IT IS CURRENTLY FINALS TIME FOR ME. ONCE FINALS ARE OVER IN 2 WEEKS I WILL GET TO FULLY UPDATING THIS GUIDE.

Brand

Brand

Brand

Brand

Brand

Brand

Masteries

• Tier 1: Because I run Ignite I take a point in Summoner's Wrath to get the 5 AP and AD bonus when the item is on cooldown. It is not a huge difference maker but more AD or AP is nice. I also put 4 points in Sorcery for 4% CDR. More CDR means lesser cooldowns.
• Tier 2: I put for points in Blast for some more ability power per level. You will gain 18 AP at level 18. Only worthy place to put your points here.
• Tier 3: I put one point in Arcane Knowledge for 8% magic pen to compliment my runes and magic pen items and deal more damage without the need for AP early.
• Tier 4: I put 3 points in Mental Force for 6 more AP. I also put 1 point in Spellsword to give my basic attacks some more power by having them deal 5% of my AP in magic damage.
• Tier 5 & 6: In these last two tiers I put 4 points in Archmage to increase my ability power by 5% and my last point in Executioner to increase my damage output by 5% on targets with 50% or less health. Useful for Blaze and Pillar of Flame.

• Tier 1: I put my first point in Summoner's Insight because I take Flash to reduce its cooldown by 15 seconds. Anything that will reduce the cooldown of Flash is appreciated. I put 3 points in Meditation for +3 mana regen per 5 seconds. I put the last point in this tier in Improved Recall to reduce the time of my recall by 1 second.
• Tier 2: I put 3 points in Expanded Mind to give me 10 more mana per level reaching up to 180 more mana by level 18.
• Tier 3: My last point I put in Runic Affinity to prolong the time of buffs by 20%. This is really good for when you have blue buff. You will keep it 20% longer for mana regen and cooldown reduction.

Brand's Skillset

Brand's Skills:







Passive: Blaze


Blaze is an interesting passive. Blaze causes all of Brand's abilities to apply the "Ablaze" debuff to all enemy units hit. While active, the debuff deals magic damage equal to 2% of the target's maximum health every second. All of Brand's abilities gain additional effects when used on a target that is ablaze.


Tips and Tricks:

• Blaze needs to be on the your target in order for you to stun with Sear.
• Blaze will draw tower aggro so be wary of that if your team towerdives or you are in range of a turret.
• Blaze will active the slow from Rylai's Crystal Scepter after the damage is done so even if your enemy runs from you they will still be slowed by 15%.
• Your combos become stronger when your targets have Blaze. Try to get as many people
  as possible ablaze before using your skills in teamfights.

Sear(Q):



Sear is Brand's first skill also known as his "Q" skill. It is a skill-shot nuke that will collide with the first enemy it hits. So unfortunately it will NOT go through minions. However this is not a bad thing all the time. If you need to farm from a distance because of a hard lane than using Sear to help will net you some minions. Keep in mind though you do need Sear for trades and fights.


Tips and Tricks:

• Sear will stun your enemy if they are ablaze by Blaze.
• Sear will not activate on hit effects like Sheen from Lich Bane
• Sear is a skill-shot so only with practice will you be able to increase you chance of landing it.
• Sear can hit stealthed units like Evelynn if they have Blaze and stun them but it will not reveal them from stealth.

Pillar of Flame(W):



Pillar of Flame is Brand's second skill also known as his "W" skill and is an Area of Effect or AoE skill meaning it hits all enemies standing in the area of the skill. Pillar of Flame can be used to harass and farm at the same time if your enemy is close to their minions. Keep in mind that it has a 0.2 second delay before it deals damage so lead accordingly.


Tips and Tricks:

• Pillar of Flame will deal 25% more damage when enemies have Blaze on them.
• Make sure to lead Pillar of Flame to get as many minions possible and your enemy if they are close enough to their minions. This will require great timing when facing champs like Malzahar and Xerath.
• Pillar of Flame has the longest cooldown after Pyroclasm so keep that in mind. If you feel that a teamfight might start soon save Pillar of Flame for the right moment so Pillar of Flame isn't on cooldown when you need it.

Conflagration(E):



Conflagration is Brand's third skill also known as his "E" skill. Basically Brand conjures a powerful blast at his target, dealing magic damage to them. If the target is ablaze the conflagration will also damage nearby enemies, as well as setting the units ablaze.


Tips and Tricks:

• Conflagration is Brand's most reliable skill for delivering Blaze to your enemies. So if you are having problems landing Pillar of Flame then use Conflagration to harass your enemies.
• Conflagration will set enemies ablaze near a minion or enemy that already has Blaze on them. If you use Pillar of Flame on minions and your enemy gets too close to them use Conflagration on the minions to spread the Blaze to your enemy.
• Conflagration will proc the slow from Rylai's Crystal Scepter for all enemies hit with it. Conflagration has the same channel time as Pillar of Flame, 0.2 seconds.

Pyroclasm(R):



Pyroclasm is Brand's fourth skill also known as his "R" skill and ultimate. It is now a decently reliable ultimate in that it now will prioritize champions over minions if the first target that you hit has Blaze on them. So make sure not to initiate with Pyroclasm. Brand unleashes a devastating torrent of fire that bounces between enemies, dealing damage each time it bounces. If a target is ablaze, Pyroclasm' 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.


Tips and Tricks:

• Pyroclasm's movement speed has been increased and will only prioritize champions over minions if the first target is ablaze. So make sure to hit as many people as you can with Pillar of Flame and/or Conflagration before launching Pyroclasm.
• Pyroclasm will hit 5 times and can hit the same enemy 3 times. This means that Pyroclasm really shines in teamfights involving 3 or so enemies and away from minions. Make a mental note of this. If you can, wait a little bit to use your ult in 5v5 teamfights.
• Pyroclasm will bounce to enemies that are in the Fog of War or are in bushes so keep an eye on where it bounces as there might be a hidden enemy waiting.
• Pyroclasm will activate the slow on Rylai's Crystal Scepter.

Gameplay

Based on how you play your game could very well depend on how good you do. I will give an outline of how to play Brand during all points in the game from the early game laning phases to late game fights.

Early Game

For your early game laning phase you will be focusing on farming while harassing your enemy as much as possible. Last hitting and getting your creep score up plays a major role in League of Legends as it will give you the gold to build your items and make you the powerful force that you should be. You want to last-hit every minion that you can and it is crucial that your creep score is higher than your enemies at all points of game.

The second part of the laning phase will rely on your ability to harass your enemy while being able to dodge the harass thrown at you. A lot of AP champions rely on skill shots for harass. Practice constant movement in lane to make it more difficult for your enemy to land their skills. More missed skills by your enemy means less damage you take and less of a chance that you die. While doing this you must make sure to land your own skills to harass your enemy.

Champions that you should play very aggressively against are:

Akali *Pre-level 6* Anivia Annie
Diana *Pre-level 6* Fiddlesticks Gragas
Heimerdinger Karma Karthus
Lux Morgana Orianna
Ryze Syndra Twisted Fate
Veigar Viktor Vladimir
Xerath Zilean Zyra


Champions that you can play against aggressively but need to play passively at the same time:

Ahri Cassiopeia Katarina
Kennen Malzahar Mordekaiser
Nidalee Sion Swain


Champions that you need to play passively against and if you need to rush a Negatron Cloak:

Akali *Post-level 6* Diana *Post-level 6* Fizz
Galio Kassadin LeBlanc
Pantheon Kha'Zix Talon
Zed *Post-level 6*

As mid lane it is important that if you push your lane you roam and go for ganks either top or bottom. Most of the time bottom lane will be the best option as you can co-ordinate with your jungler to have a 4v2 fight. Doing this will help ensure kill/assist gold for you and your teammates and you cause the enemy to miss out on gold and xp by killing them. If I take Teleport it is because I plan on ganking OFTEN and it is great to be able to teleport to the lane getting ganked to countergank or provide extra power for a fight. Overall when your lane is pushed whether intentional or not use that time to see if you can gank another lane or recall if you have the gold to buy important items.

Last part for early game is to make sure that you never overextend unless you wards placed that will give you warning when an enemy comes to gank you. There are different zones in lane that determine how safe you are and if you are overextending or not. Below is a picture that demonstrates this:



To sum it up:

• Farm as much as possible
• Keep your creep score above your enemy's
• Practice constant movement to throw your enemy off
• Land your skillshots as much as you possibly can.
• Do not overextend without placing wards.
  

• Continue to farm and go for kills when jungler comes to gank
• If you are able to gank top or bottom lane for potential kills or assists.
• When towers are destroyed people will roam to help out other lanes.Be wary of this.
• At this point in the game possible 5v5 teamfights can occur.

Mid-Late Game

At this point in the game the first layer of turrets will probably be gone for one or both teams. This means fights are now 5v5 99% of the time and the winner will have some time to push lanes and at least damage towers. Because of this you must try to win as many teamfights as possible. In a balanced game a fight could go either way but in a one-sided game most of the time the fights will also be one-sided.

Keep building your build adjusting to what you need to survive and deal damage. Hopefully you have your core items in Rabadon's Deathcap, Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Void Staff. If you do not have these items by now then you are either behind in farm or are currently losing. Try to continue to farm up and get your items if you are behind.

To sum it up:

• First layers of turrets will be gone.
• 5v5 Teamfights will occur 99% of the time.
• If you win a teamfight use this time to push lanes or get buffs.
• Your core items should be built.
• Continue to farm as much as possible if you fall behind and try to catch up.

Late Game

Towards late game you should have about 5 full items built and almost every teamfight will end in one team being Aced. This means that every single member of one team will die in a fight thus leaving only minions to defend any turrets and inhibitors still standing. The team that wins can decide to push the lane to destroy as many towers and/or inhibitors as possible or if enough of them are alive they can go and take Baron Nashor to gain boosts.

At this stage of the game warding is important. Getting Vision Wards and Oracle's Elixir to ward Baron Nashor as and destroy enemy wards should be done. You should also ward the most commonly traveled paths in the jungle. This will allow you to see the enemy and prepare for a potential fight as well as keep an eye on Baron and your buffs.

All it takes for you to win in some games is to win a teamfight and Ace the enemy team. I have won many games on one Ace and pushed threw to kill the nexus. To avoid this you need to focus the enemy champion who deals the most damage and you must prepare for it and execute it as a team. You take out their AD carry and AP carry before you and your AD carry get taken out and you should be able to win the fight late game.

To sum it up:

• When late game arrives you should have at least 5 items fully built.
  
• Avoid being Aced and Ace the enemy team.
• Ward Baron Nashor as well as other heavily traveled spots.
• Sometimes all you need to win is to Ace the other team, coordinate with your team to ensure a team-fight win.

Brand's Enemies: A-G

Ahri

Ahri has become a real popular choice for mid lane since her release. She is a powerful caster with great mobility. Mobility is Brand's weakness as it will mess up your skill-shots causing you miss some important damage while she tears you apart. The key to beating Ahri relies on your ability to hit Sear and avoid Charm.


Tips:

• Do not allow yourself to be hit by Orb of Deception. It is a skill shot and will do magic damage on the way out and true damage on the way back.
• To halt Ahri in her tracks you must land Sear after you get her ablaze to stun her.
• Charm is a skill shot identical to Sear in that it will hit the first enemy it hits whether it be champion or minion. Stay behind you minions and keep moving when you try to use your Sear
• Ahri's mobility greatly increases when she hits level 6 and get Spirit Rush so keep this in mind when she is in lane and warn your teammates immediately when she disappears.

Akali

Akali is an assassin meaning she relies on dealing burst damage when coming out of the shadows and then immediately retreating when her job is done. She waits for the most opportune time to strike and will make you feel it. Early game she really doesn't do to much besides annoy you but once she reaches level 6 she gains mobility in Shadow Dance and can turn deadly really quickly.


Tips:

• When you get hit by Mark of the Assassin stay back and what for the spinning symbol above your head to go away. If she uses another ability that procs the mark on you she will do extra damage.
• Early game Akali is weak. Call for ganks and decimate her laning phase making it harder for her to become a threat.
• Shadow Dance is a gap closer. When you are low on health recall immediately as she can dive you and escape very quickly thanks to Shadow Dance.
• When Akali is in Twilight Shroud use Pillar of Flame in the shroud. It will hurt her if you land it. I have killed Akali many times when she used Twilight Shroud to escape and I used Pillar of Flame in the Shroud.

Anivia

Anivia is a very powerful mage. With a very good kit and a passive that grants her a second life she can wreck enemies with no problem. She does however have one MAJOR weakness that will help you win as a skill shot reliant champ. That weakness is low movement speed with no gap closer. Her low mobility should allow you to harass her relatively easily and you should have no problem defeating her as long as you know what to look for.


Tips:

• Anivia will use Flash Frost to try and stun you, getting you chilled. While chilled and stunned she will then use Frostbite to deal a lot of damage to you. This is the only way for her to do this before level 6. Just dodge the blue ice ball and you will be fine.
• Constantly harass Anivia with you combo as she has no built in Spell Vamp and will most like get a Catalyst the Protector as her first major item. If you can get her to her egg form by yourself that's awesome if not then call for a gank when you have her low.
• Anivia's Rebirth egg is her passive that when it is not on cooldown will allow her to go in a stationary egg form after you "kill" her. Once in that form you have 6 seconds to kill the egg before she comes back to life. If you cannot kill the egg in 6 seconds she will come back with the amount of health that the egg had left.
• Once Anivia reaches level 6 good luck in trying to push to her turret while she is in lane. She get Glacial Storm which is a pretty good sized AoE ability that acts like Amumu's Despair. You will be chilled if you stand in it allowing her to use Frostbite a lot easier.

Annie

This little pint-sized girl can be a real b*tch. Personally I believe that Brand is better than Annie overall however there is one thing that can really hurt you. Have you seen her bear Tibbers? "Dat Tibbers Stun" refers to Annie and her bear and if you haven't hear it already or have seen why that saying refers to her you will find out soon enough. Fortunately for Brand, Annie does not have long range like Malzahar so your chances of landing Pillar of Flame are even better and she has no mobility or gap closers.


Tips:

• Keep an eye on Annie at all times as you have to watch out for her passive Pyromania. You will see a circle around Annie (it's grey in her normal skin). She will hold onto it pretty long to try and stun you with Disintegrate and leave you wide open for ganks before level 6 so try to make her waste her stun on minions before attacking her.
• After level 6 you really have to watch out for Pyromania especially when 2v2 and 3v3 fights occur. This is because of the infamous "Tibbers Stun". Summon: Tibbers is her ult and is an initial AoE skill then becomes a moveable object that will auto-attack and deal damage to those that get too close to it. The initial AoE WILL TURN INTO AN AoE STUN if she has Pyromania up.
• Annie will rarely leave the lane because she rarely goes out of mana. This is thanks to Disintegrate which will refund her mana if it kills something. She will use this to farm constantly so the only real way to get her out of lane is to get her low or kill her.

Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia is a very good AP champ who in my opinion is on the verge of being slightly OP. Her really low cooldowns allow her to spam her skills endlessly with blue buff and if you not careful be poisoned all day. She has no reliable escape mechanisms though and her only addition to mobility is from Noxious Blast which she has to land on you to get. Like Brand mobility is Cassiopeia's weakness.


Tips:

• Cassiopeia will use Noxious Blast on a constant basis to farm and harass you. If she hits you you will be poisoned and she will gain a short movement speed boost. Stay back from Cassiopeia and away from your minions but do not let her zone you away. The proper distance will take experience to master.
• Along with Noxious Blast Cassiopeia will use Miasma to farm and harass you. Miasma is an AoE skill that starts out in a small circle and expands for 7 seconds. Avoid the circle on the ground and stay away from your minions once again.
• Avoiding Noxious Blast and Miasma is crucial because that leaves Twin Fang to not be used as often which is a good thing. If you get poisoned then simply back off and wait because Cassiopeia will just Twin Fang you to death if you stick around as its cooldown gets reduced to 0.5 seconds when an enemy is poisoned.
• Avoid Petrifying Gaze at all costs as it will immobilize you and do a lot of damage. Eventually you will learn when Cassiopeia will most likely use her ult. When you do start turning your back to her so that Petrifying Gaze only slows you instead of immobilizing you.

Diana

Diana is basically an Akali 1.5. She is very similiar to her in that she has a gap closing short cooldown ultimate and she has a skill that adds a "mark" to be consumed. Diana is a very deadly, and very tanky champion that if she gets going she can become an unstoppable force and a real pain in the butt to kill. I do not recommend Brand against her.


Tips:

• Crescent Strike is Diana's main harassing skill and damage dealer (not counting ultimate). It's a skill shot that is in the shape of a crescent moon. It will follow that path to you and will afflict "Moonlight" onto every target hit. As the game progresses Crescent Strike will be able to clear a whole wave of minions with no problem.
• Diana will use Crescent Strike and if you get hit then she is able to consume that Moonlight by using Lunar Rush, her ultimate. This is because if you are hit with Moonlight she can cast Lunar Rush to teleport to you without it having to go on cooldown allowing her to use it again.
• Once she teleports to you she will most likely use Moonfall to bring you towards her to stop you from escaping and slowing you. She can also use it to escape from you for the slow. Look for her to Crescent Strike -> Lunar Rush -> Moonfall -> Lunar Rush. This is dependent on when you use Flash as well. Don't let her scare you into using Flash before she uses Moonfall.
• Pale Cascade is a mix between Ahri's Fox-Fire and a shield. 3 orbs spin around Diana and create a shield for her. It is a pretty OP shield as it scales on the amount of ability power that Diana has. Also if all 3 spheres detonate then her shield is refreshed. She will use this to protect herself and do damage.
• Diana is very strong and has a gap closer like Akali. If you feed her a little bit she can spiral out of control and can dominate the game. For Brand this is scary and is someone that I would not recommend to go against as Brand.

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks is no longer a common choice in mid as I rarely see him at all. He is a very squishy champion who is found mostly in the jungle. He should not be a real challenge for you. You only need to watch out for his Terrify and Bountiful Harvest combo. Crowstorm is strong but can be stopped by you but it requires timing. Overall this is a relatively easy lane.


Tips:

• Early on in the first couple of levels or so you cannot really beat Fiddlesticks because any harass that you give can be taken away by Bountiful Harvest. So just focus on farming.
• When you get enough AP to combo Fiddlesticks down harass him and wait for him to use Bountiful Harvest then stun him in place with Sear to cut his Bountiful Harvest off. Then follow up with another combo.
• Fiddlesticks will use Reap to harass you. Simply stay away from your minions to avoid the damage and silence that Reap brings.
• Crowstorm is a powerful ultimate that can devastate teamfights especially when Fiddlesticks get Zhonya's Hourglass however he needs to channel first for 1.5 seconds before it activates. YOU NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!! Any type of CC will stop his ult so whenever you see him channeling try to land Conflagration and Sear as soon as possible to stun and interrupt him.

Fizz

Fizz is a very difficult and powerful champ in mid. You do not want to feed this guy. He has a gap closer that will hurt and will most likely end up messing with your skills. He also has a skill that will make him untargetable and will basically troll you with it. Fizz is not fun and you should play with extreme caution especially after level 6.


Tips:

• Playful / Trickster has a pretty long cooldown and is normally maxed last so take advantage of this. Whenever he uses it make sure to harass him as much as possible before he gets that skill back.
• If you go the route of getting Catalyst the Protector or use Health Potions stay away from Fizz as his Seastone Trident will reduce the healing that these items provide by 50%.
• Once Fizz reaches level 6 he gets Chum the Waters which will slow you and knock you up in the air while dealing damage. There are multiple ways to dodge this. Look for the fish that gets sent out first and move out of the way, buy a Quicksilver Sash and use the active to avoid the shark, use Zhonya's Hourglass to absorb the damage, or use the shield from Banshee's Veil to block it.
• Call for ganks early on Fizz and try to stun him as often as possible so it is easier to harass him and kill him.

Galio

This guy is a big fat pain in the a*s. His passive converts Magic Resistance into AP. Yeah you read that right. So what can you expect to see a lot of on Galio? The answer is Magic Resistance. With Sorcerer's Shoes you can see how much damage you do to him. If it is not a lot then turn the lane into a farming lane.


Tips:

• Call for ganks early and when or if you get Galio low to get him out of your lane as much as possible so you can farm peacefully without his constant harass.
• Galio will use Righteous Gust to conceal Resolute Smite so that he deals considerable damage to you without letting you react. Keep an eye out for that constantly and keep moving to decrease the chance of getting caught.
• Do not attack Galio while he has his shield Bulwark up. He gets more resistances and the more you try to attack him the more he will get health back.
• When Galio uses Righteous Gust to try and catch you if you are retreating you must land one of your skills and then hit him with Sear to stun him. Righteous Gust grants Galio movement speed in the wind tunnel s he can catch up to you.
• I recommend taking Quicksilver Sash, or Banshee's Veil to counter Idol of Durand as well as taking Flash so you can get out of it. You will need to break the taunt on you so that you do not get damaged. Be wary of the Flash+Ult combo and Galio hiding in bushes to increase your chances of avoiding the ult.

Gragas

Gragas is a fun champion and as his character model suggests he gets pretty tanky with no items in comparison to other AP champions but none of the other AP champions are as fat so it kinda makes sense. He has a very strong kit in a strong harass move, a gap closer and escape mechanism, a health regeneration passive, and skill that increases damage output and reduces damage intake. The hardest part on Gragas is the ability to use his ultimate correctly. This will make or break a fight.


Tips:

• Gragas will use Barrel Roll to constantly harass you. He can make it explode on impact or wait 5 seconds until it explodes on its own. Keep away from your minions as he will farm with this move as well. Try to avoid as many barrels as you can.
• Gragas will use Drunken Rage to restore mana but it leaves him vulnerable and unable to move for one second. Use this second to harass him or stun him if he already has Blaze on him. Communicate with your jungler. Let them know when his mana gets low so if you can stun him your jungler can gank.
• Avoid Body Slam at all costs you will be slowed by 35% if hit which leaves you vulnerable for ganks or more harassment from Gragas. He can use Body Slam to escape and go through walls so keep that in mind if you are chasing him.
• His ultimate Explosive Cask is what makes or breaks a good Gragas and can have a huge impact on a teamfight. He throws a cask that hits the ground and will knock any enemies caught in it back. If it is placed wrong he could save you from dying. If it is placed right you could be killed instantly. Banshee's Veil and Zhonya's Hourglass can protect you however Zhonya's Hourglass will require excellent timing.

Brand's Enemies: H-N

Heimerdinger

This little yordle is a pain in the butt early game because of his turrets. They produce a lot of damage the entire game and can wreck you early on. Because of his turrets Heimerdinger is a pusher which means that he will kill your minions faster then you can kill his especially early game. Luckily Heimerdinger lacks strong movement speed, escape mechanisms, and weak defenses causing him to be a squishy target mid-late game.


Tips:

• Thanks to Heimerdinger's H-28G Evolution Turrets he will push your lane rather quickly. You can either let him and farm under your turret or once you get some AP fire back at him by using your farm combo to try and keep the lane neutral and frozen. I would farm under the turret until I get that AP and then try to counter-push him.
• Avoid Hextech Micro-Rockets by keeping your distance from Heimerdinger. Some players will max this first. In this case you really need to stay back as this skill will hurt you pretty good.
• Since Heimerdinger is so squishy you should kill him rather quickly. Do so will land a kill but will also destroy any of his H-28G Evolution Turrets that he has placed on the ground.
• Be careful of UPGRADE!!! as it will make every single one of Heimerdinger's abilities stronger and more powerful for a period of time. His turrets will change color and slow you so pay attention to the color of the turrets so that way you do not get CC'ed.

Karthus

"Press R to Win" Karthus is a great asset to any team. He has a ridiculous slow and constant AoE spell along with his "Skittles" which can hurt a lot if you keep getting hit by them. Overall Karthus is a pretty weak champion in terms of defenses but is meant to die in battle to accomplish his job so you need to watch out for Karthus in teamfights.


Tips:

• Karthus will use Lay Waste to farm and harass you at the same time. Lay Waste will do double damage if it only hits one unit.
• Karthus is famous for his ultimate Requiem. This is an ultimate that will hurt EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM regardless of where they are on the map. When Karthus reaches level 6 you must warn your team immediately as well as let them know whenever Kathus is missing because he might be off channeling Requiem.
• If Karthus channels Requiem right in front of you try to get him ablaze and stun him with Sear so that you interrupt his channeling. Otherwise Banshee's Veil will protect you from it if the shield is up and Zhonya's Hourglass will protect you just make sure to activate it in time.
• Death Defied will allow Karthus to continue to use any of his spells for 7 seconds after he dies. In a teamfight Karthus will save Requiem until after he dies. He will also activate Wall of Pain to slow you and keep you in Defile while hitting you with Lay Waste. So once you kill him try to move the fight away.

Kassadin

I really hate Kassadin. He is an anti-mage champion that runs on AP. He has a silence, a slow, and an ultimate that allows him to teleport to a location. Like I have said before mobility is Brand's weakness and unfortunately Kassadin has that in his ultimate. You will miss your skills during the course of the game against him and you will get your a** kicked if you are not careful.


Tips:

• Before level 6 you must harass Kassadin and deny him farm as much as possible. If you can kill him that is even better. Try to get ahead of him as much as you possibly can so you can be more prepared for when he reaches level 6.
• In order to kill Kassadin after level 6 you MUST be able to land Sear and stun him as his Riftwalk will allow him to just escape very easily. He can go through walls with Riftwalk and will also use it to combo you.
• To help against Kassadin's harass get a Negatron Cloak and if you have to buy a Hextech Revolver. ALWAYS keep Health Potions on you at all times.

Katarina

Katarina is a champion that if she gets fed is capable of killing the whole team by herself. She has a blink which allows her to jump from location to location keeping you on your toes and making you miss your skill-shots repeatedly. Her passive and ultimate combination in teamfights makes her ridiculously deadly and is not to be estimated at any point in a game.


Tips:

• You must pay attention to what Katarina is maxing first. Keep an eye out on how much damage Bouncing Blades does. If it increases and Katarina hasn't gone back for any items then she is maxing Bouncing Blades first. If it does not increase then that means she is maxing Sinister Steel first.
• Whenever Katarina tries to use Death Lotus try to stun her as quickly as possible with Sear to stop it in her tracks and render her useless for a short time. This will help save your team and more than likely your own life.
• Thanks to Voracity if an ally falls in battle and Katarina gets a kill or an assist her cooldowns get reduced by 15 seconds which means that you can definitely expect Katarina to not take a break in her onslaught and continue it again. Because of this passive it is possible to expect to see Death Lotus more than one time in a teamfight.
• Sinister Steel is Katarina's new "W" skill. This is an AoE attack that will proc the mark left by Bouncing Blades to deal extra damage. Avoid getting near Katarina if you get hit by Bouncing Blades so it makes it harder for her to hit Sinister Steel on you.

Kennen

This little yordle can be a real pain the but and can and will hurt you a lot if you let him. He will build sustain and it will almost become impossible to kick him out of lane. As a Kennen player I can last in lane for a long time without recalling with just Health Potions and a Hextech Revolver. Kennen has many stun combinations up his sleeve and can leave you a sitting duck for a gank so be wary of this midget.


Tips:

• Avoid his Thundering Shuriken as much as you can. It is a collision skillshot so it is exactly the same as Sear. Stay behind your minions to avoid it. Getting hit by Thundering Shuriken will add a Mark of the Storm onto you.
• Mark of the Storm is Kennen's passive. It stacks up to 3 lightning balls on you. On the third ball you will be stunned. So keep a count on how many balls you have floating around you. Thundering Shuriken, Lightning Rush, Slicing Maelstrom, and Electrical Surge will all add a Mark of the Storm onto you so be careful.
• Electrical Surge has 2 ways of adding a Mark of the Storm onto you. It's passive will let Kennen supercharge an Auto-attack to get a mark onto you. Then the active will add another Mark of the Storm onto you.
• Lightning Rush is Kennen's reliable escape mechanism. With this skill, unless he uses it to hit minions, Kennen becomes virtually ungankable unless he is pushed really far or if your jungler has a lot of CC he can land on him.
• Slicing Maelstrom is his ultimate that will probably end up getting you stunned at least twice in a 1v1 fight. Try to stun him with Sear to have a chance to run back and attack him from a distance. This AoE ultimate is very powerful so do not underestimate it.

LeBlanc

F*ck LeBlanc


Tips:

• LeBlanc is a very very powerful and rather frightening snowball caster. The moment she gets a few kills early game she is already above you and can buy the items that will let her 100 to 0 you faster then you can hit the button to Flash. She is an early-mid game champ though so if you can hold out till late game you should hopefully be able to recover.
• Best way to counter LeBlanc is to build early magic resist. Whether you buy an early Negatron Cloak or rush an early Banshee's Veil a strong early defense will greatly help hold you till mid-late game.
• Watch out for Distortion as she can teleport to a location and choose to teleport back or not. She will use this to escape especially against early ganks as well as use it to be aggressive against you.
• Keep the lane neutral and DO NOT FEED HER!!! At all cost do not ever feed LeBlanc and make sure that you warn your team when she is missing with M.I.As as well as pinging the direction you see her go in.
• Do not get hit with Ethereal Chains. They will latch onto you and if they stay will stun you and leave you wide open for LeBlanc to whoop your butt from one side of Summoner's Rift to the other.
• If LeBlanc hits you with Sigil of Silence stay far away from LeBlanc so she does not use Distortion to fly at you and trigger the mark about your head and silence you.

Lux

Lux the Lady of Luminosity can be a very powerful foe if the player is good. She is an AP powerhouse with a touch of support which makes her even more dangerous. Her spell combo can be dangerous and leave you wide open to be taken down by the rest of her team. Her ultimate is deals a lot of damage and comes with a short cooldown. Lux lacks mobility which is good for you so constant movement is the key to beating Lux.


Tips:

• Lux's range is pretty long and will throw Lucent Singularity to slow and harass you. If you get stuck in the slow and you are wide open she might also throw Light Binding to immobilize you leaving you open for more harass or a gank.
• Light Binding is a skill shot that will collide with the first thing it hits however keep in mind that it will hit the first target and if you are standing behind it Light Binding will hit you as well. Stay clear of your minions when she tries to combo.
• Final Spark has a very long range so be very careful when you are low on health. If you have base do not just stand at your turret but move farther back. Also warn your team with M.I.A.s when Lux goes missing as she can snip a kill or two in a different lane without them knowing she is there.
• When you get hit by one of Lux's spells you will get a ball of light on you and that is her passive Illumination. Like Kennen's Mark of the Storm, you want to wait until the ball of light leaves you to get in the range of Lux because all she needs to activate it is to auto-attack you to activate it. Be extremely careful later because some Lux's get Lich Bane which will make it hurt really bad when Illumination gets activated.

Malzahar

Malzahar has incredible range and can just sit back and farm all day without being touched. He has a powerful combo and can do a lot of damage quickly and can keep you silenced and suppressed for a long period of time. You gotta take this guy out as soon as possible as he can kill you or your AD carry by himself if you give him the opportunity.

Tips:

• Malzahar will use Malefic Visions for free farming. If a unit dies before Malefic Visions is over it will transfer to another minion or you if you are close enough. Stay away from your minions to avoid getting Malefic Visions onto you.
• Call of the Void is a skill shot that has a lot of range. You want to really avoid getting hit by this as it will deal a lot of damage early on and will silence you for a stupid amount of time late game. Constantly move around to avoid Call of the Void.
• If Malzahar gets fed or starts to become a big problem in the game buy a Quicksilver Sash to counter his Nether Grasp, Malefic Visions and Ignite. The moment you counter his Nether Grasp the less useful he will become in a fight. When you get immobilized while taking damage use Quicksilver Sash to stop it.
• Thanks to Malzahar's skills and passive Summon Voidling he will push the lane pretty hard very often so try to keep up in farm and if you fall behind or feel that you will then go the Kage's Lucky Pick route to keep up in gold.

Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser is a very tanky AP champion. He has a shield that increases the more damage he does up to a cap. This will allow him to deal with your harass without losing a lot of health. He is powerful and can be a force to be reckoned with in mid-late game if he gets fed.


Tips:

• Mordekaiser is a natural pusher so he will keep the lane pushed while trying to harass you. His harass will hurt especially in the early game on you. Buy early magic resist to keep the damage down as well as use Pillar of Flame on the ranged minions to farm them when he pushes.
• Zhonya's Hourglass will help stall the damage on Children of the Grave if it gets put on you. This is his ultimate. If you need something stronger then get Quicksilver Sash to completely cancel the ultimate to get it off of you.
• Thanks to Iron Man, Mordekaiser will gain a shield increasing the more he damages targets with abilities. The best time to attack him is when he shield gets low and with a jungler by our side to take him down. Late game it might take more than 2 of you to kill him.
• If his harass gets to be too much for you to handle then play cautiously, try not feed, and try to keep Health Potions with you at all times.

Morgana

Morgana is a pretty powerful and very tanky AP carry. She has some game-changing skills in her ultimate and her snare. For this reason you will find her banned often in ranked games. When she is not banned however you can be pretty sure that someone will pick her even if they are not that great with her just so one team can have her. She is very slow however compared to a lot of people and will rely on Flash and Zhonya's Hourglass for escape or using her ultimate to its true potential.


Tips:

• Morgana will use Dark Binding to try and snare you and then use Tormented Shadow under you do deal maximum damage. To avoid this stand behind your minions so that she has to use Tormented Shadow to farm them and Dark Binding will hit minions if they are inbetween you and Morgana
• Soul Shackles will deal damage on impact but will leash a pink line between you and Morgana. Flash away to try and break the line because if you do not it will deal extra damage and stun you. A combo that some Morgana players use is to Flash into a fight then use Soul Shackles then use Zhonya's Hourglass so that you cannot kill her and you get stunned.
• Black Shield will protect Morgana from a certain amount of magic damage and will negate the stun on Sear so keep that in mind. Try to get Morgana to waste the shield before going in for a kill. Also keep in mind that the shield WILL NOT stop AD damage. Some Morgana players think it will stop them from getting hit from anything and it does not just magical damage.

Brand's Enemies: O-Z

Orianna

Orianna is a very skill dependent champion. The person playing her has to understand her and be able to combo her ball to meet the situation at hand. Players will either be good with Orianna or suck with her pretty badly. You want the sucky ones as they will become food for you to feed on.


Tips:

• Orianna will use Command: Attack to harass you and weaken your minions. If you get struck by the wall she will probably use Command: Dissonance to deal more damage and slow you for more harass from another Command: Attack. Try to move around and avoid getting zoned by Orianna. She is good at it thanks to her ball.
• To also avoid getting zoned harass Orianna with your combo causing her to retreat and use Command: Protect to save her. If her ball is away from her it will take a second or two for the ball to come back so use this to land Pillar of Flame or Sear.
• Watch out for Command: Shockwave as it will cause you to be knocked back towards the ball if you are in range. It will deal damage and could knock you back into the enemy team which would most certainly get you killed.

Ryze

Ryze is a burst mage the will build extremely tanky and will become pretty powerful. All of his spells deal more damage based on more AP AND MANA. Because of this he can afford to build items like Banshee's Veil and Frozen Heart before any AP items and still become a threat. A fed Ryze sucks to go up against so you need to avoid that.


Tips:

• Ryze has medium range and so you need to keep your distance to avoid being harassed. If you become overly greedy you will find yourself getting hit with Rune Prison which will snare you and then he will hit you with Overload.
• Ryze's cooldowns are naturally short so be expected to get hit hard and often if you overextend. Rune Prison will play a big role in helping Ryze kill you when his jungler comes to gank you. SO STAY BACK!! and use Pillar of Flame for long-distance harass.
• Ryze can pack a punch but he is slow so try to gank him often and stun him with Sear for an even easier fight. You will more than likely be hit with Rune Prison to try and stop you but it can only hit one target so your jungler can continue to punish Ryze.
• Mid-late game Ryze will become very hard to burst down so you might want to focus on the AD carry first along with the next squishiest champion. Then tackle Ryze with 2 or 3 people. It would be even better if you can catch him out of position and kill him away from his team.

Swain

Swain is a beefy AP carry. He has a slow and a snare and has incredible sustain in lane and fights after level 6. He can be a great threat mid-late game and is someone that needs to be shut down early and put behind as possible to help increase your chances of winning against Swain.


Tips:

• Swain is not the best of farmers however that does not mean that he cannot last hit. Thanks to Carrion Renewal Swain will recover mana everytime he kills a unit. This combined with blue buff and a Catalyst the Protector can let Swain sit in lane all day without going out of mana.
• While Swain has a lot of sustain and health a great way to counter this is to take Ignite. The combination of these two items will decimate the healing done on Ravenous Flock. You can also stick with Deathfire Grasp to burst him down thanks to his high health. The choice is up to you.
• Swain will use Torment to harass you. It is a pretty strong damage of time skill so do not stick around with very low health.
• Swain can and will use Decrepify to slow you which will make it easier for him to land Nevermove to snare you in place to further harass you with his ultimate. Do not get to close to him and constantly move around.

Syndra

Syndra is a great thought out champion who is the first to have the ability to manipulate minions to do her bidding and cause damage to the enemy. The only problem with her is that her damage is nothing special and is rather weak late game. She has recently received buffs but I have not played with her or against her enough to see a difference. She also has an issue with needing to get close to use her ult which makes her an easy target.


Tips:

• Syndra's main harassing tool is Dark Sphere. This is her spam ability and is the ability necessary to make her combos work. It has a low cooldown and is pretty dodge-able. If you constantly move and keep your patterns unpredictable you will make landing this skill difficult for her.
• Force of Will allows Syndra to pick up a landed Dark Sphere or enemy minion and throw in at a target location. If an enemy is hit then they are damaged and slowed. Syndra can pick up many different things with this ability including: Yorick's Ghouls, Heimerdinger's Turrets, Zyra's plants, Shaco's boxes, Annie's Tibbers, Malzahar's Voidling pet, blue buff, red buff, and minions. This is another skill-shot so constantly move around to avoid getting hit and slowed.
• Scatter the Weak is Syndra's knockback skill and is rather inconsistent. The range by itself on the skill is very small making it pretty lackluster. If a Dark Sphere is on the ground she can hit it backwards. Where it will go though is not visible to the player so figuring out where it will land it hard for the player sometimes. If you get hit with a sphere by Scatter the Weak you will be stunned.
• Her ultimate Unleashed Power is meant to be a huge nuking ultimate to one target namely you or your AD carry. To take FULL advantage of her ultimate however she needs to plant a couple of Dark Spheres on the ground so that way she can hit you with as many spheres as possible. The 3 spheres floating around her and all the ones on the ground will hit you when she uses her ult leaving a bunch of spheres on the ground to be manipulated by Force of Will or Scatter the Weak.

Talon

Talon is an AD version of Kassadin. He is an anti-mage champion and is meant to burst and kill squishy targets such as yourself. This will not be a fun lane I can promise you that. Talon will roam and if anyone underestimates him he will get fed and will become a problem. Lucky towards end-game Talon starts to fall off thanks to enemies getting tankier and him not being able to kill as quickly.


Tips:

• Talon should go mid 99% of the time. This usually means that in top lane there will be an AP champion so I recommend that you swap lanes with your bruiser to deal with Talon in mid while you deal with the AP in top lane.
• Rake is Talon's main harass move. He will use it to farm and try to harass you as well. You will get slowed if hit by Rake. Since Talon is a melee champ try to harass him from afar when he tries to last hit if you have to face him.
• Talon can open with Rake to slow you and then use Cutthroat to jump to you and silence you then use Noxian Diplomacy to amplify his damage and do some serious burst. If he didn't open with Rake he will use it after Noxian Diplomacy.
• Shadow Assault will follow his combo after level 6 and does serious damage as his blades come out and come back in. When his blades go out Talon will enter stealth and gain a movement speed bonus allowing him to escape you unharmed while you get dealt a lot of damage.
• Try to farm as much as you can and when the laning phase ends DO NOT go off by yourself to places that you cannot see in the Fog of War. Talon is an assassin and can be hiding anywhere waiting for you. He will kill you faster then you can type or say "Help!". Same goes for teamfights. Stick with your team and do not get separated.

Twisted Fate

Twisted Fate is a pretty fun champion to play with. He can be built AD or AP. Normally mid lane Twisted Fate is AP and so I will be giving tips on how to deal with AP Twisted Fate. It will rely on a lot of movement and landing your combos. [{Twisted Fate]] is very squishy and it will not take too much to kill him as long as you do not allow him to pick you off all day. Remember AVOID THE PAPERCUTS!


Tips:

• Pick A Card will allow Twisted Fate to have his next basic attack do something special based on what color card he chooses. Blue card will give Twisted Fate mana back based on 65% of the damage his next basic attack does. Yellow card will make his next auto-attack stun you. Look for this card when you are ready to be ganked. Red card will slow you movement speed and deal extra magic damage. This card will be used the least out of his cards.
• When Twisted Fate gets some AP items Wild Cards will start to hurt you pretty badly. He will throw three cards in a cone in front of him. They will spread farther out the more they travel. YOU HAVE TO DODGE THESE! If you don't you will find yourself at low health very often which is not what you want.
• After level 6 you must be on constant lookout for Twisted Fate's ultimate Destiny. To start you will see a symbol above your head. This symbol lets the enemy team see you for a short period of time. While this is up Twisted Fate can teleport to anyone to assist in ganks. Make your team aware that he is level 6 and when he ults try to stun him with Sear to halt him and call M.I.As whenever he leaves the lane.

Veigar

This tiny master of evil can be a devastating late game champion unless he is dealt with early game. Veigar has the ability to 100-0 squishies exceptionally fast and unlike LeBlanc shines mid-late game. Early game for Veigar is all about farming AP and gold for late game.


Tips:

• Early on in the laning phase, Veigar will use Baleful Strike to farm up AP. He will use it to last hit. Try to harass Veigar as much as possible to prevent his AP farm and while he is most vulnerable.
• Because of low mobility Veigar relies on using Event Horizon to stun you so he has a better chance to land Dark Matter. If he doesn't stun you on impact keep moving inside of Event Horizon to make it harder for Veigar to land Dark Matter.
• If you have trouble against Veigar buy some early magic resist and get a Banshee's Veil or Quicksilver Sash to wipe out the stun from Event Horizon. Then try to keep up in farm and get as many ganks as possible.
• Primordial Burst is absolutely ridiculous against AP champions. He does base damage and then more damaged based on the amount of AP that his target has. Against you it will hurt really badly and combined with Deathfire Grasp you could be 100-0'ed before you can do anything.
• Equilibrium will allow Veigar to stay in lane for a long time without going out of mana. This combined with blue buff will have Veigar staying in lane for a very long time. Get his health low or kill him to get him out of lane for a while.

Viktor

Viktor, The Machine Herald, is an underplayed and underrated champion however when played properly can be a real powerful foe and a major threat to your team. He has a slow/stun, a dangerous poke and a movement speed boosting shield. You can beat him have no fear about that but because experience against this champion may be low you must be on your guard and play smartly. Get careless and Viktor could seriously punish you for it.


Tips:

• For maximum damage Viktor will max Death Ray first. If he does it he will be easier to harass as long as you can avoid Death Ray. For maximum utility he will max Power Transfer first. He will be harder to harass but his damage will be lower.
• Power Transfer will do damage to you and will return 40% of that damage done to Viktor in the form of a shield for 3 seconds. Wait to harass him until the shield is gone. Use Conflagration first then stun him with Sear. Lastly follow up with Pillar of Flame.
• Gravity Field is an AoE slow/stun however it will take a second or two to fully set up. Try to avoid it and escape it as quickly as you can. Once set up you will be slowed and if you stay in it for too long you will be stunned leaving you open for Death Ray and potential ganks.
• Chaos Storm will silence you for a brief time and will do a really good amount of damage to you over time. It can affect multiple targets. You want to shut Viktor down before he gets his full combo off or before Chaos Storm can do too much damage.

Vladimir

Vladimir has become a very popular choice for mid and top lanes as of late especially in ranked games. He has amazing sustain thanks to his Q and if he gets fed can deal an incredible amount of damage while healing rather rapidly. He can quickly spiral out of control if you do not pay attention and you must shut him down if he does.

Tips:

• Transfusion is Vladimir's main harassing ability and source of sustain. Early game it has a long cooldown and so you must take advantage of that by successfully harassing Vladimir. As he levels it up though the cooldown plummets to a very short cooldown. He will use it constantly to harass. Call for ganks when you feel overwhelmed.
• Sanguine Pool will allow Vladimir to dodge your skill with no problems. So whenever this skill is on cooldown you must make sure to MAKE YOUR HARASS COUNT! Land everything and stun him with Sear to hit him hard. Make sure to set-up a gank where you land Sear and his Sanguine Pool is on cooldown.
• Thanks to Vladimir relying on health regeneration and spell vamp he is one of the perfect champions to use the effects of Morello's Evil Tome and Ignite on. Reduce the amount of healing you can do by as much as you can and you will already be on your way of killing him.

Xerath

Xerath is a pretty underplayed champion which is a shame because his incredibly long range and power makes him really dangerous. He does take some skill to use him at his full potential though so that might be why he is underplayed. Xerath can sit back and snipe you in teamfights without ever being pick on. For this reason it is best to ward around popular teamfight locations so that way you can spot him and kill him.


Tips:

• Smart Xerath's will use their really long range to harass you. The combination of Locus of Power and Arcanopulse has very long range and strong harass if he can hit it. The only bright side is that while he is in Locus of Power he is unable to move so if you can dodge Arcanopulse then rush up to him and harass him with your combo and retreat.
• If you are targeted with Mage Chains stay back and avoid all of Xerath's next abilities as much as you can until the orb above your head goes away. If you get hit with another ability you will be stunned leaving you open for harass and potential ganks.
• Arcane Barrage gets to be cast 3 times within short periods of each other. Try to dodge them as much as you can because it will definitely hurt if you get hit will all 3 of them. This will stun you if you have Mage Chains on you.
• Xerath likes to hide behind walls and flank you and use Locus of Power to take full advantage of his range. Use wards and keep an eye on the amount of enemies that are in front of you when a teamfight occurs. If it is 4 people then try to find Xerath and stop him without getting yourself killed.

Ziggs

This little yordle can do a lot of damage very quickly and can harass very efficiently. However, Ziggs as a very bad weakness and that is very bad mobility. His only escape skill is very unreliable and takes a lot of practice to use consistently. If you can manage to dodge his harass and land yours you will win this lane with no issue but you have to do it. Careless mistakes can get Ziggs fed and dangerous.


Tips:

• Ziggs will max Bouncing Bomb first and will use it to harass you the most. AS he levels it up and gets AP he can use it to completely wipe out your caster minions. You should move away from your minions and make him decide whether to farm or harass you. If you dodge Bouncing Bomb do not run backwards as the bomb can bounce up to 3 times. So run sideways instead.
• Ziggs will try to zone you with Hexplosive Minefield and then throw Bouncing Bomb at you. With not too many places to go you might get hit but try not to. Ziggs will do this more when he gets desperate and it costs a lot of mana to keep it up. Make him go out of mana to chase him from lane.
• Watch out for Short Fuse. This will allow Ziggs to deal extra damage on his next auto-attack. Try not to let him hit you with it often. His bomb will light up so keep an eye on that. Makes him waste it on minions to save you from getting serious damage.
• Call M.I.A. whenever Ziggs leaves the lane. He could be moving to get in range of throwing his ultimate Mega Inferno Bomb. If he throws it at you during a fight watch the circle indicator on the ground. Do not stand in the middle of the circle as you will be the dealt the most amount of damage if you do. If you cannot move out of the way either use Flash to escape or use Zhonya's Hourglass to soak up the damage.

Zyra

Zyra is a very powerful mid champion that brings a lot of utility to a fight and has the potential to do a lot of damage pretty quickly. With a slow, snare, and knock-up she brings so much to teamfights as well as having a strong laning phase. However with some movement I have found Brand to be a very good pick against Zyra as he can use her plants to have Pyroclasm bounce and hit her as well as his early burst is greater.


Tips:

• Rise of the Thorns will activate when Zyra dies. It will deal true damage in a certain direction and will go through any champions in its path. Whenever you kill Zyra continue to move around to try and juke this. If you don't and you are low enough she can kill you.
• Zyra's skills revolve around her usage of Rampant Growth. She will place a seed in a location. If she uses Deadly Bloom (an AoE effect spell) over the seed it will turn into a plant and shoot at you dealing magic damage.
• Grasping Roots is a skillshot and if it hits you it will end up rooting you in place. She can use this time to drop Rampant Growth beneath you and hit you with Deadly Bloom dealing a lot of damage from her spell and the plant made.
• Stranglethorns is a huge AoE ultimate that will deal initial damage and then will knock-up all enemies still in the ultimate's area when her "thorns' recede. This is can be a huge turn around in teamfights if you all get too bunched up together. To make it easier for her to land she can cast Grasping Roots on a seed to make a plant that will reduce your movement speed. Be careful in teamfights and try to take her out as quick as possible.