Brand the Burning Vengeance - By Kanetsugu

[Kanetsugu]

Introduction

Alright so seeing as how no one has posted in this section of the League of Legends forum, I decided I would be the first to post a sort of a small guide for Brand. Brand is definitely one of my favorite AP carries in the game. Brand has very high burst potential and can be a great harasser in lane.

Skills

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

This is a great passive to have against high health champions and can also secure you kills that might have gotten away with a sliver of HP. This skill also gives bonuses to your other skills.

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

This is the skill you always want to hit after you have your passive on the enemy as this is Brand's only CC. I max this skill second because it does more damage than Conflagration and it allows you to stun more often.

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

This is Brand's main source of damage. I max this first because it gains the most damage per level than Sear and Conflagration. Also in lane, if timed correctly is great harassment.

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

This spell is pretty useful in that you can Pillar of Flame a creep wave early on and Conflagration to clear the wave. Also another use in a 1v1 situation is to E>Q>W a person to get a very nice burst.

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

This is Brand's strongest ability and works sort of like Fiddlestick's Darkwind. I generally use this skill at the beginning of teamfights as it gains the worst bonus from it's passive. This ability also makes Brand particularly annoying to gank as Brand can use this skill to bounce between the jungler and the laner to probably secure a kill. It is usually undesirable to use this ability next to minions as it may just bounce to minions rather than champions however in a 1v1 lane it may get you the kill.

Items

The first item I start with is Boots along with 3 health potions. This lets you trade hits with your lane while being able to sustain yourself.

On my next trip back, I like to pick up a Doran's ring for the extra survivability. If I have enough, Sorc boots are generally a good choice. If you need more survivability in your lane then picking up two Doran's Rings might be a good idea because of the health it gives.

I usually try to rush Rabbadon's Deathcap if I am doing really well.

After Rabbadon's I like to get a Void Staff for the extra Magic Penetration.

Finally you can either choose between a Rylai's or Hextech into Will of the Ancients. Rylai's makes it easier to kite along with giving more health, and Hextech allows you to exchange hits with the enemy.

Some other Options

Some people like to get Rod of Ages. This is another good option to get the increased health. I don't usually get this item but it is still very good on Brand.

It is always encouraged to build defensive so picking up a Banshee's Veil is a good idea.

Early Laning

Assuming you are laning solo mid, you want to harass as much as you can. Pillar of Flame is a very good harass too if you can hit it. Waiting for your opponent to go up to last hit is usually the best time to try and hit your Pillar of Flame. Also if you don't feel confident in hitting your Pillar, you may consider getting Conflagration as your first skill and harass with that. Brand's early game is very strong and you should use your utility in Sear and your passive to your advantage at all times. Hitting the crucial Conflagration > Sear can net you an early kill. If you can get an early blue buff from your jungler, you should start pushing the lanes and trying to harass as much as possible while still being aware of the other jungler's ganks.

Mid and Late Game

There's not much to say about mid and late game except that you should always be in a good position. Positioning is key! Try to do as much damage as you can while staying away from the damage. Using Pyroclasm when they are all bunched along with Pillar of Flame does so much damage. Don't forget that Conflagration has an AOE when they are ablaze as that will also add to your immense AOE damage.

Final Thoughts

Brand is a very strong AP carry that has high early game burst along with great AOE damage for team fights.

Well seeing as how this is my first build/guide, I really don't know what else to say. Hopefully you all have some type of feedback that you can give me and I'll probably be adding more as I become a better player in general.

[Kanetsugu]

I also posted this on mobafire for easier viewing: http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legen ... ugu-114040