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Brand Counters: Who Beats Brand

Updated for patch 26.22. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Brand counters are supports who reach him before Blaze stacks up, or who stop the stun that Sear only gets on a burning target. He’s a 550-range mage played mostly as a support, with huge area damage and no dash, shield or blink of any kind.

Our five were picked by laying their patch 26.22 kits next to his. Win rates played no part.

Brand counters: Brand, the Burning Vengeance, splash art

Why is Brand so strong in lane?

  • Blaze (passive): his spells set targets ablaze for damage over 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times; at max stacks on a champion it detonates after 2 seconds for heavy area damage.
  • Sear (Q): a fireball that deals magic damage and stuns if the target is already ablaze. Cooldown 8/7.5/7/6.5/6.
  • Pillar of Flame (W): after a short delay, a pillar damages enemies in an area, with extra damage to targets ablaze. Cooldown 10/9.5/9/8.5/8.
  • Conflagration (E): a blast on a target that spreads to nearby enemies, twice as far if the target is ablaze. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
  • Pyroclasm (R): fire that bounces up to 5 times between Brand and nearby enemies, preferring to max Blaze on champions and slowing burning targets. Cooldown 100/90/80.

Everything Brand does sets up something else. Conflagration or Pillar of Flame lights you up, Sear then stuns because you’re burning, and three spells on one champion make Blaze explode on everyone nearby. Two people standing close in bot lane? That’s exactly what he wants. The weakness is just as clear: no mobility at all. Brand can’t dash, can’t shield himself and can’t blink, so anyone who gets on top of him before the combo is done usually wins. Counters do that, or they make his stun land on nothing.

Which supports are the best Brand counters?

Pyke

Ghostwater Dive (W) puts Pyke in Camouflage with Move Speed that decays, which lets him walk up to Brand without being seen. Bone Skewer (Q) then pulls him in, or stabs if he’s already close. Phantom Undertow (E) is a dash that leaves a phantom behind; it returns to Pyke and stuns enemy champions it passes through. Death From Below (R) blinks to and executes low-Health enemies, then recasts on a kill, and a squishy mage with no shield drops into execute range fast. Gift of the Drowned Ones (passive) regenerates recent champion damage while Pyke is hidden, so Blaze ticks don’t stick. Real talk, Brand has nothing to answer a Pyke who reaches him.

Nautilus

Depth Charge (R) targets a champion directly and the shockwave chases them, knocking up everyone on its path and stunning the target on arrival. Brand can’t sidestep it. Dredge Line (Q) hooks him in or yanks Nautilus to a wall, Staggering Blow (passive) roots on the first attack against each target, and Riptide (E) explodes three waves that slow. Titan’s Wrath (W) shields Nautilus and makes his attacks hit enemies around the target. The shield matters. It soaks a chunk of the Blaze burst while Nautilus keeps attacking, which is not true of most supports.

Rakan

Rakan is fast enough to reach Brand before the combo finishes. Grand Entrance (W) dashes to a spot and knocks up nearby enemies on arrival, The Quickness (R) gives Move Speed and charms every enemy he touches, and the two together hit before Sear can find a burning target. Battle Dance (E) flies Rakan to an ally and shields them, with a free recast for a short time, so he can dash back out after the engage. Gleaming Quill (Q) deals magic damage and lets him heal allies after hitting a champion. Fey Feathers (passive) gives him a shield every so often (small, but it adds up over a lane). Honestly, Brand’s best hope is landing Pillar of Flame on Rakan mid-dash.

Morgana

Morgana’s E is the hard counter to Sear. Black Shield absorbs magic damage and blocks disabling effects until it breaks, so the stun from a burning target does nothing to a shielded ally, and since Brand deals only magic damage, the shield holds as long as it can soak. Dark Binding (Q) roots him in place, and a rooted Brand standing near his ADC is a target for the whole lane. Tormented Shadow (W) damages over time in an area, more against low-Health targets. Soul Shackles (R) slows nearby enemy champions and then stuns those who stay close. Soul Siphon (passive) heals her from damage to champions.

Blitzcrank

Blitzcrank pulls Brand out of position. Rocket Grab (Q) drags the first opponent in its path, and a 550-range mage who stands behind his ADC still steps in front of a minion sometimes. Then the follow-up: E pops him into the air. Static Field (R) marks targets hit by his attacks for lightning damage, and the active silences briefly, which stops Brand from finishing a Blaze stack. Mana Barrier (passive) gives Blitzcrank a shield based on his Mana at low Health, a decent cushion against a Blaze detonation. To be fair, Brand outtrades him if the hook misses.

How should Brand counters play the lane?

  • Don’t stand next to your ADC. Conflagration spreads to nearby enemies and Blaze detonates in an area at max stacks.
  • Step out of Pillar of Flame. It hits after a short delay, so moving the moment you see it saves the damage.
  • Respect Sear only when you’re burning. It stuns only targets that are already ablaze.
  • All-in when his abilities are down. With no dash or shield, an empty-handed Brand can’t escape.
  • Spread out against Pyroclasm. It bounces between Brand and nearby enemies, up to 5 times.

What items do Brand counters buy?

Magic Resist, in almost any form. His damage is entirely magic, so Mercury’s Treads give 20 Magic Resist with Tenacity to shorten Sear’s stun. Force of Nature’s Steadfast grants 70 extra Magic Resist after 8 instances of magic damage from champions, and Blaze ticks plus Pyroclasm bounces fill that up fast. Banshee’s Veil blocks one enemy ability (ideally Sear or Pyroclasm), and Locket of the Iron Solari shields nearby allies against the Blaze burst. Full numbers are in our LoL items list.

When is Brand at his weakest?

When he’s out of position. A mage with no mobility depends on standing in the right place, and any engage that reaches him (Pyke from Camouflage, Nautilus’s point-and-click ult) usually kills him. Is he weak early? Not really, his level 2 combo hurts.

And when his abilities are on cooldown, which happens more than Brand players like to admit after a full combo into a minion wave. Conflagration is 13 seconds at rank 1, and without it Sear has a harder time finding a burning target, so the stun becomes a coin flip. For what it’s worth, his ult is 100 seconds at rank 1, a long wait after a wasted cast.

New to support? Our League role overview covers what the role does. The other champions we’ve analyzed live in the champion guide index, and his skins are on the Brand skins page. Put simply, Brand counters reach him before the fire does.

FAQ

Who counters Brand the most?

Supports with fast engage or a way to block his stun: Pyke, Nautilus, Rakan, Morgana and Blitzcrank.

When does Brand’s Sear stun?

Sear stuns only if the target is already ablaze from another of his spells.

Can Black Shield block Brand’s stun?

Yes. Black Shield absorbs magic damage and disabling effects until broken, and Brand deals magic damage.

What is the cooldown of Pyroclasm?

Pyroclasm has a cooldown of 100/90/80 seconds.

How were these Brand counters picked?

Each champion had to reach Brand through his lack of mobility or block the Sear stun, judged from patch 26.22 ability text. Win rates were not used.