NOT a Brand Ult-Bashing post!!

So it's been a while. Last couple times I posted here, it was about how I thought Brand was relatively weak especially around his ultimate. I would complain about how I would cast it and almost always end up with 4 CS and 1 slightly burnt enemy champ. But I feel like I missed the point almost entirely. I said he needed an update, he needed a new ultimate, blah, blah. I was wrong.

Brand is, obviously, a combo-based caster. Casting in different combinations allows for max AoE vs. Max Single-target damage. Which is what I like. But what I missed what the point of his ultimate. There are other champs that utilize external targets and minions to deal damage (Sion, Tahm, Syndra, etc). But with Brand, it's all about the set-up. You want to nuke your target? Then you need a combo for that situation. Are their minions around? Do they feel safe behind those minions? Those poor fools. Brand's kit comes with everything you need to accomplish almost anything. An instant, an AoE, a skillshot, and a seeking ultimate. Just like the rest of his abilities, the ult needs to hit targets ablaze to deal maximum damage. His E actually makes this kinda easy, but the combo (obviously) takes a little more skill to land. W into Q followed by an E to light up some minions, then ult. Or, if their out of minions, open with the ult into Q, then E+W. R has a longer range than E.

Honestly, Brand is actually seeming more balanced the more I look at him. And I think he's one of those rare cases where not much on him needs to be touched. I mean, visual updates never hurt, but that's just candy.

TL;DR - Learn to combo, people. Experiment with different situations and spell combinations.

Just wanted to say this since I used to think otherwise. But as of the current state of the game, I think Brand is in a good place. I mean... it has been 3 years since his last skin but hey, Vandal Brand is where it's at.