Riot Games will issue a hotfix today that reduces the effectiveness of Brand following the release of Teamfight Tactics Patch 9.23.
The latest Teamfight Tactics update went live on Wednesday and included many significant changes to champions, items, and traits. One of the most influential changes to come with Patch 9.23 was the slight boost to Brand’s Ability Damage and Bounces.
Patch 9.23 key changes (Nov. 20):
- Brand Spell Damage: 250/450/650 ⇒ 300/450/600
- Brand Spell Bounces: 4/6/20 ⇒ 5/6/20
- Ocean mana per second: 15/30/50 ⇒ 15/35/60
Ocean/Mage was already considered as a strong option in Patch 9.22 but the improved mana per second for Ocean champions improved the viability of the composition.
Although the Mage buff wasn’t buffed directly, the Class was definitely helped by the improvements to Brand at Level 1. Players no longer needed to desperately hunt for a Level 2 Brand as he could still provide exceptional damage with just one cast of his ultimate ability.
With these changes, many players were now looking to build Ocean/Mage/Summoner or Ocean/Mage comps, allowing Brand to be positioned somewhere near the back for protection.
Ok real talk around the "Hotfix Brand" discussion.
First, Brand MIGHT BE TOO STRONG. If he is, we will do a B-patch nerf next week, as we discussed in the "Learnings from Set 1 article".
But he also might be fine. I'd like to discuss some of the hyperbole.
— Riot Mort (@Mortdog) November 21, 2019
On Wednesday, Riot Mort, the lead designer for Teamfight Tactics, responded to requests for the developer to issue a hotfix that would reduce the effectiveness of Brand. The developer encouraged counterplay to reduce the impact of Brand and the Ocean/Mage comps.
“First, Brand MIGHT BE TOO STRONG,” Riot Mort tweeted.
“If he is, we will do a B- patch nerf next week, as we discussed in the “Learnings from Set 1 article. But he also might be fine. I’d like to discuss some of the hyperbole.
“With TFT Set 2, between the bag sizes and the counter traits, the set self balances a bit better than Set 1. We expect and challenge players to think outside the box and adapt to the meta rather than fully follow Challenger guides. If Brand is strong, run Hush, Soraka, and Mystic.”
The next day, Riot Mort tweeted again and announced that the developer would be issuing a hotfix in the next 24 hours that would reduce Brand’s impact on games.
TFT – As promised, we checked the data this morning to see how we're looking balance wise. Brand is not out of line (it's an inconsistent build that can succeed) so we'll be sticking to our plan of no B-Patch or hotfix.
NAH JK GONNA HOT FIX IT ASAP (next 24 hours) pic.twitter.com/2AsRz7qypN
— Riot Mort (@Mortdog) November 21, 2019
Patch 9.23 Hotfix (Nov. 22):
- Brand Mana: 0/85 >>> 0/90
- Brand Spell Damage: 300/450/600 >>> 250/325/400
- Brand Spell Bounces: 5/6/20 >>> 5/7/20
The hotfix targets Brand in a variety of different ways and will take him back to being less powerful than he was before the slight buff that came with Patch 9.23.
The update means that Brand now requires an extra auto-attack before casting his ability in a four-Ocean comp. Riot Mort noted that there is a ~17% reduction in his total damage output and the damage is now more spread out across the board.
The hotfix is expected to go live in the next 24 hours.
