What am I doing wrong?

Inari Fox Orrion·Jun 2, 2019·2 votes·2,498 views

This isn't one of those "I can't climb because of my teammates" posts, even though I'm very tempted to make one of those. I just want advice from people on how to climb, other than "Oh play a real Support!" Things they notice I can do better, things that keep me in Bronze, etc. because... even if I am stuck here because of other people, I can eventually become grand (though, I hope Riot follows me on that path -- I want a good game, and to be a good player too) enough that I can carry even from the Support role!

5 Comments

Polaris IJun 3, 20192 votes

Don’t play league, can’t be bronze if you don’t play

Ward and make sure to cover the important places and paths so at least you can leave and if your adc sees you leave they might back off. Roam as a Support and apply pressure to all the lanes, just the threat that you might come mid or top usually makes people do less risky plays especially once they notice you coming there over and over

Inari Fox OrrionJun 3, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=Polaris I,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=A4A8mEjz,comment-id=0000,timestamp=2019-06-03T01:31:09.321+0000)

Don’t play league, can’t be bronze if you don’t play

Ward and make sure to cover the important places and paths so at least you can leave and if your adc sees you leave they might back off. Roam as a Support and apply pressure to all the lanes, just the threat that you might come mid or top usually makes people do less risky plays especially once they notice you coming there over and over

I do just that, actually. It's why I have such a nice KDA, and I even take it a step further by being a huge dick to the Mid: I come in through the pathways north and south of the bush so they don't see me... and then, they die!

FantasySniperJun 3, 20191 votes

Just looking at your match history, here are the most glaring issues:

You use ignite all the time. Ignite is a great aggression tool, especially when you can counter healing, but you should not be using it every time.
Kill less as support. Obviously, you should make a kill if you can and everyone else can't, but the more gold going towards you, the less that goes towards the carries, who are infinitely more dependant on it to contribute in fights.
This is especially noticeable if you're trading kills. The carry that finishes a damage item sooner is more effective than a support finishing a support item sooner.
Stop picking weird supports in ranked... Like Darius, Aatrox, Quinn, Jayce, Talon, etc... Make sure you know what you're doing with them (and that they actually work) in normals first. If you insist upon being an AD in the support role, pick Pyke - he's actually good at it.
Don't build supports like carries. Damage items cost around a thousand more gold than support items; so for every two damage items, you can buy three support items.
Other build issues; You're neglecting boots, and I'm seeing a few really odd builds like hybrid AD/AP Lucian. Don't do that.

Inari Fox OrrionJun 3, 20191 votes

{quoted}

Just looking at your match history, here are the most glaring issues:

You use ignite all the time. Ignite is a great aggression tool, especially when you can counter healing, but you should not be using it every time.

Kill less as support. Obviously, you should make a kill if you can and everyone else can't, but the more gold going towards you, the less that goes towards the carries, who are infinitely more dependant on it to contribute in fights.

This is especially noticeable if you're trading kills. The carry that finishes a damage item sooner is more effective than a support finishing a support item sooner.

Stop picking weird supports in ranked... Like Darius, Aatrox, Quinn, Jayce, Talon, etc... Make sure you know what you're doing with them (and that they actually work) in normals first. If you insist upon being an AD in the support role, pick Pyke - he's actually good at it.

Don't build supports like carries. Damage items cost around a thousand more gold than support items; so for every two damage items, you can buy three support items.

Other build issues; You're neglecting boots, and I'm seeing a few really odd builds like hybrid AD/AP Lucian. Don't do that.

Good point.
The only kills I can take are the ones the AD didn't want and/or wasn't able to take, because -- at least in Bronze -- they serve as more of a meat-shield and less of an actual ally. I try to focus on trading fewer kills and taking fewer kills, though.
Talon and Ahri are legitimate. Aatrox, Quinn, Jayce, Darius, were things I've seen and wanted to try... but ended up disliking not just because they aren't useful, but because even when they are they're way too team-reliant to be any fun. So, yeah, they aren't that useful.
Most of the game I am the only hope of a carry (because, as far as I know, heal/shield bots aren't all that great at carrying 0/5 people) but... I'll try it. If it works out well, I'm going to say "I'm wrong, you're right, thank you."
Are boots that important that I can ignore Duskblade or a core item? They don't help me in the grand scheme of things; 45ms is only useful if I can use it to wipe a mistake clean, but I try not to make mistakes in the first place. Usually, I die because I wanted my AD to live... or because I positioned myself improperly. If someone is able to catch me, I don't think it matters if I have an added 45ms on top of the 330-350 base: usually, they have dashes and slows and CC, and movement speed doesn't help w/ that. Exceptions exist, like if I'm fighting Blitz, Pyke, Syndra, or any skillshot-reliant champion.

FantasySniperJun 4, 20191 votes

It's ok to try new and weird things, just don't do it in ranked. You'll have no idea to play the champion in that role, let alone adapt to the circumstances due to the lack of experience.
If you can make Talon and Ahri work, more power to you, but there's a difference between making it work, and letting it work. The "effort/reward ratio" is a colloquial measure used in PvP games that refers to how much you have to try to accomplish a certain goal. The method that requires more effort for the same amount of reward is less efficient and suboptimal, and it logically follows that the same effort with a better method will reap greater rewards.
I'll spell it out for you: Talon and Ahri are not great supports, and you would be better off picking champions better at that role.
If you believe that you're the only hope for a carry, you should be queueing for a carry role.
If you get the support role anyways, here a couple of champions that can be more carry-like on a support's budget; Pyke, Lux, Zyra, Vel'Koz, Fiddlesticks. (And in that order)
If you have questions about Zyra in particular, feel free to ask, I play the shit out of her.
Boots are very necessary. The basic Boots of Speed are usually bought on the first recall, or right after the advanced income item for supports and junglers. Some champions can go without longer if they have decent mobility, but most depend on that MS for positioning, chases, and kiting.
Mobi boots users, in particular, want them asap because that's how they make their plays happen.
One of the things you have to learn about playing is "mistake mitigation". Don't assume you're not going to make a mistake, because it is a certainty you will. Focus on how to lessen the impact of your mistakes, hopefully to the point that you can cover your ass when it inevitably happens.