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Riot is looking to buff mages that are underplayed/outclassed. Can you look at Brand?

Yfrappefort·7/17/2014, 4:40:02 AM·8 votes·1,103 views

Let's be fair, Brand is a hot mage. I like him a lot. But currently, there is no reason to pick him. At all.

is supposed to be the king of AoE/raw damage and is what I consider a "mid range mage" (long range being and , for exemple). Yet he is outclassed by some mages pretty hard atm.

got as much damage as he does. However, he also brings safety, more waveclear/pushing power and global pressure.

again got as much damage. However, she also brings loads of utility (MS, slow, shield) and her ultimate is simply devastating.

Add to this that their ultimate are way more reliable then Brand's (this guy MUST have minions/other champions around when he ult or it goes to waste, and even then it's still random).

What else does Brand bring aside from damage. A stun? and also got one, but it does not require them to hit the enemy with 2 spells to connect. Syndra can also stun many targets pretty quickly (and it last almost as long as Brand). Brand's stun is pretty unreliable and hard to land when fighting any champions with mobility (hello current meta!) It's not even that rewarding to land (Only last 2 seconds at all rank. Maybe scaling it to 3 secs at rank 5 would make it feel better?).

So what can we do to make Brand stands out? I think the first thing would be to remove some of the limitations of his ultimate. Make it bounce on himself when there is no other targets around (similar to E). This way, you don't feel bad when using it in a 1v1 scenario when no minions are around.

Another thing would be to maybe revert the range/mana nerf on his E. Brand is supposed to be a lane bully, yet again the mages above do a better job then him at that.

Anyway, I'dd really like if could get some attention. Since his release in early 2011, this guy really never stood in the spotlight (unlike who just got buffed a bit again to help her reclaim some popularity).

22 Comments

Czar Matt Damon7/17/2014, 2:37:28 PM2 votes

there are many mobility-based mages and assassins that are top-pick right now, which outscale many of the traditional mages, like brand, xerath and syndra. syndra is less so, however, because her stun can also push people away if she misses and is pretty reliable to hit, with a huge hitbox and range. xerath is easier to hit than brand's because his is just one button. he doesn't have to set up a combo just to stun a person.

brand's entire kit revolves around combo'ing. the only problem with this is that his entire combo relies on hitting one spell and then another: his stun. there needs to be more variance to how brand combos in most situations.

xXSomeoneElse7/17/2014, 10:25:36 AM2 votes

yes brand could use a nice little buff, maybe reduce his mana costs or cds, I enjoy playing a lot but his abilities cost so much mana im dry after like 4 spells, as with all champs some are better than others depending on personal preferences and playstyles for instance, I am not able for the life of me to land a Blitzcrank rocket grab, but im god with the Thresh hooks but I do agree that needs some kind of attention to bring him back in the meta because he is a really fun champ to play.

NateKiller7/17/2014, 6:03:50 AM2 votes

I agree. He could use some help.

LastProtagonist7/17/2014, 1:11:50 PM1 votes

I main Brand and wreck a lot of players with him. I think he's in an alright spot, but that being said, I think the idea to let the ult bounce off of himself is a wonderful idea.

I don't know how you build Brand, but my go to start is two Doran's Rings, Rylais, Liandry's, Tanky stuff (Zhonya's, Randuins, etc.) If you build Brand into being a slow burn utility mage/off tank, he can really balance out a lot of team comps since his passive continues to proc Rylai's and Liandry's.

I would not be against some mana/mana cost buffs, however.

Ashe Jungle7/17/2014, 1:25:49 PM1 votes

item 3116 item 3020 item 3151 item 3135 item 3110 ( item 3102 / item 3027 )

Makes brand pretty tanky, pretty devastating with aoe damage.

PhailRaptor7/17/2014, 4:36:43 PM1 votes

His ultimate is the only thing holding him back. If it was made to be more reliable, he would easily join the upper tier crowd.

ILoveTiramisu7/17/2014, 9:30:08 PM1 votes

brand outclassed/underplayed? In EUW I see him everyday.

The5lacker7/18/2014, 10:11:10 PM1 votes

I wouldn't say Ori has nearly the same damage as Brand, his burst rotation is downright ludicrous. Ziggs is an enormous problem child at the moment mostly due to his incredibly easy and lazy zoning. Syndra's stun actually does require two spells, and Xerath's is only a 2 second stun at extreme ranges.

Brands identity is that he does damage. And he does a LOT of damage. That's what he does. That's all he really need to do, as he does a METRIC FUCKTON of it. Brand is one of the few mages that scares tanks, that is in and of itself worth noting.

Sire Hippington7/18/2014, 11:04:17 PM1 votes

Well, the entire class of (non supportive/not mobile) mid-range mages could use some love, especially brand and Malz, but also Cassio and Anivia

KSHarrison7/17/2014, 10:11:07 AM1 votes

Would love to see Brand resurge. I posted the same idea on GD in a Brand main thread a while back and they said that his ult bouncing off himself would be OP?

Dunno. Ziggs and Ori are OP though, Ori for a long time now, or maybe she should be the "Renekton bar" of what other non-mobility mages need to be.

Funster7/17/2014, 12:50:00 PM1 votes

The only way to help him now is to give him his obscene levels of damage back or to give him mobility like every single other mage that gets picked.

League of Mobility will not allow Brand to exist in a satisfactory state.