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Riot: whenever you make/rework supports

Linna Excel··2 votes·285 views

Why do you guys seem to never keep their solo lanes in mind. I know you all are thinking about the meta, but with literally over 9000 players playing the game at any one time you are always going to have a few who are going to want to try things out. Like take their favorite champs into different lanes or try something new in their current lane.

First we had a wave of mids go support. Then we had a few supports go into other lanes. Now we've even got mid AP Sejuanis. I totally had her pegged as a support or maybe top if she left the jungle, not a mid.

Then you've got some support players crying "don't take a support into a solo lane, they'll get nerfed". I have to ask, is that really healthy? Is it really healthy for a game for any champion to be unable to survive a solo lane? No, it isn't. Is it healthy for the game if a support champion is broken in a solo lane because you guys never thought to test him outside of the support role? No it isn't. Is it healthy for the game for you all to enforce the meta? No it isn't.

Here's an example I've faced in blind picks a couple of times. Maybe someone has faced this in ranked, who knows. I call and pick a support because I'm assuming we are doing the normal meta and no one says other wise. Then I lock in support. Guess what? The guy I thought was going top is actually going bot with someone else for an unusual lane. Or we get a dual jungle comp I wasn't warned about and then I have to 2v1. This sort of thing happens a lot when I pick Sona. Or the ADC is lagging, disconnects, afks, or whatever and I'm suddenly in a position where I have no real items and have a champ who isn't designed to stay in a solo lane or has been crazy nerfed because all supports seem to be balanced on 0 CS and no kills.

I've seen several reds mention they want to see champs be able to move beyond their intended roles in a healthy way. However for supports it seems you guys refuse to even consider them being able to solo-lane or not go full support (tropic of thunder reference).

So I have to ask why? What makes supports so evil and toxic you guys won't even consider to let people take their favorite support champ into a solo lane? Why are they the only exception to the rule? Why are they the only group of champs in the game that is under full meta enforcement? Why wasn't mids going support an issue for you guys?

morello ghostcrawler meddler

5 Comments

Silverclaw1 votes

It's not that they don't want supports to be able to play in solo lanes, it's that they want it to be fun for everyone involved. My favourite example of this is solo lane Soraka. She spams Q and shoved into your turret, at which point she silenced you so she can't be harassed, healing any damage that she does take. Is this fun for the soraka? Yes. Is it fun for the other laner? No. You can't do much against a solo lane soraka.

Now, let's talk about solo lane Karma. She'll try to get a Mantra Q on you if she can, but she can also root you in place and give an AOE speed boost. This is fun for the karma player and also fun for the other laner, as you can avoid her Q and get out of the tether range to not be rooted. There's counterplay here.

Linna Excel2 votes

If Vesh was remaking soraka so she could solo lane in a healthy manner in addition to dual lane, that's be fine. If the rework was a Karma style rework that kept her healthy in both roles, that'd be great.

But he's not.

I've got a feeling if any support tries to be a non-support riot is going to do anything possible to nerf that support, like Lulu or Soraka, as punishment. They aren't designing them right and they aren't testing them right and this needs to change. They aren't designing the game to be a healthy one vis a vie supports.

Eapenator1 votes

Most supports have certain aspects of their kit which result in unhealthy things when vs other champions. Soraka could just shove your wave in level 1, and just sit mid sustaining herself. Lulu is neigh untouchable when played top lane, because she has so much cc and can be too tanky to kill, while delivering constant harass.

Soraka will always be a healer. But ranged healers can have no other healthy place in any other lane, other than support. Thats why Nami can only go bottom.

The problem with a ranged healer is that they can avoid alot of all in's and just sustain themselves. Perhaps thats why Alistar and Taric have had moments where why can go top, and Riot didn't nerf them into the ground. Because Riot feels that they can still be engaged upon when they make a mistake.

Soraka has to be the Archetypal RANGED healer, who can pump massive heals to allies when played correctly, and because of this, she will never be put anywhere else other than with an ALLY at all times (notice I didn't say bottom lane).

Lulu, on the other hand is able to access alot of her own power, and I feel this is where riot will hit her when they plan of removing her top. However, I think with Lulu's case, Riot is still trying to preserve the option of going into a solo lane, which would explain why they having completely changed her as fast as soraka.

Pika3101 votes

They've made it very clear they don't want supports to function anywhere other than in the support role. This and they aren't afraid to nerf any support simply on a whim, but almost never buff any. Braum and Thresh get constant nerfs every patch, mid-laners like Morg and Annie they try to nerf out of support and then others like Nami and Sona will just get nerfed for the hell of it. You never see supports receive buffs, not even unplayed ones for fear of being viable against non-support champs or in solo lanes. Alistar's current stint in top is probably going to be a short-lived one.

Linna Excel2 votes

That's what I'm trying to wonder: why?

It'd save riot a lot of work and grief in the long run if they just make or reworked supports so they could be healthy in the solo lane.

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