Should a support,after getting their own ADC ahead,roam around helping other lanes & players? I imagine I should since I'm the support for the entire team,not just the ADC & I often grab mobility boots.
For example:Should I support,or at least help,my top laner for a bit if they're are behind or in trouble (& I can make it in time)?
brusque4 votesI have played a lot of support in all divisions between bronze and platinum and although your question might seem simple, it's actually extremely complicated. Why?
Your decisions as a support, very often, will propel you into the mid game. The first huge objective that appears in a game of Summoner's Rift is the dragon. It is worth a lot of gold. The more quickly you can kill the dragon, the more times it will spawn, the more you can make use of the gold that flows on the map. Gold means items, means power. Every decision that you make as a support, down to the item you buy when you're first starting a game, should be intentional.
When can it be good to roam as a support?
If you and your ADC have pushed the enemy to their tower and you force them to return to base, sometimes it's much better not to attack the tower. The tower will kill the enemy's minions, and that's gold that they will lose. The faster you kill their tower, the safer it becomes for them to farm by freezing the lane. If your ADC has enough gold to purchase an item but you are not ready to go to base, don't stick to the ADC like glue. It's useless. Roam mid and try to make a play. Or, even if you don't make a play, place some wards along the way. If you're a good support, you usually have a pink ward or a red trinket. Use it. Scan for vision. When your ADC comes back to the lane, resume as normal. But don't ever go top unless you are 100% certain you can get a kill (usually you are never 100% certain).
If you are in an unfavorable lane matchup (you're supporting a Vayne or Twitch into a Cait that knows how to play Cait), you might find yourself in a situation where you are pushed out of lane and lose your tower early. This is okay: your ADC scales into the late game, so just let them farm. They should freeze the lane and play safe. It is your lane's job to make sure that your loss of map vision from the downed tower is compensated for. You should first attempt to keep the enemy from pushing into your jungle with wards by placing pinks and purchasing a red trinket (you should get a red trinket as soon as you purchase a sightstone). Keep the dragon warded. If the enemy decides to push bot as a duo, stay bot. You should otherwise naturally gravitate towards mid and try to make a play. Making plays wins games.
When is it not good to roam as a support?
TL;DR - The support role is extremely nuanced. The decision to stay with your ADC or roam changes with every game.
Jeddy0171 votesYes,yes,I see.
So the decision to roam as a Support is based on the current circumstance of the game.It's not something I can do all the time in every game like warding.
I very much agree with your post.I have,in fact,already learned some of the support tips you mentioned such as buying a pink ward & red trinket thanks to watching the pros at Worlds.Though,now it's just a matter of getting better at doing them in game.
Thank you for this well-written post.It will certainly help me improve my supporting skills.
Quepha2 votesit depends.
enemy is still a duo in the bot lane so if your adc is alone they could be killed, especially during a gank, and they're worth way more gold now. but there are situations (generally when you've taken the outer turret already, meaning it's more mid game and your adc should probably be joining you) where you can't accomplish much in the lane and could get more done by placing wards or trying to gank mid.
you probably actually end up roaming more in a lost lane when your tower is gone and your adc is just trying to farm on your side of the river with ward coverage to catch up.
Abroad Unicorn1 votesWhen I support, I often start in the top lane instead of with my ADC bot. This strategy is so unexpected that it results in first blood more often than not, which puts a hell of a lot of pressure in the top lane. I then proceed to roam mid and finally bot, where I will stay to help my adc catch up.
Abroad Unicorn1 votesDragon has been devalued, especially early, which allows supports to roam now more than ever. An early turret is worth far more than an early dragon, and not every team will be able to secure a dragon before level 6. Support your team and create as much pressure around the map as you can.