Zed vs Brand

Zed
vs
Not enough games
Brand
Heavy AP damageHigh burstHeavy CCSustained DPS

Build vs Brand

The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup

Recommended items for Zed: Voltaic Cyclosword, Bastionbreaker, Axiom Arc, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Hubris, Edge of Night, Serylda's Grudge, Lord Dominik's Regards.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup
Health Potion

Core build

Voltaic Cyclosword
1
Bastionbreaker
2
Axiom Arc
3

Standard

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
4CDR
Hubris
5

Summoner spells

FlashSmite100%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Hubris
Edge of Night
Serylda's Grudge
Lord Dominik's Regards
Serrated Dirk
Endless Hunger
Eclipse
Guardian Angel
Serpent's Fang
Youmuu's Ghostblade
InspirationInspiration
First StrikeFirst Strike
Cash BackCash Back
Triple TonicTriple Tonic
Cosmic InsightCosmic Insight
DominationDomination
Treasure HunterTreasure Hunter
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Brand's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Blaze (P)

Brand's spells light his targets ablaze, dealing damage over 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. If Brand kills an enemy while it is ablaze he regains mana. When Blaze reaches max stacks on a Champion or large monster, it becomes unstable. It detonates in 2 seconds, applying spell effects and dealing massive damage in an area around the victim.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
38s10s13s–
67s10s13s1m40
96s9.5s13s1m40
116s9s13s1m30
166s8s11s1m20
186s8s9s1m20

Playing as Zed

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Combo with two shadows

    To kill, cast Death Mark (R), then Living Shadow (W), Shadow Slash (E) and Razor Shuriken (Q): with two shadows, you throw three shurikens.

  2. Dodge with Death Mark

    Cast Death Mark (R) just as the enemy casts their decisive spell: during the dash, you're untargetable.

  3. Save the swap back to your shadow

    After Death Mark (R), save the recast to get out: you swap places with the shadow left at your starting point, far from the fight.

  4. Save your energy

    Save enough energy for a full combo rather than casting your spells for nothing: Living Shadow (W) refunds energy when you and your shadow hit the same target.

  5. Flank to reach the carry

    In teamfights, go around the sides and save Death Mark (R) for an isolated target: going in from the front exposes you to the whole team's CC.

Playing against Brand

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Dodge his Q while you burn

    When you're ablaze, prioritize dodging Sear (Q): it stuns any target that's ablaze.

  2. Leave his pillar of flame

    Leave the Pillar of Flame (W) area as soon as it appears: it lands after a short delay and hits harder if you're ablaze.

  3. Punish his lack of mobility

    If you can engage, go in on him: his kit has no dash and no shield.

  4. Spread out from your allies

    Spread out from your allies in teamfights: Pyroclasm (R) bounces between nearby enemies, and Blaze (passive) explodes around a target at 3 stacks.

Patch 16.21.1