Metal's in-depth guide to Support
Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:18 am
Before you get all mad at me, please keep in mind everyone plays differently. This is about how I play, and how I think a support should play. Opinions may differ on this one and if you think differently, that's fine.
Basics
As a support your main focus is keeping your ADC alive, raising map awareness (pings) and warding. During laning phase this is the ONLY thing you should focus on. Hands off the minions, unless your ADC doesn't mind. If you manage to zone out the enemy ADC, yours will be very happy with you.
As for after that, your team will need you to be in teamfights. This sometimes means leaving your ADC alone at botlane. As long as they don't overextend and play smart, this won't be a problem. Eventually your ADC will join teamfights as well, and only farm botlane when needed.
Be sure to keep an eye on them at all times! And when your ADC needs you, you should be there!
When there's a problem...
What if your ADC is a complete noob, ass, or simply won't work with you? Try to keep your calm always! Just keep on trying to get your stacks, ward for map awareness (since this also helps the rest of your team) and give them constructive feedback on how you'd like them to act. Try not to rage. Apparently people don't appreciate this too much (heh heh heh)...
Just do what you can! Try not to lose your lane, or feed too much (this also includes your ADC) and look forward to teamfights. After all that is really your time to shine <3
Support spells
The most used spells as support are Exhaust and Flash. Most ADC also ask you to play this combination, however Teleport and Flash is also pretty viable. When going solo queue, get Exhaust. In premades, get what your ADC wants or what you prefer most.
Support champions
There are alot of champions that can play support, even if they aren't labeled as such. Pretty much all champions that have a stun, snare, fear, knock-up, blind or slow can be played as support. Slow isn't really required, since you can actually build this (Rylais for AP, Frozen Mallet for AD, or even Frozen Gauntlet would do just fine).
There's a large variety in support classes. There's offensive, and defensive tanks, enchanters (heals/shields), and disruptors (control mages).
Support labeled champions
These champions can ALL be used to play support. Some of these don't have support as primary, but as secondary.
Alistar, Anivia, Ashe, Bard, Braum, Fiddlesticks, Heimerdinger, Ivern, Janna, Karma, Kayle, Leona, Lulu, Lux, Morgana, Nami, Nunu, Orianna, Sona, Soraka, Syndra, Tahm Kench, Taliyah, Taric, Thresh, Zilean and Zyra
Support items
Starting items
- Spellthief's Edge: is used by ranged or AP supports mostly.
- Relic Shield: is for every melee, or tank support.
- Ancient Coin: is not used often, since this doesn't give you gold periodically, rather only for minions dieing.
Take one of the starting items +3x pots (should be cookies if mana user) and a Warding Totem trinket (yellow). After you've made your Ward Stone, exchange your yellow trinket for a red one (Sweeping Lens), and at level 9 upgrade this to Oracle Alteration.
Support builds
Your build mostly depends on what kind of champion you play. You can use championify to get the most recent and most used builds that LCS players use (world championship).
In generally, RANGED supports with heals and shields will get: Boots of Swiftness, Eye of the Watchers, Locket of the Iron Solari. Often in combination with Rylais and Ardent Censer.
As for tank supports, the most used items are: Eye of the Equinox, and a bunch of tank items. This varies alot, depending on both champion and team (as well as enemy team) composition.
Will be editing this when I think of more ^^
Basics
As a support your main focus is keeping your ADC alive, raising map awareness (pings) and warding. During laning phase this is the ONLY thing you should focus on. Hands off the minions, unless your ADC doesn't mind. If you manage to zone out the enemy ADC, yours will be very happy with you.
As for after that, your team will need you to be in teamfights. This sometimes means leaving your ADC alone at botlane. As long as they don't overextend and play smart, this won't be a problem. Eventually your ADC will join teamfights as well, and only farm botlane when needed.
Be sure to keep an eye on them at all times! And when your ADC needs you, you should be there!
When there's a problem...
What if your ADC is a complete noob, ass, or simply won't work with you? Try to keep your calm always! Just keep on trying to get your stacks, ward for map awareness (since this also helps the rest of your team) and give them constructive feedback on how you'd like them to act. Try not to rage. Apparently people don't appreciate this too much (heh heh heh)...
Just do what you can! Try not to lose your lane, or feed too much (this also includes your ADC) and look forward to teamfights. After all that is really your time to shine <3
Support spells
The most used spells as support are Exhaust and Flash. Most ADC also ask you to play this combination, however Teleport and Flash is also pretty viable. When going solo queue, get Exhaust. In premades, get what your ADC wants or what you prefer most.
Support champions
There are alot of champions that can play support, even if they aren't labeled as such. Pretty much all champions that have a stun, snare, fear, knock-up, blind or slow can be played as support. Slow isn't really required, since you can actually build this (Rylais for AP, Frozen Mallet for AD, or even Frozen Gauntlet would do just fine).
There's a large variety in support classes. There's offensive, and defensive tanks, enchanters (heals/shields), and disruptors (control mages).
Support labeled champions
These champions can ALL be used to play support. Some of these don't have support as primary, but as secondary.
Alistar, Anivia, Ashe, Bard, Braum, Fiddlesticks, Heimerdinger, Ivern, Janna, Karma, Kayle, Leona, Lulu, Lux, Morgana, Nami, Nunu, Orianna, Sona, Soraka, Syndra, Tahm Kench, Taliyah, Taric, Thresh, Zilean and Zyra
Support items
Starting items
- Spellthief's Edge: is used by ranged or AP supports mostly.
- Relic Shield: is for every melee, or tank support.
- Ancient Coin: is not used often, since this doesn't give you gold periodically, rather only for minions dieing.
Take one of the starting items +3x pots (should be cookies if mana user) and a Warding Totem trinket (yellow). After you've made your Ward Stone, exchange your yellow trinket for a red one (Sweeping Lens), and at level 9 upgrade this to Oracle Alteration.
Support builds
Your build mostly depends on what kind of champion you play. You can use championify to get the most recent and most used builds that LCS players use (world championship).
In generally, RANGED supports with heals and shields will get: Boots of Swiftness, Eye of the Watchers, Locket of the Iron Solari. Often in combination with Rylais and Ardent Censer.
As for tank supports, the most used items are: Eye of the Equinox, and a bunch of tank items. This varies alot, depending on both champion and team (as well as enemy team) composition.
Will be editing this when I think of more ^^