What makes a support a "support"?
Well if you ask me, a support can be any champion with some crowd control and harass ability. Whatever it takes to get the adc every chance to cs.
Others might say that an actual support would have healing ability in their kit (Sona, Bard or Alistar for example).
Others still I have spoke to base the decision on how Riot classifies each champion, seen on the champion info/store page.
Where does the community stand on this?
The OP made this thread because they play Kat "support", with no gold income item nor sightstone.
If you do this on my team you will absolutely, always and without question get reported. In all probability the entire team will report you as they should. You're the kind of player I get in my promos 100% of the time, a troll.
/thread
Keep in mind that OP plays stuff like Mordekaiser/Katarina support, does neither build a support item nor sightstone and instead opts for stuff like mobi boots + tear on Gragas support with Exhaust/Ignite.
So where do I stand on this?
I think it's absolutely terrible and should be a reportable offense. Katarina "support" without any supportive item whatsoever provides 0 utility and it's clear that you are making 0 attempt to fullfill the support role.
There are two things that defines real support:
1.) Be able to provide support (CC, shield/heal or stat boost (even lowering stats for the enemy would count) 2.) Be able to do his/her job without the need of items, scaling into game purely by gaining levels
The second point is the reason why i.e. Lux support is only played in low elo and is not effective.
I consider the following real supports.
because really isn't any champion helping you win the game a great support towards victory?
My 
Support roster approves this message.
Stoneborn Pact added huge amount to the off-meta support picks honestly
Whatever you wanna pick as long as you buy the damn gold income item.
Support is a mindset, not a pick. That's where, for starters.
Off-meta is often treated like an unsung hero but usually, people see some dumb shit in a youtube video, go, "OH I CAN DO THAT" without considering what might go into the planning or execution (IE five-man premade), and they then proceed to shit up a game and tell others they're just being jerks and meta slaves.
A support is putting their ally's kills and health first, keeping the rest of the team as abreast of as much information as they can, and contributes to teamfights by using the enemy or ally formation(s) to their advantage. If it were as much as heals, it would exclude Brand (and doesn't, really); if it were just CC it would exclude others (and doesn't). Realistically, it's more of the role you're taking on. You could play a Darius support, probably; and quite well in the right circumstances, you'd just have to know what you were and weren't working with.
To me, a support is a player, who in layman's terms ensures the rest of the team achieves the glory-- usually at cost to themselves. You need to realize why you're buying Sightstone instead of Sheen; you need to realize why you have an income item instead of a damage starter. You need to understand when you're using which +Heal item. You need to know when you're blowing big cooldowns, and when you're just trying some small peel or sustain. It's about knowing why you're in the lane at any given time, which is to make the carry look good. Even when they're looking badly and dragging you down, it's your job to pick them back up and get them upright. That's why mage picks made it hot for a while-- because even with a carry who's behind, they can take up the mantle. They can equally fall back if that ADC picks up. Enchanters (to a lesser extent, tanks as well) can't do this because to most of them, 'ahead' equates to 'roughly with everyone else, damage-wise.'
A support is a player who knows when and where they're needed, and they don't need a reason for it. All vision, all the time; ask players if they have any hot spots they want warded. Communicate with your lanes to know who is, and is going, where. Critically, realize that you are meant to be less valuable than the rest of the team; part of this is so that as a weaker individual part, you're also a weaker individual loss. You can turn this to your advantage in martyr plays when necessary, by letting player(s) 'secure' a kill that gets them killed, or pushed. Of course, try not to die just to get one kill... this-for-that is rarely worth it in League.
Anyone who provides utility in the form of stats or cc or heals. Which jarman has all 3.
Played a normal draft last night, intended pick Orianna (recently got her in hextech reroll, wanted to play her as support). A champ with a great shield, harass and engage/disengage with ult (also good practice with the ball without being stabbed by a small fish midlane). My adc told me to pick a 'real support' (same words as above)... so I said "like Brand or Zyra?"
I gave in however and picked Nami (I'll play Ori with less demanding adcs) but seriously when did a champ like Orianna become not okay to pick in as a support? wth
My view, any champ can support as long as you play the role of support. Nasus for example, E armour shred and W to protect from ganks, build tank, don't worry about stacks. Not idea but why not as long as you are playing the support role.
Eh, I agree somewhat. But there are times and places for everything. Normals, anything is fine, have fun, try things... so tired of people taking normal blind pick so seriously like its LCS or something.
Second, if my teammate has hundreds of games on some strange non-meta or out of favor champion, I'll usually let them play it. I've played some weird stuff. As long as we have vision and they do their job properly its fine.
What I'm not fine with is people instalocking something they've never played (regardless of if its meta or not), in ranked, and still not building for the team or contributing to vision and essentially trying to play for kills.
pretty sure there's very few things that have 0 chance as supports (all assassins lol), but tbh it's your choice.
Only requirement is build and use the sightstone- rest is actually up to you ( help your team, etc.)- like if you wanna try weird things like Ori (not great but other things are def worse), that's fine but actually do support things. 100% I respect people who try new/weird supports and actually do support things than the people who are Lux/insert "mage" supports who don't build SS and go full damage.
Like one of the few things that 100% you buy because it wins the game when used/needs to be used is sightstone- a support that doesn't build it/and or doesn't use it to help the team is actually worse than someone playing offmeta.
tl;dr -build a fucking sightstone, i'll gladly lane w. an Ori, or Heimer, or Illaoi, or Jarvan, or Swain support, etc. if they build a SS and try to help the team, and it'll tilt me less than the shitty Brand/Veigars/LUX players who don't build SS. (SS into full damage is acceptable lol)
looking at OP's profile Why do you never flash with all those deaths?
Quote from imaqtpie currently rank 1 adc in na challenger for those unaware:
The only requirement for a champ to be a supp is for you to be mechanically proficient on them as a player.
I personally think being able to function with less gold is a massive factor as well.
Any champion can fill the support role as long as you either get a gold income item or agree to share cs.
A support is anyone who can protect, or setup your ally. However the coordination depends on the champion, as some are more obviously intended to be used in tandem with teammates.
For example braum vs skarner; braum's kit revolves around pinning down an enemy while defending his partner, skarner on the other hand just wants to slap the enemy to death if he can reach them. They both can be played as cc-machines and body-blockers, but braum functions so much easier for most players without as much practice.
General rule of thumb, anyone with crowd control or allied power enabler (such as a buff or shield) or some other battlefield utility (traps vision ext), can be a support; the more the better. It's why some mains can succeeded with strange combos, they understand how they can carry by mechanic while granting allies the tools to win.
Unfortunately most of the community is rather inflexible both in gameplay and expectation.
The community has always been dogmatic and violent in nature towards those who aren't privileged enough to amass a large population to support the tactic that is the pre-meta and eventually the current meta.
The best part about the meta,
is that it makes players' modus operandi predictable. Good for me, bad for them.
The real trolls are Nunus. If you came face to face with one you know what I mean.
Like the comments before me. Have utility + provide vision. I play off-meta support all the time and a lot of the adcs don't complain because I do my job.
If you troll pick in ranked, you will get justifiably reported.
you can pick whatever u want for support. but there are definitely viable supports, and non viable supports. especially as you get to higher elo.
I think a support is literally any vanguard such as Nautilus, Malphite, Sion, ect. (they all can peel and have good CC) Mages with good CC such as Lux, Morgana, Nami, ect.), Mages with healing effects such as Nami, Soraka, Sona, ect.), And any champion that doesn't neccessarily have these things, but was made with the purpose to support such as Blitzcrank, Thresh, taric, ect.
If you are on my team and are going ANY Assassin or someone with very little CC as support, you will surely be getting a report by me.
Supports tend to be champions that don't rely extremely heavily on both items and gold.
GP for example, no matter how much you want to be a support, cannot be one, because he's one of the most gold reliant champions in the game. Vel'koz, Zyra, and Brand works as supports because they have good amounts of base damage and can afford to subsist off of the welfare cheques that are support items. All three also have some form of CC.
Support can be anything as long as it contributes to the team and the well being of the ADC in the game. I'd say as long as you know exactly what you're doing, its fine.
Tahm kench and thresh are classified as supports and they dont have a healing ability. I say a support is a champ that has abilities to help the adc. (Abilities that heal, boost stats, or cc)
