Brand/Strategy

Skill usage

 * Deciding what spell to apply first with is a very important factor when engaging the enemy.
 * If you are able to cast your spells quickly, can actually be very effective at close range. Close proximity allows  to hit a lot easier, so if  is used just before the missile hits, the stun is very reliable.
 * has the longest cooldown of all non-ultimate abilities. Because of this, it is not the best ability to kill a single champion.
 * can easily clear minion waves. will allow  to deal Area of Effect damage due to the active  debuff.
 * An effective combo to clear minion waves is to use on a minion positioned close to the middle of the wave,  the Blazed minion, then  all Blazed minions to deal increased damage.
 * A great time to use is when two enemy champions are standing close to each other.
 * By using bounce,  can cast on a nearby enemy and subsequently hit, or even kill, a weakened enemy Champion who would otherwise be out of range.
 * does not prioritize Champions, so avoid casting it when close to minions or neutral monsters.
 * Remember that, like , is primarily a combo champion. Using one spell at a time is a huge waste of damage potential, and it's better to stay at the back of the fight while waiting for your cooldowns on one of your 3 main abilities.
 * When you are focused on one champion, your combo should usually be, , then . This combo allows to stun, ensuring the enemy will be in the AoE for  and offering little time for them to retaliate. If you are fast enough, you may be able to cast  first and, while the missile is on its way to the target, hit them with  before it connects and throw down.
 * When you want to do maximum damage to multiple enemies, pick a target, cast at them, after  is applied, cast  to hit multiple targets and apply  to each one, then finish with . This combo, if all hits connect, can do huge Area of Effect damage. If your  is off cooldown, throw it out as soon as enemies are grouped together enough.
 * makes an excellent choice as a solo laner as the AoE, combo-effectiveness and spammability of his spells allows him to farm minions quite well and keep opponents out of exp range and from last-hitting minions.

Build usage

 * Because is a mid-range caster, he greatly benefits from  and . These items are of moderate-expensive cost and provide a great amount of survivability.
 * The unique active from the will help keep yourself alive in a pinch and allow you to wait for cooldowns.
 * The health from the combined with the armor from  will make  more resilient, on top of the offensive benefits of having more ability power.
 * Items that provide magic penetration such as, , and are good for  since his passive  does not benefit from ability power but does benefit from magic penetration.
 * Getting every one of those items will sacrifice a great deal of other stats like health and resistances, so getting all 3 isn't recommended.
 * is another item which can accomplish the same effect for, though the effect is less reliable for him so it should only be considered if you find yourself in need of magic resistance.
 * will be very effective for since he deals a lot of AoE damage, and since the proc effect adds slows to his abilities. It also keeps his enemies in range of his skill shots and helps slow champions to make it harder to avoid the bounces on his ultimate. It even adds to his passive, effectively giving everyone you hit a 4s slow even after you stop casting.
 * is very useful on since he deals all magic damage to provide healing via spell vamp. Note that spell vamp only has a 33% effect with AoE spells and does work with his passive
 * Survivability items are essential for due to his very low health and defensive stats. Even a fed  can be taken down fairly quickly and/or easily if he does not accomodate for his lack of survivability.

Countering

 * When playing against, remember that he is a combo-based champion. Interrupting his cast flow is detrimental to his damage output.
 * is very combo dependent, so stuns and silences can be very effective counters during team fights.
 * When he is at a distance, is easy to dodge, but be careful about getting near him in a fight if you are squishy.
 * Be careful about facing 1v1 or 2v1 (with  being the one).  1v1 damage output is still great despite having AoE spells, he has a 2 second stun from  while the target is . 2v1 would be even worse after he hits level 6, as his ultimate will be able to do tremendous damage to you and your teammate.
 * When fighting against in a team fight, try not to stick close to your teammates.  AoEs spells are rather small but very deadly.
 * When is applied to you, be very careful about getting within  range, especially if he can hit you with, as this opens you up to a lot of burst damage.
 * During laning, be careful about being on the wrong side of your minions when against . With his full combo, he can deal a large amount of damage while stunning you to prevent retaliation.
 * Your team should scatter to avoid taking massive AoE damage from Brand, especially after he casts.
 * does not focus Champions, so try to pass it off onto a group of minions or jungle monsters.
 * Another tactic to block his combo is to buy as it negates one spell.  cannot utilize his full combo if one of his spell is blocked.

Champion Spotlight
vvuAw6KNn2E