible.
• Mana Potion: Early game, Brand's mana-hungry. There's no arguing about that. Buying a mana potion or two on the first back is a possibility when not receiving the second blue buff.
• Elixir of Sorcery: Grants +40 ability power, 15 bonus mana regen, and "Sorcery" for 3 minutes. Damaging a champion or tower inflicts a bonus 25 true damage. This effect has a 5 second cooldown versus champions but no cooldown versus towers.
• Elixir of Ruin: Grants 250 health, 15% bonus damage to towers and Siege Commander for 3 minutes. Nearby minions gain 15% bonus damage to towers and gain movement speed based on champion's movement speed. Great when you're sieging.

Lastly, there's an option to upgrade boots to tier 3. Always upgrade them when full build. They can be upgraded sooner as well depending on the situation. There are three different viable enchantments.

Enchantments
The most popular echantment. More of a defensive one. Two possible uses. 1. Allied base is under attack. Healing as fast as possible to get back into the fight is necessary. These boots offer fast regeneration and an amzing speed boost to get back into action. 2. When playing the roaming game, these boots offer a fast regeneration and speed boost to get back to middle lane ASAP.	The best option when having Flash and Teleport as Summoner Spells. It decreases the cooldown by 20% and grants a movement speed boost of 30% for one and three seconds respectively. Buy it as soon as possible. Preferably right after buying tier 2 boots.	Because of Brand's rather slow nature, this enchantment helps out amazingly. Kiting is even easier and so is roaming. Overall pretty good. Get these when having the feeling of lacking speed.

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DIFFICULTY: 7.5 Analysis Bully her between levels 2 trough 5, dodge all of her spells, especially Charm. Get boots on your first back. Ask for a gank. Try to kill her early on. Don't count on more than 2 hits from your r once she hits 6. Do your best to stun her if she ults, and run to safety, wait for her ult to wear off, and kill her. If she dominates the lane, stay passive and farm. Don't even bother to harass her as she will hit back harder and heal what damage you do. Try to ward river so your team mates can see where she ganks, and to keep yourself from feeding her or their jungler. You will have a better teamfight than her, so do your best to make it count.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis You wreck Akali pre 6, be over agressive, while keeping an eye open for enemy jungler. post 6, be careful to have an enemy minion near you at least when she jumps on you to be able to kill her quick. Her spellvamp and lifesteal are more than a pain in the butt, if you let her come close to you. Always Ignite after your stun wears off to destroy her regeneration and to lower her chances of getting away alive.

DIFFICULTY: 8 Analysis She just deals tons of damage post 8, your low range is a major downside here. Kill her early on to be able to nuke her post 6 or avoid confrontations.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis In my opinion this is a skill matchup. Her stun lasts longer than yours, but her damage is skillshot reliant. If she's a skilled Annie, you'll have a hard time playing aaginst her. Just harass her from max range and only go close if you know you can kill her. Post 6 either avoid her Summon: Tibbers by staying at max range or go in melee form to be able to properly use your ultimate.

DIFFICULTY: 4 Analysis His lack of mobility is in your advantage. He has to stop in order to auto attack you. Learn his dance, and you will win.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Due to her lack of burst, it's easy for you to kill her, but as with the latest changes she will prefer a passive lane, farming, and punishing you when you're out of position, or wait for the gank. Try to keep up with her farm, and punish her when she comes for the ranged minions. Take in consideration her speedboost if she hits her q. After 6 beware of her ulti. Try to predict it and turn around when you would cast Petrifying Gaze when playing cassiopeia. High damage outburst is your friend here. Rushing magic pene boots, hauting guise and Rabadon's Deathcap.

DIFFICULTY: 8 Analysis He has tons of CC and a lifedrain. This is mostly a skillmatch up, but he has the advantage. You should take advantage in the early levels when he doesn't have Terrify, (or if it's only level one). Bait his e, and position yourself agressively and nuke him. If he was draining you while you were silenced, stun him fast and continue with the agression. If he was not draining you, you should do your full burst, few AA and leave out of his range. When laning, stay away from your minions if he throws out his Reap. Post 6, ALWAYS keep the sides of your lane warded (and wraiths camp if you're pushing). I recommend you to go with a tanky build if you are losing, with Abyssal Mask instead of Void Staff, and rushing Athene's Unholy Grail and Rylai's Crystal Scepter.

DIFFICULTY: 9 Analysis He outranges, outpokes and outsustains you. Beg for an early gank, and either get ahead of him and rush Rabadon's Deathcap and nuke him and his turrets down, or go Athene's Unholy Grail and stack on potions to try and keep up with his farm.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Same range as you, only you outdamage her. The trick is that she will try to snare you from a safe distance, for that I recommend you to only fight her in melee range, where both of your q's will be easier to hit, but she won't be able to kite you. Always try to bait her shield to engage on you and pretent to let yourself be caught only after her shields expires. That will give her the confidence to fight, but it will not turn out well for her. Keep your lane warded as it's almost impossible to escape a good gank on a karma lane. Rylai's Crystal Scepter will be your friend against this lane. If enemy jungler is ad and camps you, rushing Zhonya's Hourglass will be a good idea too.

DIFFICULTY: 2 Analysis This is a "dodge the q" lane. Harass him every time he tries to take minions, or fight you. When he is low on hitpoints, nuke him down. And remember to run away from his passive. Hauting guise, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Rylai's Crystal Scepter will be your friends in this match up.

DIFFICULTY: 7 Analysis She's a tough cookie to eat. Don't stay with minions between you two since her harras will reach you. Try to Always punish her when she q's. never stay in melee range. If the skirmish is in your favor, don't stun her right away, wait for her Glacial Path, and aim it at the claw on the ground. It will take some practice to time it right, but it will pay off. After 6 keep your distance, and never fight if she doesn't have minions next to her, as she will heavily outdamage you. Never ulti unless she has used her Glacial Path or she is in melee range with an ally close to her, otherwise you will not get more than one tick of your ulti. Pay extra attention to her items. If she goes Abyssal Mask first, get Void Staff and then Haunting Guise, otherwise stick to Haunting Guise, boots and Rylai's Crystal Scepter.

DIFFICULTY: 4 Analysis Considered a counter. Way easier match up since her Sigil of Malice nerf. I find it one of the easiest match ups. The trick is to either go melee range on her, so she won't be able to cast a long range w, or be in line with the line described by her position and her w. That way your stun will hit her no matter where she is. When she's around 50%, use your combo. She will die instantly, even with her passive. Still, don't underestimate her damage. Early on I stack 3 dorans and a chalice with lvl 1 boots and go directly Rabadon's Deathcap.

DIFFICULTY: 6 Analysis She's considered a counter. Outranges you hard, has burst potential, and a shield. The trick is to always dodge her q, post 6, not dodging it can mean isntadeath. Try to farm, if she decides to engage on you either run until her shield wears off and then pay back, or go full burst on her. Keep in mind taht she can't detonate her E, while stunned. Also she has about same range on her E as your q. This is your only chance of winning. Also, most of Lux's will try to e, q, w. Stun her quickly to prevent her from casting shield and detonating e, while getting out of its AOE. If she hits you with a poke, don't let her proc her passive, or punish her if she tries. Don't over extend as she has more stustained damage than you. This is mostly a skill match up if you ask me. Rush Sorcerer's Shoes, as she will Rush chalice, to counter her mr, and a haunting guise. I also recommend taking Heal as Ignite won't do that much.

DIFFICULTY: 9 Analysis He will push, deny farm and harass you into oblivion. The trick to dodge his q, is running towards him after he casts it. Think of his pool as of a pit of fire. NEVER STAND IN FIRE. Keep your range from minions afflicted with his e. Only engage on him if he stays in range with his spells on cd. Otherwise wait for ganks and try your best to farm as much as you can Stack a few dorans with chalice, get lvl 1 boots, and maybe even a flask. You can't have enough sustain against this guy. Run Barrier and Flash.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis She has the potential to ruin your game, but that's rarely the case. Just dodge her q's This about it. dodge q's zone her, punish her when she autoattack. keep an eye open for ganks. Big items are your friend here. Boots lvl 2, as soon as possible, Rabadon's Deathcap, and Zhonya's Hourglass for her ulti. You need enough damage on E, to break her shield, so your stun will land. Run ignite and flash

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Skill matchup. If you know her dance, she's yours to roast and eat. And make no mistake, if you don't abuse your lane domination, she wil abuse her late game and win the game. Go full ham on her as soon as she casted a q, that didn't hit, (W included) E-Q-W, two AA's and back. She can't survive two of these combos. After 6, your ulti will hit harder with even just two ticks. Push her under the tower, force her to spend mana on farming, poke as much as you can, and keep an eye open for ganks. Late game her damage, and utility > your damage. So make the most of your snowballing midgame. Boots lvl 2, Haunting Guise, and Rabadon's Deathcap.

DIFFICULTY: 4 Analysis This is pretty basic. Same damage, you outrange him, you have a stun he has a lockdown. Abuse this, and you'll win the game. Take care though, he will never fight you in the open, so before engaging, clear the wave. If you miss your stun, just run. Never expose yourself unless you have all abilities up. After hitting 6 it's important to Ignite him as soon as your stun wears off so he won't heal much with his ultimate. Boots level two, a hauting guise, and a rilay should do the trink. you want to do damage, exploit his lack of early magic resist, and be tanky enough to survive his burst. if he rushes spirit visage or banshee rush a Void Staff.

DIFFICULTY: 10/size] Analysis Broken champs 1.01. He will be your worst nightmare. Outdamages, outsustains hard, outcc's you. Ask for early ganks. Push your lane as much as possible, he has a hard time farming under his turret, but keep one side of your lane warded. Try to kill him twice before lvl 6, but even then you'll have a hard time winning against him. Avoid fighting him when you have minions alive as he will heal off of them. Keep at maximum distance, ALWAYS dodge his Nevermove, and try to punish him while farming. The only strategy that ever won me the game agains him was go full dmg and cdr. Rushed Deathfire Grasp (RIP) and Void Staff, with lvl 2 boots, then Rabadon's Deathcap and Morellonomicon, and Zhonya's Hourglass. I hate building glass canon. But... it was the only way I could kill him, and I was the only one in my team who could kill him at all.

DIFFICULTY: 7 Analysis She outranges you, has instant cast on q, easier to hit stun, and a slow, which makes her stun even easier. The key to win this battle is to dodge, dodge and dodge balls. It's of utmost importance not to give her early kills. Work on her frustration after you've dodged most of her balls. She will try a more melee ranger, for a better chance. Once she did that she's yours. She's squishy so you can burst her 100-0 in one combo with the right items. You'll still need health to survive her burst, whith some mp, for her early Chalice of Harmony. Boots lvl2, Haunting Guise, some dorans. Rylai's Crystal Scepter will win you the game. Run Barrier.

DIFFICULTY: 3 Analysis Punish him when he tries to use W for mana. Just run away from him if he has his yellow card up (the stun), and punish him when it's on cooldown. Dodge his q's. Don't be the one who's overly agressive and play on his mistakes. Be quick on your combos and run. Post 6, you have an advantage. As a little extra he will always push and be susceptible to ganks. ALWAYS CALL SS! Push hard while he's gone as you can't follow him. Run tenacity boots and some dorans for sustain, + an early Haunting Guise.

DIFFICULTY: 3 Analysis He is a passive laner. Be the bully you are meant to be. Dodge his stun and you win. Zone him, and go full in when he has his q on cd. Force him to farm with his w. I recommand you more towards utility than full ap, since late game you will regret this. Tenacity boots are a must rush, since his stun will mean death in all stages of the game. Build Athene's Unholy Grail, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Abyssal Mask, Zhonya's Hourglass, and only last a Rabadon's Deathcap.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Burst war 101. Whoever dodges better wins. Although you have a slight advantage with a faster stun. And harder to dodge spells. Punish him if he tries to AA after his Q, bully him while his E in on cooldown. Run away from his Gravity Field. Athene's Unholy Grail, Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Haunting Guise work miracles. A Zhonya's Hourglass is pretty good as well.

DIFFICULTY: 8 Analysis A true nightmare. Your only chance of winning is if he ever decides to come melee for a ranged minion or if he misses his Satchel Charge. Early level 2 boots, chalice, to be able to keep up with his spam, and a Rylai's Crystal Scepter to survive his damage, and preventing him from escaping. If you get early ganks, he is yours to roast alive.

DIFFICULTY: 9 Analysis Same as Ziggs, only that she can block your q's with a proper plant, and root you, and harass you with plants, and make you hate all vegetations. On the bright side she is squishy and not played very often (midlane).

DIFFICULTY: OVER 9000 Analysis Just dodge queue. Lady luck is not very fond of you. Let's say you are daring enough to face the fish of doom... Just farm and run from him. Try to punish him if he engages with Urchin Strike. The trick is to mark him with Conflagration, wait for him to start landing when he used his Seastone Trident and place a Pillar of Flame at the landing spot. The only tip I have is max E, build as tanky as you can. With Rod of Ages, Zhonya's Hourglass, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Athene's Unholy Grail & Abyssal Mask. Beg for ganks, and bait him. Even then he might score a double on you. Best counter for Fizz, is to ban him.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Early game is yours. Harass him with everything you got. After 6, keep a distance from him, so when he R-Q's he'll land in front of you, and not behind you, so you can easily stun him. Don't stay in his range if your passive didn't mark him. Just force him to farm under tower, and deny his farm and roamng potential. Played right, Brand can be a nightmare to Kassadin. Dont overextend, and don't 1v1 melee range. Rush lvl 2 boots, and Rylai's Crystal Scepter + Haunting Guise

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis This is all about how well you play Zed. Punish him while his spells are on cd, AA him if he tries to last hit minions. When he ults, w on yourself, flash away as soon as he appears, and stun him. Follow up with combo, finish with ulti if necessary.

DIFFICULTY: 5 Analysis Don't fight until lvl 2-3. After that he is yours. Don't stun or ulti while he has his wall. Auto attack first if he has his passive, then cast a spell. Dont fight if he has recently E'd your minions, since his damage will grow. Dodge his Steel Tempest. If you are ahead, rush a Haunting Guise + lvl 2 boots. If it's somehwat even, go Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Zhonya's Hourglass after lvl 2 boots.

DIFFICULTY: 7 Analysis Early levels he's yours. Post 6... not so much. See akali. Always have a pink ward just in case.

DIFFICULTY: 7 Analysis This is all about positioning yourself. Not much to say, avoid her Bouncing Blades. If she jumps on you, walk backwards and stun. Follow up with a W. Try to stay in range tower and ask for ganks. DON'T give her free kills. Stun her as she ults. Chalice of Harmony, Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Abyssal Mask are your friends.

BACK TO TOP

Following advice contains things you'll have to keep in mind while playing Brand to make the most out of him. I cannot hold your hand whil you're playing, but I can give you this advice to make understanding Brand and the game a little easier.

Practice makes perfect!

Positioning

I can't stress this enough, how important it is to have a better positioning. starting from lane, all the way to teamfights. For instance, if you have warded the left side of your lane, try to stay close to that side. If the right side of the lane isn't warded, and the enemy stays very close to it, yet you don't remember seeing him ward it (this is more than obvious), don't get baited, no matter his hp. There is a 90% chance that the enemy jungler is waiting for you. People are not very subtle when it comes to baiting. Just keep an eye open for obvious mistakes, and don't fall for them. Especially in higher ranks. As for the team fights, you should always be in a safe position. A dead damage dealer, deals no damage. This shall be your mantra. Staying alive, forcing enemies to come to you through your front line, is always better than dying for just one kill. Always keep an eye for your other carry. Saving him, thus forcing enemies to make a more dangerous play for a low health carry, is worth more, than just killing a carry and leave your team to die.

Blaze

Making smart use of your passive is something you have to master. There are a lot of interesting combinations to be made and these will be explained below. First, we have to understand what each ability does when the target is already ablaze. Sear : Your stun. Pillar of Flame : This ability's damage is increased by 25%. Conflagration : Conflagration spreads to all enemies in a 300-radius. Pyroclasm : Pyroclasm bounces four times. If it hits an enemy that's ablaze, the next bounce will prioritize champions.

Basic combo - - You can either harass with only Pillar of Flame or do your full combo to hurt your enemy. Mark your target with Blaze by using Conflagration first. When Sear lands (stuns), that means you can't miss your Pillar of Flame. This will deplete your mana, so don't overdo it. Using Conflagration first also means getting closer into the enemy's range. Think before you act. Ideal is to engage when the enemy's abilities are on cooldown. Waveclear - - For when you want to clear a wave as fast as possible. Use Sear to mark a minion with Blaze, Conflagration to spread blaze to the other minions and finalize with Pillar of Flame to kill the entire wave, making use of the 25% damage increase. Chasers - When you're being chased, just throw your Pillar of Flame at the feet of your enemy, followed by Sear. If they want to dodge it, they'll lose ground on you. If they don't dodge it, they're stunned. Should be a free escape, unless they Flash your abilities. Nuke - - - - When the enemy is low enough, you can use this combo to finish him off. To make Pyroclasm bounce when nuking a single target, you ideally want to be next to an enemy minion wave, marking them with Pillar of Flame to make sure your ultimate bounces at least twice to your target. This, however, is not always possible and hopefully one hit of your ultimate is enough.

Laning phase

The laning phase is one of the most important things in the game. Your either win it, lose it, or make it a farmlane. Zone your enemy from farming minions by using Pillar of Flame when he goes in for a last-hit. You're a lane-bully, live up to that name. If your opponent is missing or he just recalled, push the lane as fast as possible. When your minions are finished off by a turret, that's money and experience they'll never earn. If your opponent is off to gank another lane, spam pings to the lane he's going to gank. Push your lane again and either follow-up on the gank, or keep pushing if the gank will most likely not be successful.

At level 6 you get a powerspike. If you hit 6 before your opponent, don't hesitate and go all-in. He might be caught off-guard, resulting in a free kill or lane advantage.

Place a ward either in the brush or a bit further if possible. Brand has no escape ability meaning he's prone to getting ganked. Linger around the side you warded at all times to prevent your death.

Warding

But wait, I'm not the support you may say... nonetheless, ALWAYS WARD. If you have 100 gold left from buying items, but still got potions, buy a Vision Ward and place it in the river bush. You already did that and the ward is still up? Buy a Stealth Ward and place it at the drake, or the other river bush.

Helping your team

Always keep an eye on your teammates. Always rush and help your jungler if he is in need of help. But keep focused. If he's alone, getting wrecked by three enemies, just push a lane instead.

When the enepy midlane turret is destroyed, ping for Dragon or go help another lane. If the middle lane remains empty and the enemy jungler is showing in another lane, push for the next turret.

You have to make dicisions that are most beneficial for your team, even if that means making a particular, less-skilled player mad.

Late game

There is one thing above everything else, that I can't stress enough. Don't solo after the 30 minute-mark. Unless you can kill 5 of them together, then you can go solo end game. But that'll not be the case.

Either keep farming if enemy minions are at your side of the map or stay grouped and go for objectives. Taking turrets wins games. Don't be afraid to ping for one if two or more enemies are farming another lane, or some of them just recalled.

After a major fight, if you win it, rush an inhibitor. If no lanes are pushed and you most likely won't be able to reach an inhibitor in time, rush Baron Nashor.

If you just lost a fight and the enemy went for an inhibitor, go for Baron Nashor. The enemy will either have recalled, offering you some time to take it down, or they will be at Baron Nashor themselves, most likely at low health. This means you can turn the game around if you're in time to stop them.

Teamfights

Brand is a terrifying AOE mage. A well-placed ultimate can win games. Do not use it without thinking. You want it to bounce on the squishies as much as possible, while staying at a safe distance. If you're caught and you die before throwing out any spells, your team just lost major damage.

The trick is to hang back until most CC has been blown.
The ideal situation is catching an enemy on his own, turning a teamfight in a 5v4, resulting in a free siege.

But we can theorycraft as much as we want, you can only get better by practicing. And that's entirely up to you to get the right feeling.

BACK TO TOP

Doesn't matter if you're a new player or a veteran to brand, he is an amazing champion to play, very realiable and somehwat considered a safe pick. With some practice he can be your key to quick ascenion through ranks.
If you have any qustions or suggestions, feel free to comment and I'll answer asap.

Thank you notes

• NRS - For the dividers and abilites chapter coding.
• Raitoundoo - For writing this guide.
• Foxy Riven - For spelling fixes, writing of some of the chapters, coding and artwork.