The Role of Support
Support. It is a well known fact that this is the least picked role in League of Legends. People tend to enjoy flashier roles where they feel like they're carrying their team and making a huge impact, such as the ADC or Mid Lane roles. I've noticed that a lot of people seem to look down on the support role, believing it is only a role for noobs with no mechanical skill, and I often see players flame the support (looking at you ADC mains.) I believe that this needs to change, as the support role is an extremely important one. In the following post, I will attempt to explain why the support role is, not only a skillful role, but a very important role.
When it comes to mechanical skill, the support champions are probably the easiest to master (excluding champions like Thresh.) While this is true, there are many skills that a support player must learn to be great at what they do, One such skill is map awareness. All players need some modicum of map awareness to be great, but supports (arguably) need this most of all. In lane, ADCs can get so wrapped up in CSing and fighting against their lane opponent, that they can forget to watch the map. A support player needs to constantly be looking at the map to keep, not only themselves alive, but also their ADC.
This leads me to wards. Ward placement and getting vision are important jobs that supports are typically tasked with. Supports have to always have wards and know where to place them to gain the most vision and keep track of their enemies. Players tend to underestimate vision. When one has vision, one has knowledge of the enemies movements. Knowing where the enemy is at all times is a massive advantage. Vision allows a player to know when they can push, when to gank, when they are about to get ganked, and many other important things. As anyone with a brain can tell, vision is very important.
Another important skill good supports have is the skill of keeping timers on key objectives and wards. Knowing how long until a ward will expire or when dragon will spawn can give players a massive advantage that can carry games. This is another thing that is often underestimated by players (a common theme when it comes to the support role.)
Of course, another important job of supports is assisting the ADC in lane. This typically means protecting the ADC and helping them stay safe. As we all know, ADCs are like little babies. Supports have to learn to be like a mother to ADCs. One must help their little baby get fed, even when it is crying or overall being an annoying little piece of crap. This means not raging at your ADC (a common trait of bad parents) and helping your ADC to grow up to be a late game adult. Sometimes you also have to sacrifice for your ADC, but that's what a responsible parent is supposed to do.
One should know how to handle enemy laners. Learning the patterns of enemy laners is a very important skill. Observing changes in your enemy's behavior is important as it can let you know if something is wrong. For example, if your enemy is usually passive in their laning, but they all of a sudden get aggressive, you are probably about to get ganked.
The final skill I will touch on, and arguably the most important skill, is the skill of having a good attitude. Having a good attitude will always help you win more than raging at your teammates will. Supports who have a good attitude are always valuable members of a team, as they can keep morale up, and ultimately help to win a game.
In conclusion, support players are extremely important to their team, but fairly unappreciated. Always be thankful to your support, and remember that they are as valuable as the other players on the team. Maybe even give the support role a try to understand how important the role is. It may not be the flashiest or most diverse role, but it is certainly a very important role.
