It’s rare for an ability power carry to bring so much heat to the League of Legends bot lane, but that’s exactly what Brand has done in Patch 14.12. The surge in power has prompted players to beg Riot to make rapid modifications.
Brand is one of those League champions that fewer and fewer players choose as their primary champions due to the availability of cooler, flashier, and newer champions to play and spam from recent seasons. He’s an enjoying quite the resurgence right now though; he’s already ticked up a nice 53.97 percent win rate across all ranks as an AP carry in Patch 14.12, according to stat page U.GG’s early numbers.
Although there are numerous reasons why Brand is an excellent mage, the most notable is that he is simple to control and his combos are straightforward. Not only is he designed to deal considerable damage with no gold, but players agree he’s “specifically a tank support counter.” So, if you are playing a tank support, Brand is the champion to avoid because if you are afflicted by Ablaze, his passive stack, you will be dealt two percent of your max health in magic damage, which can stack and deal even more damage.
The real kicker is that if you gather three Ablaze stacks, you will create a ring of fire around yourself that will eventually explode. Everyone in the detonation area receives magic damage equal to a percentage of their maximum health. So, if you rush into another teammate wearing this ring and it explodes, they could die as a result of your actions.
These power points across Brand’s ability kit has sparked an outcry from the League community, with many lamenting that “Brand APC bot is way too strong.” Many agree he’s “overtuned right now and needs a nerf”—especially that explosive passive ability.
Some players have even felt the champion’s fire before his 14.12 revival, with one unfortunate League fan murdered as an afterthought while clearing a wave. If you are wondering why Brand has a 16.4% ban rate, here’s why.
While it’s nice to see him getting more attention as a fiery bot lane carry, it feels pretty awful to get so brutally one-shot by a powerful Brand, and it’s one of the many reasons why League fans are demanding he be nerfed in Patch 14.13.
Riot has not announced any plans to do so in the future version.