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Brand Guide

Ability numbers checked on patch 26.21 · Strategy reviewed: October 2026

Brand splash art for this Brand guide

Brand plays the bot lane as the Burning Vengeance fire-stacking mage-support on patch 26.22. Sear fires a line that stuns enemies already afflicted by Blaze. Pillar of Flame erupts after a delay, dealing bonus damage against Blaze-afflicted enemies. Conflagration lands on a single enemy; if they are already Blaze-afflicted, the ability spreads to nearby enemies. Pyroclasm fires a bouncing fireball that chains between enemies (prioritizing champions).

Brand’s Data Dragon file lists him under Mage and Support tags, 4 out of 10 difficulty rating, 550 ranged auto range, and Mana as the pool. His Blaze passive applies a stacking burn on ability hits; the 3-stack trigger detonates for massive AoE damage.

Abilities and role

Brand’s lane plan on patch 26.22 is the bot-lane support fire-mage. The Blaze 3-stack trigger plus Sear stun chain plus Pyroclasm bouncing fireball covers committed teamfight burst; his Pillar of Flame delayed eruption pre-stages the all-in burst setup.

Blaze (Passive)

Brand’s abilities apply a stacking burn on hit (3 stacks). The 3-stack trigger detonates for massive AoE damage based on target’s max HP. For what it’s worth, Blaze is Brand’s primary burst-trade engine; weave Q plus W plus E chain for the 3-stack detonation on the enemy ADC.

Sear (Q)

Brand fires a line projectile. If the first enemy hit is already Blaze-afflicted, Sear stuns them for 1.75 seconds. 8 to 6 second cooldown, 60 mana. The Q is Brand’s primary CC chain tool; a committed Pillar of Flame followed by Sear stuns the enemy ADC for an all-in burst chain.

Pillar of Flame (W)

Brand drops a delayed eruption at a target location. Enemies hit take damage; if they are already Blaze-afflicted, Pillar of Flame deals bonus damage. 10 to 8 second cooldown, 70 to 110 mana. The W is Brand’s primary wave-clear tool AND damage ability; a committed Pillar of Flame on the enemy ADC during cannon-wave resets lands bonus damage.

Conflagration (E)

Brand lands a magic missile on a single enemy; if they are already Blaze-afflicted, Conflagration spreads to nearby enemies. 13 to 9 second cooldown, 70 mana. The E is Brand’s primary spreading-damage tool; a committed Conflagration on a Blaze-afflicted enemy spreads the burn to all nearby enemies.

Pyroclasm (R)

Brand fires a bouncing fireball that chains between enemies (prioritizing champions). Each bounce deals damage. 100 to 80 second cooldown, 100 mana. The R is Brand’s primary teamfight burst tool; a committed Pyroclasm against grouped enemies bounces between 5 champions for an all-in burst payoff.

Build and item spikes

Brand’s lane start pairs Spellthief’s Edge (support starter) with 2 Potions. First item is Liandry’s Torment for the burn-plus-HP sustain that compounds with Blaze stacks.

Slot two picks Blackfire Torch for the burn-plus-ability-haste stacking on committed Blaze detonations. Slot three flexes to Rylai’s Crystal Scepter for the perma-slow on every ability cast, Shadowflame for the magic penetration on all-in R Pyroclasm chains, or Zhonya’s Hourglass against assassin-heavy drafts for the stasis dodge. Full first-through-sixth-item path lives on our LoL items database.

How to play by game stage

Pre-6 Brand plays Pillar of Flame pokes on the enemy ADC during cannon-wave resets. Weave Blaze 3-stack chains (Q + W + E) for the detonation damage. First solo kill opens at level 6 with Pillar of Flame + Sear stun + Conflagration spread + Pyroclasm chain-bounce.

Mid game (7-13): Save R Pyroclasm for the committed teamfight at the dragon pit.

Late game (14+): Brand fights behind the ally frontline. Pyroclasm against grouped enemies at the Baron pit lands massive burst payoff. A Rylai’s Crystal Scepter third item adds the perma-slow to every Blaze stack for the committed teamfight.

Who counters Brand

Brand’s weakness list on 26.22 centers on specific archetypes. Hook supports (Blitzcrank, Thresh, Pyke) close his 550 range during Pillar of Flame cooldown. Mobile ADCs with disengage (Lucian, Ezreal, Kai’Sa) outlast his Blaze stacks. Peel-oriented enchanters (Milio, Lulu, Janna) cleanse Sear stuns from the ally ADC during committed engages.

  • Hook supports: Blitzcrank, Thresh, Pyke. Each close the 550 range gap during Pillar of Flame cooldown.
  • Mobile ADCs: Lucian, Ezreal, Kai’Sa. Each outlast Blaze stacks during committed engages.
  • Peel enchanters: Milio, Lulu, Janna. Each cleanse Sear stuns from the ally ADC.

Deeper matchup notes with ability-level timings for every Brand opponent land on the Brand counters page.

ARAM notes

Howling Abyss turns Brand into a stacked-fight AoE burst engine. Liandry’s Torment opens for the burn-plus-HP sustain during long bridge standoffs. Blackfire Torch arrives second for the burn-plus-ability-haste stacking on committed Blaze detonations. Shadowflame lands third for the magic penetration on all-in R Pyroclasm chains. R Pyroclasm against grouped enemies at the bridge choke bounces between 5 champions for an all-in burst payoff.

Brand ARAM pairs well with chain-CC supports (Thresh grab plus Rell dismount plus Nautilus hook) whose CC chain pins enemies long enough for the Blaze 3-stack detonation cycle. The Brand ARAM build page carries the full item path and matchup table.

Brand skins

Skins: 12 · Newest: Zombie Brand (2026)

Theme-wise, the lineup includes Apocalyptic, Arclight, Battle Boss, Spirit Fire and multiple event drops. Three stand out for full VFX reworks on R Pyroclasm animation.

  • Apocalyptic Brand (1350 RP): dark-apocalypse theme with reworked ember-trail Sear and ash-R Pyroclasm.
  • Arclight Brand (1350 RP): celestial-paladin theme with reworked light-shard Pillar of Flame and radiant R.
  • Battle Boss Brand (1350 RP): retro-arcade theme with reworked pixel-fire Conflagration and 8-bit R.

See All Brand skins and prices for the full catalogue with RP tags and release years.

FAQ

Is Brand easy to learn?

4/10 as a mid-laner, 2/10 as the support flex. The Blaze passive-stack chain (QWE triggers R Pyroclasm bounce for extra damage) is a one-rotation combo in laning phase. The nuance is R casting through the enemy wave: new players R the enemy ADC directly for a single hit, mains R the enemy support first so it bounces 4x through the whole bot lane. Blaze stacks last 4 seconds — do not panic-combo through them.