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Why is Support unpopular?

CoffeeDave·6/4/2016, 4:32:06 AM·3 votes·1,235 views

It's no secret that support is an unpopular position as of late. I don't remember the role ever being super popular but since the new champ select has hit live it seems to really make it clear not a whole lot of people like to play it. Even if you pick support as a secondary role, you have a very good chance you're gonna get support and that's because the system is looking to fill the support spot. In this thread I'm hoping to get a discussion going as to why this role is the least popular one in league and how to make it more attractive outside of giving Sona a micro bikini skin.

I maybe in Silver 3, but from where I'm sitting it feels like part of the problem is gold/itemization, xp, team reliance, the inflexibility of the champions and vision. I'm sure there's someone that's better at this game then I am that can tell me what I'm missing but here it goes:

  1. Gold and Itemization: in most games I play (assuming it's not a stomp), I'll get about 9k gold on average. Out of this gold 800 of it goes to item 2049 , 850 on the T2 gold item item 3098 item 3096 item 3097 , 300 for item 1001 and let's face it, 1500 gold for item 3105 because it's too good to pass up. That's 3,600 gold that's pretty much mandatory on any support, not counting item 2043 . Sightstone was nerfed at the beginning of the season from 4 charges to 3, and Riot removed item 3362 . item 3117 used to be the go to for a lot of supports because it was 800 gold to complete, but now it's 900 and still lack luster. item 3009 just got nerfed (and still 900 gold too), and item 3158 isn't as desirable anymore due to how common CDR is now, and again, 900 gold. We're now at 4,200 gold out of the 9k gold across all supports regardless of who it is, and we still haven't upgraded the gold item nor sightstone yet. What aggrivates the probelm too is if riot introduces a new item for supports to use, it has to be cheap to fit into the support's budget and high utility and that leads to other lanes taking advantage of it like in the case of item 3800 and item 3092 .

  2. **XP: ** Due to the nature of the role, Supports often don't farm minions nor jungle camps to ensure that the carries/jungler gets the gold and we share the XP, but often times Supports lose out on XP because they had to leave lane to ward and roam. It's not uncommon for a support to be 2-3 levels behind everyone else.

  3. Team Reliance: Moreso then any other role, the support is reliant on the team. The Support can get his carries fed, but often lack the tools to prevent the carries/rest of the team from blowing a lead. Supports lack the tools to 1v1 anyone unless the other guy is bad or even more behind then the support. Supports can set up awesome plays, but unless the team follows up, they end up getting themselves killed.

  4. Champion Inflexibility: With the recent class wide reworks we've seen ADCs in pretty much all lanes, and Mages can move to any lane they want. Top lane and Jungle mains do share quite a bit of overlap as well. If you main any of these other roles, you can take your champs to other roles if you don't feel like playing your main role. Supports outside of Lulu can't do that. TahmKench was promoted as a Top/Support champ, but I saw him in the top lane more often then not. Soraka Top was a thing for a while before she got nerfed/reworked, Janna mid was a thing but that got nerfed too. Anytime a support does well outside of there lane, they get nerfed. Taric was OP for a half a patch when supports first got the gold items, and I say half a patch because he got nerfed hard until his recent rework.

  5. Vision: I touched on this earlier, but item 2049 got nerfed earlier in the season, and item 3362 was removed. I know in the past Riot has tried to encourage the whole team to ward to avoid the days of the 'ward bitch' supports, but even to this day the support's role is still to be the primary warder (or ward-en?). item 3340 doesn't last as long as they used to so using them before item 2049 is rough. You can spend all three sightstone charges and your pink to around baron/dragon or one side of your/opponent's jungle, but that still leaves a big chunk of the map that's dark unless your teammates feel like warding themselves.

TL:DR: Supports need some loving, how do we go about making them more popular?

17 Comments

JamesTheMage176/4/2016, 1:41:35 PM2 votes

I used to main support but I stopped because-

  1. Everyone on your team is rude toward you, always screaming not to get cs, blaming deaths on you (even though you did everything in your power to stop it...), "if you get a single kill I'm reporting", and always trying to steal the few kills YOU actually get urself because "since your the supp it wasn't a killsteal, a kill secure". (I was about to takedown a Caitlyn with a lux ult, and my xin used one basic attack to get her and ks... THATS NOT KILL SECURING).
  2. Having no "Omg nice!" From your team... if a support made a kill they OBVIOUSLY stole it, even if nobody assisted it.
  3. Again, everyone's rude as heck. I used my Janna ult to save an ally, and they complained that the enemy (with 3 times their health) got away because I knocked them back. They try to blame everything on supports because "it's your job to protect me". I did, idiot. And saved you.
  4. No power at all. Unless your a Mage primary (usually excluding morgana), you can't fight anyone which I think is total bs.
  5. Everybody chases after you, hoping for a free kill and feeding. I can't even turret hug, as the enemy tank along with at least one ally will be "visiting me at my turret." I find it sad that players become 17/2 by chasing after the weak support and carrying their team that way.

I find this all (mainly 1,2,3,5) extremely stupid that people can get away with this crap. It's just annoying, and ruined my good time as a support that didn't last long.

MLDzXnRRR6/4/2016, 4:48:07 AM2 votes

Because ADC role attracts lowlifes with bad attitude - babysitting someone that can't play and who is toxic = nightmare

KillerKell6/4/2016, 5:16:06 AM1 votes

I love Support.

But then I don't seem to have those Gold Issues.

My Braum (55%) averages 10,594 Gold a Game while doing 27,820 Damage with a 2.4/5.8/16.9 at a 3.31 KDA.

My Leona (67%) averages 12,318 Gold a Game while doing 30,936 Damage with a 3.3/5.2/18.3 at a 4.19 KDA.

My Thresh (50%) averages 13,461 Gold a Game while doing 32,268 Damage with 4.0/6.0/21.5 at a 4.25 KDA.

So first, I don't know why you are averaging 9K Gold a Game on a Support. Secondly, 9K Gold is more than enough for a Support.

Face of the Mountain/Frost Queen's Claim (2200). Ruby Sightstone (1800) Boots (900) Locket of the Iron Solari (2500)

That's 7,400 Gold for 4 Complete Items (and we don't upgrade Sightstone until Last anyways, but I already 'spent' it here. Leaving us 2 Spots to Complete Build. At this point, I could add an Infinity Edge (3600) to the Build and have 2,800 left for Lord Dominik's Regard (2,700) and say "I'm not Support, I'm a Fighter/Bruiser!" on my Thresh. Well, okay, 339 Gold Short on Average, but certainly my 'Good Games' would allow such a crazy build.

Point being, you can get a 5 Item Support Build for, which wouldn't have an IE or LDR, for around 10K Gold... which my lowest Gold Producing Support makes every single game (well, on Average).

For instance, Righteous is 2,500 Gold... so 7,400 is now 9,900 Gold on Support Items to get me to 5. As Braum I'd still have almost 700 Gold to spend, but let's call that Pink Wards and Pots.

As Leona I'd have another Complete Item to build, and as Thresh I might as well build Fighter/Bruiser because I can afford it.

So I'm not sure why you get 9K Gold a game, but even if you do you're right there at 5 Full Items. In a Meta where Late Game 6 Items Builds rarely happen.

My Thresh scores almost as much Gold as my Garen (13,806 Gold a Game with 34,983 Damage with 7.6/4.7/8.3 at a 3.36 KDA) and he's my Go To Top since the Rework on Shen. So my 'Statistically Best Support' rivals my 'Statistically Best Top' in terms of Gold, Damage and KDA DESPITE having a much cheaper build.

My Ashe (12,790 Gold a Game with 16,109 Damage with 7.3/5.6/10.6 at a 3.21 KDA) and Caitlyn (12,380 God with 13,419 Damage with 7.0/4.2/7.8 with a 3.52 KDA) who happen to be 65% and 69% Win Rates respectively, are below Thresh and just ahead of Leona in Gold, and behind both by a large margin in Damage and KDA. But I'm doing SOMETHING right to have a 3.2+ KDA and 65% to 69% Win Rate between them... and yet they still, despite Winning and Solid KDA, make less of an Over All Impact than Thresh and Leona. While they blow past Braum in Gold, he still nails the KDA and Damage over them.

Now, obviously my Supports don't compare to my 14,148 Gold and 62,894 Damage Trundle... but he loses and only has a straight 3.00 KDA. Nor do they match my 16,232 Gold and 56,898 Damage Sejuani... but again, Losses and Lower KDA (2.11)... so while they get WAY more Gold and Damage, they don't Win or get Solid KDA under me.

So long-short of it... Supports can absolutely have an Impact, in everything from Gold to Damage to KDA to Win Percentage to simply setting up others to shine.

When you also look and see that none of my Supports are Sub 50%, and in fact can reach up to 67% (the average of my Ashe/Caitlin efforts)... you can see that Supports can also Win, at a nice clip.

The REAL reason people don't like Support... is they suck at Support.

Abyssphere6/4/2016, 5:17:08 AM1 votes

no one wants face leona shes cancer

KVbqbFsC8e6/4/2016, 5:56:45 AM1 votes

Its boring and you are completely team reliant.

Bobloser35556/4/2016, 6:00:35 AM1 votes

cause too weak

KillerKell6/4/2016, 6:02:50 AM1 votes

Also, I tend to Support because I can naturally make more Shot Calls from Support.

It is my humble opinion that Support and Jungle are the 1A/1B of Shot Calling Roles.

ADC is focused on CS and Winning Trades/Free Damage. Mid is worried about Roams, Ganks and either Mages or Assassins of which both can delete you in 1 Second Flat (well, a Full Combo anyways). Top is mindlessly pushing Top... because that's his job.

But Jungle is always on the move, creating new vision through where he walks (and Wards if he adds those to his Pathing) and always looking at the Map for Gank Opportunities, and Support has to worry about Lane but no Last Hitting so can quickly check Map and gets Info when going to Ward.

These 2 Positions are in the best position to call the shots (and if a Tank/Engage also have the most realistic idea of what they can and can't face check/dive on, instead of ADC saying "Tank that Turret for me!" when you KNOW you'll just die).

Since I feel my Shot Calling is generally stronger than most at my ELO, I love being in position to do so.

For instance, as Garen Top I don't even start to call anything until Mid to Late Game. I'm to focused on Top, Taking Turret, and using TP to come in on an Engage. I don't even Shot Call the Engage with "Dive them, I'll TP!" I just see it, and if it looks good I go. Only once I hit Mid/Late do I Shot Call, and then only when coming back to Lane/Jungle from a Recall.

But as a Jungle/Support, I'm calling from Level 1 if I see something. If it works, they are more willing to listen in the future, I keep calling what I see and we go.

So, at least for me, Support opens up more Control in the form of Shot Calling... but teams that don't listen or make bad calls on their own will hurt you in that regard (which is why I'm only 50%, 55% and 67% despite Braum, Leona and Thresh being overall more effective than my 65% and 68% Ashe and Caitlyn... people tend for some reason to listen to ADC more).

Just some points from my view.

Raeyxx7/1/2016, 12:11:08 AM1 votes

As a ranked player, I tend to toggle between top and mid these days, but used to main support. (Sometimes, I go back if I'm feeling a little masochistic.)

But being a support can be one of the most stressful roles in the game. Starting off, there's always the issue of the ADC you're going to get. Sometimes, he/she can be a pretty decent person, but often times I find ADCs to be very abusive. They yell at you for their own mistakes, expecting you to save them from even the most impossible situations. They yell at you for dying when you stay behind to make sure they get out alive. Hell, I've been chewed out for leaving lane for a couple of seconds just to go ward. 4

And that's not even touching on whether or not they're even good. A bad ADC screws a support, because if they can't get kills (or worse, they are constantly getting both botlaners killed), then the support cannot get the assists needed to pay for items. Which makes the support feel even more useless.

TLDR, playing the support is kind of a crapshoot. Either you get an awesome ADC and playing support can be one of the most rewarding roles out there. Or you can get a raging asshole that feeds and blames, making you spend the rest of the game wishing someone would just shoot you and get it over with.

Narvuntien6/4/2016, 5:05:29 AM1 votes

I am pretty sure number 3 is the big deal.

  1. I don't find that much of a problem, although I have been playing a lot of Bard recently and he just straight up doesn't care about gold. hmmm there is some problems with gold when my team is just failing without having any assists I am pretty gold staved and I can't make an impact on the game. Supports are very reverse snowballing and I feel that is the problem. beyond landing a game changing ultimate its really hard to reverse a games momentum on support. We can't just sit in a lane and try to waveclear our way back into a game, if the team is failing supports get further and further behind. The tanks can't tank and the healers don't heal enough.

  2. Yeah the lack of XP has really been hurting me, Ranks on skills is even more important than gold for a support I would like some tweaking done to find a way to fix this.

I am fine with 4. they have their role and they play it well, the game breaks when supports can be played elsewhere.

  1. Well I only have a problem with this when I am not playing support and my support doesn't buy item 2049 and I want to strangle them. I need the vision and I don't have an option to ward for myself if my support is failing to do it. Which okay fine I guess I have proved your point about supports needing to be the vision queens. When I am playing support I see vision control as my vital responsibility and would not trust anyone else to do it. I find it to be a very important part of my role and I would actually not like to lose it.