Zoe vs Brand Counter Pick

Brand begins the matchup with 570 health to Zoe’s 630, and that 60-point difference at level one is what the whole fight revolves around. Across 145 games on patch 16.13.1, Zoe wins 55.2% of the time under an Easy computed rating, but a sample of that size means the edge deserves some caution.

• Blaze is a slow starter. Her damage builds ablaze up to three stacks over four seconds, so her output depends on linking Sear, Pillar of Flame and Conflagration against a target she can keep in range.
• Paddle Star! runs the other way: one redirected missile that hits harder the farther it flies, a good fit for a support who trades from long range and backs off.
• Both champions have 550 reach and start with 30 magic resistance, so neither side gains a defensive edge from its early purchases that the other can’t match.

Over a longer game, durability decides it. At level 18, Zoe reaches 2,432 health and 100.9 armour, while Brand finishes at 2,355 and 95.4, with move speed sitting at 340. The real threat is a Sear connecting on a target that is already ablaze, because the stun gives Zoe time to run her full combo, and Portal Jump only covers a second of distance, so it isn’t a true escape. Brand isn’t slow, with 340 move speed and 57 base attack damage, but he is fragile, and once he falls behind in a trade it is difficult to claw back. Both kits score 5 and 4 on complexity, so neither is hard to pick up.