What does it mean to Support?

TheHappyReaperz·Mar 16, 2017·2 votes·619 views

Off-meta picks appear in a variety of roles, but it is only the support role where off-meta champions are received so viscerally. It seems strange. For example, people often ask Riot, is the next champion going to be a support? Or, when are we going to get another support? Yet, whenever something new pops up in the support role, Sion, Malz, Brand, people lose their minds with rage. I just don't get it.

With that in mind, what do you think qualifies a champion as able to support? For me, a champion is a support, if their goal throughout the game, is to set up favorable situations for their team.

6 Comments

WalkingInACircleMar 16, 20172 votes

Supports are the role that don't get to farm, because there isn't enough gold on the map to sustain 5 players. This rule naturally comes from the fact that gold is best concentrated on a damage dealer to snowball the game.

HäßlichMar 16, 20172 votes

Sion, Brand, and Malz are pretty widely accepted as supports these days. It's just that some people don't like certain supports. For example, even though I know they are good and perfectly capable of fulfilling the role, I don't like Soraka or Blitz as my support if I'm adc.

The main thing people dislike about off-meta support picks is that most of them tend to be borderline troll picks. Brand really should be considered this way since he has almost no CC, no mobility, no sustain, and is all about the poke/harass. However, people accept it because the harass is so strong as to be almost oppressive when done properly. Still... I'd rather have Annie there instead.

In my book, the best supports should have strong effects that impact important aspects of the game--teamfights, sieging, defending against siege, securing map objectives, etc--without depending on items, and this usually means that if your support has to build damage, they aren't a "true" support.

jadelinkMar 17, 20172 votes

Support currently means anything that survives on the scraps once the 4 income streams are allocated to the other players. Whatever makes the best chance of winning on said scraps is a good support.

TeémòMar 16, 20171 votes

malz/brand/sion aren't supports they just have high base damage on abilities that makes the lane oppressive. mal and brand also proc green father very easily so long as they are being eaten by mal aids or brand passive and they walk into the bush it will proc. Supports players like enchanters that provide buffs to teamates like Sona. Though they also like engage like Leona. It's the nerf of item 3105 and Soraka that allows them to thrive in bot lane. And with the nerf of exhaust it only gives them more reason to take ignite and try to kill cheese.

TheHappyReaperzMar 16, 20171 votes

But, doesn't Brand force ADCs and supports to separate, making it easier for your ADC to get a kill? And can't Malz Flash + ult, to easily catch out the enemy? And Sion helps with peel, engage, and decreasing the opponents AR, making it easier for your ADC. So don't they engage or help ADCs do their job?

LordGeovanniMar 17, 20171 votes

Technically Katarina can cause adc and supports to separate. just about any situation you can find a damage dealer that does it and does damage at the same time.