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Why We Play Support

Scythian Empire··68 votes·6,112 views

Hey Guys,

I've been reading a lot of support mains complaining about their role on the team. Some is the problem of players (no credit for making good plays) while others are definitely more of a gameplay issue (itemization, lack of XP). I thought it would be beneficial for the support mains to unite and start a discussion of why they like playing support, problems they see with the role and possible solutions. Maybe, if we give enough quality feedback it could catalyze a mini support update. Hopefully we can get some red posts to let us know if Riot has any plans or directions for support changes.

Mains: Mostly tanky supports - Braum Thresh TahmKench I also play Lulu for fun and am saving up for Bard after spamming him on free week.

Why I Like Support:

  • Don't have to worry about CS
  • I feel that my role is thinking more about overall lane strategy and control as well as focusing on big picture strategy (especially when I play with friends).
  • Warding (can't trust non-supports)
  • I like CC and getting picks
  • I pretty much love every support ultimate and they can be impactful

Problems:

  • I feel like item 2049 is totally outshined by the yellow trinket. Three wards is great but yellow trinket actually regenerates.
  • Sightstone upgrades require forgoing the actives for FoM and FQC which is too costly.
  • Consistently punished by being a lower level for doing my job (warding, roaming, etc.)
  • Never reach late game fantasy/tankiness
  • Even when you're ahead, you're never ahead

Suggestions:

  • Let sightstone regenerate wards or feel on par to yellow trinket other than by just having three wards
  • Sightstone upgrades indpendent of gp5 items
  • Support-targeted keystones and masteries that correct for XP problems
  • Possible stacking items like item 3027 that don't make sense for non-supports to allow us to reach late-game fantasies (maybe low stats that would be inefficient on normal laners that can scale into solid secondary-tank and mage stats).

Riot said somewhere that supports should have the lowest downtime of any role, so I think they have a direction, curious if this means giving more mp5 and hp5 items.

129 Comments

IcyPepper18 votes

Honestly, I enjoy being able to decide who lives and dies.

Mecha MaIphite8 votes

Caitlyn TAHM WHAT ARE YOU DOING TahmKench And into their team you go

TahmKench >>>>>>>>>Caitlyn Rengar Malphite Jax

SpecterVonBaren11 votes

Never. I'd never pass up the opportunity to see sweet delicious Rengar player tears as I eat a carry away from his bullshit instakill stealth leap of doom. Tahm is my own personal middle finger to Rengar and anyone that plays him.

FastAsHeck8 votes

Shen nice AA enhance you have there, it would be a shame if the adc dodged it

SeductiveGrandpa1 votes

Ever had a moment where you were playing Soraka and time slowed down and League became The Walking Dead and you got a choice on who to save out of all your team-mates?

Ha, just kidding, R heal for days.

(Had a game where I was playing with my friend and he was playing an ADC and him + another team-mate were trying to retreat and one of them were obviously about to die so on accident I healed the JG rather than him and he died. **RENGAR WILL REMEMBER THAT. **

Gene Freakz13 votes

I play Janna and Morgana a lot but it's pretty much just luck. Putting a shield on poop doesn't make it any better, it's still poop.

Kapppaccino5 votes

Put the shield on only if the enemy is low, for the assist ;) otherwise put it on yourself and become the true carry

Dragonlord71371 votes

Well at least you change the color.

Vigilente7 votes

We play support because riot was to lazy to make a 4th lane and just decided to drop the support with the helpless dependent selfish adc.

Ariel the Cruel32 votes

Actually. The ADC/sup bot lane was an evolution of the European meta back in the early days of LoL. And contrary to popular belief, Riot has done very little to enforce this particular configuration. It's simply the most effective distribution of resources.

Hell, I remember when the popular meta was mage top, ADC mid, Tank/sup Bot.

Vigilente2 votes

Everything makes sense but top mage xD. I would rather have an adc up here

KillerKell2 votes

Sort of. Most Mages come with more CC than an ADC, unless it's an ADC Ult.

So being able to poke and CC can be really good up top.

Much like Quinn has a huge advantage over Melee Tops, so to do Mages. The issue is, they (generally) have less mobility, so are more suspect to Ganks (not much of a problem for Quinn, who has both mobility and an Ability that hits then puts her at Max Attack Range from some one trying to engage).

So while not as effective as Quinn, a Mage Top can certainly work IF they ensure to not Over-Extend, use Wave Clear just outside of Turret and stall the wave until/unless the Top roams, then push and back or push and follow.

Certainly not Meta, and likely wrecked against a Gap Closer or Ranged (just like they generally would be in Mid)... but at least Ganks are only coming from one general direction.

Mama Soraka4 votes

The days of Cait/Vayne mid are long past. That was so much fun, though.

Vigilente4 votes

That is still not a bad idea because adc's benefit from the faster gold income at mid.

HighH110 votes

Too bad it doesn't work because after level 3 your name becomes "Zed's 300G minions"

Weasel Kensei6 votes

ADC is such a valuable target to shutdown, and mid is one of the most gankable lanes.

A tank thats behind in levels from duo lane would get blown up in this META more easily.

Holding the ADCs hand with a support protects this powerful objective taking champ and helps to ensure some late game sustained damage.

METAs evolve because theyre better than old METAs in that the Most Effective Tactic Available beats others, and you must adapt or die.

So as things are, trying that configuration my go south on you very quickly, and would of course require a team (probably a premade) to agree to it.

It Hertz When IP7 votes

Used to be a Soraka main before her rework, now I'm kinda bouncing between most of the main ones.

I prefer support because in laning phase I can ignore CSing to focus on manipulating the battlefield itself. I get to play the tactical game while the ADC has to concentrate on playing whack-a-mole. Mid-late game it's all about screwing with the enemy via CC and enabling allies to go above and beyond what they normally can do, sometimes literally saving them from death.

I think the biggest problem right now is that there is no real system in place to account for the fact that supports are deprived of both gold AND XP, and mid-game we are often gold-starved and underleveled, leading to us having to play like chickens and try to get in on every kill just to win enough assist gold to stay relevant.

I'd like to see Sightstone variants that built out of item 1052 and item 1027 for more warding options besides health, which not every support benefits fully from.

CasterGilgamesh3 votes

i still main soraka i will never stop!personally i just wish supports didnt constantly get nerfed for going to solo lanes what ever happened to "diversity"

It Hertz When IP3 votes

TBH I get why Soraka was hated in midlane; Q that required no brains, a W that enabled her to shrug off anything short of balls-to-the-wall all-in 2v1 gank, a targeted silence that dealt impressive damage, and the ability to farm assists with her global R without leaving lane, meaning that she didn't have to get any kills or roam to gain a gold advantage on you, she just had to freeze lane and not die.

What I don't get is why the drastic changes. They could have just as easily made W unable to be self-cast and added whatever weird wonky self-heal effect to Q (new Q would also have worked). As it is, currently Soraka is still toxic to face in low ELO mid-lane now that her self-heal levels with her poke instead of her ally heal, only now she's a giant pain to play as support.

Theiki Kayle2 votes

"having to play like chickens and try to get in on every kill just to win enough assist gold to stay relevant."

Zyra you need to BECOME the carry.

Even with nothing but Sightstone + Liandry's I still deal more damage than my team.

When I play Zyra I live by the wise words of reddit: "Zyra always outdamages her team, if she doesn't, report her for not trying hard enough."

It Hertz When IP1 votes

I personally suck ass with Zyra , but Velkoz will do that too.

Theiki Kayle2 votes

Karma also tends to be a bit on the strong side in terms of poke, and her peel is also godlike, unlike the other two.

Linthe4 votes

Since we be here... I was wondering what folks thought about the new sighstone items. Do you upgrade to those or not??

In other words... You have Targon's Brace... Are you upgrading to FOTM or Eye of the Equinox?? So far I have not been upgrading to the new trinket items...

hOrnn2 votes

Eoe upgrade is imo better then fotm, much more gold return for u and whomever, that way if ur leona with a meh carry u can greedmode an item if u want or get even tankier.

Odinakos2 votes

Tagon line i go for sightstone variation. The shield is too small and locket is a few hundrend bucks more expensive. Then i can go for tank items depending on how the game goes.

Spellthiefs almost always the active. It is too good. On LCS they upgrade for SS variation because that 1 extra ward matters there but lets be serious and admit it wont matter up until Diamond.

Coin always active. Why the bloody hell did you coin?

Athenes Lulu3 votes

No, because the utility actives are too useful to be traded for an extra slot.

item 3092 item 3092 item 3092 Come on, even midlaners and toplaners build this because that's how OP it is. item 3092 item 3092 item 3092

And contrary to popular belief, item 3069 is not at all bad. It's just a super-duper situational item.

Athenes Lulu4 votes

I play support because I'm too lazy to fight for roles, and that someone's gotta do it.

Can't trust anyone else doing the warding, or even peeling the right targets. People often listen to junglers and supports for shotcalling even if you're a backliner. Games become quiet because many support players actually are pretty whiny, and being the support yourself prevents that.

And of course, you can literally fuck up things singlehandedly and still don't get blamed. If anything, people always blame my ADC even if it's my fault, and that as a support mistakes are often easy to wipe away and make up. DC'd because #technicaldifficulties? You're not behind at all, because you don't even farm. Garbage mechanics? That's not even a requirement.

But of course as a trade off, I need at least a friend or two to actually make my efforts matter, and I'm fine with that.

Amelie4 votes

Mains: I don't really have one atm. I used to main Sona Janna Zyra . But right now I have 5 mastery with Lulu Morgana Soraka Lux

I tend to play whatever fits the team composition, since I can play all supports.

Why I like support:

  • I can control the feed bot lane. A bad support causes this lane (and often, the game) to fail most of the time.
  • I can control ward coverage.
  • I can watch the map and warn/assist teammates.
  • I provide the engage/counter-engage for fights.
  • Free money for harassing!

Problems:

  • Sightstone and wards were nerfed too hard. Cannot control vision enough, especially from behind. Everything gets sweeped away.
  • item 3222 This item is practically unusable because of the cooldown.
  • Not as much impact in League of Burst Champions ...That's all I can think of.

Suggestions:

  • Un-nerf sightstone. Seriously. And/or make the ruby upgrade less expensive. Or simply automatically upgrade after a certain time.
  • Let us place more than one pink ward, or give it its own slot.
  • Let us buy green wards again.
Azaleax3 votes

hit the nail on the head with the benefits of support, I think. There are advantages.

AwesomeChad3 votes

Let me share the other perspective on supports so this thread has a more balance discussion. At Dia 5, I've had supports that randomly "afk" at our 1st tier turret during laning phase for some random reason and this has costed us lane pressure sometimes when we had the advantage or if we were even, this gives the enemy a lead because as the marksman, I have give up cs because the enemy bot notices this and will zone me. One person told me they did this because they were watching another lane which confused me. Aside from that, there are multiple occasions where my support expends mana/spell cooldowns when its unnecessary to do so (ex: healing me when i'm 80% hp and have lifesteal). A 3rd common issue I see is sometimes, supports roam too much or don't roam at all when they should. There are optimal times to roam (ex: when ur adc is recalled/enemy support is roaming/you know ur adc can handle 1v2). If you roam too much, not only are you vulnerable to a big level deficit but you are sacrificing lane pressure at bot lane to help another lane. If you do not gain any advantages from the roam, you essentially screw over your bot lane.

Bottom line is while I know this isn't every support, don't underplay the role. Support is extremely important to an ADC's success in the laning phase.

Jewish and Smexy3 votes

I play support because I don't have to focus on csing and I can approach the game more tactically. I play a lot of hard engage and disengage champions (Thresh, Alistar, Braum, and the occasional Bard) and I like picking my fights carefully and really controlling the battlefield, whether it's preemptively warding up an area of the jg you want to have a team fight in soon or rotating to other lanes and secure their leads. A good support should feel like the army general overseeing the rest of his or her platoon.

Leveling I do undeniably have issues with this meta however. When 16 minutes into the game I'm 2 levels behind the rest of my team regardless of my personal performance, and thus substantially weaker than say their midlander who was 0-3 by 13 minutes. There's a problem.

Itemization Although the sightstone changes were meant to be an improvement on the item, they were undeniably a flop, it's just really not ever worth it to take it over FOtM or FQC. I am a big supporter of the proposed changes to sightstone allowing them to regenerate. The trinket changes were a step in the right direction, however there are still issues like why is it that come late game I have to choose between going to full build like the rest of my team or flat out not buying my last item to keep a spot for a pink ward in my inventory. If there was a pink ward trinket or something this would be great or maybe if you could make an out of inventory holding similar to potions where you had an extra slot just for them. (I know these aren't the best ideas but it's getting the conversation started).

Dominick Destine2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Scythian Empire,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=NirZJWAh,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-04-11T19:59:00.672+0000)

  • I feel like item 2049 is totally outshined by the yellow trinket. Three wards is great but yellow trinket actually regenerates.

https://beinglatino.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/nolosdos.jpg

Scythian Empire13 votes

That's what I mean. Sight stone should definitely regenerate wards so getting red trinket doesn't feel as sad.

Dominick Destine1 votes

Way to miss the point.

GaleWinUnleashed8 votes

Problem is that sweeper is also amazingly useful.

It Hertz When IP2 votes

In the rare cases that I haven't needed Sweeper (i.e. both jungle and someone else have it), I go with Blue trinket anyway just so I don't have two vision items contributing to the same cap.

Taryn2 votes

Mains: Sona

Why I like to play support: Because Sona exists.

Problems: Sona's entire patch note history.

Satire aside, I love Support because it's a different game for me. When I ADC I'm focusing on cs and outputting damage in teamfights. Playing midlane is basically the same, cs and do damage. But when I support I feel like I get to do more. I'm a constant threat to the opposing adc. "Just how obnoxious can I be this game?" I find myself wondering as we begin laning phase. After laning phase I get to act as a watchdog and fend off the opposing assassins as they click skillfully on my adc in an attempt to kill them, and if I play my cards right I can turn that around. Depending on what champ I'm playing depends on the kind of support I'm gonna offer. Sona being my favorite I tend to scare people away by accidentally ks-ing with a powercord. If I'm Morganna I give them time to take a break by hitting a Q, and if I'm Janna I can just blow everyone in the room to end the fight.

That's my take on support. It's a completely different game.

I hate my ADC2 votes

Mains: Sona Nami Janna Karma Other champs I play regularly: Alistar Nautilus Leona Lulu Some odd cases: Soraka Lux

Why I Like Support:

Problems:

  • Snowball
  • Sightstone is terribly itemized. Not every champion care about the HP it gives and the build paths are contradictory as F. You get to choose between an active or a passive that reduce active CD. Seriously Rito?
  • Snowball
  • Snowballing
  • Snow, ball.
  • Snowballed lanes
  • Snowballers using teleport

Suggestions:

  • Give multiple early sightstone choices, instead of only health, give option for MP5, AP, AD, etc.
  • Fix the rest of the game itemization so people don't power snowball
  • More options to reduce active item CD other than Ruby Sightstone.
chipndip12 votes

Main reason I support: I would like to jungle a bit more, but I can only play 3 roles, and leaving a random to support me is way more suicide than supporting a random and hoping he knows the bare minimum on how to pick up a kill or how to cs. So I lock jg/sup and get sup 9.5/10 times.

Dataless2 votes

We play Support because non-support players would just fuck it up.

CoffeeDave2 votes

I play support because when I first started, I was a ADC main and I got frustrated that no one seemed to be a good support. So I decided to give it a shot and found my calling. My mains are Nami Leona Taric with my back ups are Braum Janna Soraka . Been playing the role for a long time, I like doing more with less, and with how dangerous it is to ward sometimes I feel like I'm a real scout (like the way Teemo should be).

Problems: the nerfs to item 2049 hurt. Bad. 3 charges aren't enough and with no green wards, it never feels like there's enough vision. Having to rely on your teammates to win fights. I can never win a 1v1 against anyone unless I'm insanely fed or they're just that bad. I never get the satisfaction of carrying a game. I'm not saying you can't as a support, but it doesn't feel as good as it is with other roles. Hell, half the time your own teammates won't even notice they're getting carried by you. They would think they did it themselves you allowed yourself to get carried. On a similar point, it feels even worse being on a losing team because you have to rely on your teammates that have already lost lane.

Suggestions: Like OP has suggested, allow item 2049 item 2045 to regenerate charges. I feel like there should be at least one support that should be the 'come back kid' and get better the further behind his own team is. I don't know how to fix the 'feel' of carrying a game. I wish I did.

sixxofsixx2 votes

Hey, Gold 3 support main here (although I dabble in jg, it's basically the same thing except you're always roaming).

Things I like: -Warding -The ability to have huge map impact really early -People listen to me when I make calls -Can feel very impactful in certain lane/teamfight situations

Things I don't like: -Essentially no scaling towards any sort of late game, except stacking more mediocre actives -Sightstone somehow feels worse than s5, and ruby sightstone is really really useless except for slightly boosting those mediocre actives -Experience gains are so so so bad atm -Mage supports feel really bad if you fall even slightly behind (looking at you Karma)

Essentially, I love the role, but it feels kinda bad at the moment. With experience as bad as it is, I just get two shotted on everything not named Alistar xD Hope this helped OP [slayer-jinx-wink]

Lauchmelder2 votes

Ex Support main (will come back when some major flaws are fixed):

Champion pool: Alistar Bard Blitzcrank Braum Leona Thresh (why am I even listing this, I can play every Support to a decent level but enjoy tank supports the most)

Why I like(d) being a Support: Creating pressure around mid and bot during laning Phase, enabling my ADC to get to a decent power fairly easily and then peeling for the carries. Also shotcalling.

Problems: Supports being in a weak state right now. If you are not named Braum or Alistar your tankiness is fairly limited to assist Gold or extremely long games. If you are not named Soraka or Annie you won't do a lot as squishy Support (and Annie only every 5 minutes).

Season 6 eliminated macro play in ranked and thus made shotcalling pointless. Who will win, the team with 3 dragons and 4 towers or the team that is 15 kills up and has 3 towers? Most likely the team with kills due to gold advantage. (Solution to that is giving each dragon 100 Gold/Player)

Sightstone ward reduction. I usually go with the support item sightstones unless I really want that Face of the Mountain active to safe my carries/teammates from death. Then paying another 1k Gold for 1 more ward in your Stone? Not worth. Even if you get 20% CDR on your active items.

rtbf2256182412 votes

Why i play Support?

Idk, i like to win. So..yeah.

Ardond2 votes

I love playing support mainly because of 2 reasons. the first being that I find it to be the most bm thing I can do with out fear of being remotely reported, i.e. Volibear is coming a my adc, at the last second you Lulu polymorph them, to me that is just hilariously satisfying. The second reason is I love the micro manage play style of a lot of supports. in team fights you have to keep track of everybody on your team just make sure that they live, and if you do save all of them from something huge that is the best feeling in the world.

DevlinCrow1 votes

I am a fill main and get mostly support and here's what I think are issues:

  • No rewards, I can put kills on a plate for my ADC all day or save team mates from certain death, sometimes sacrificing myself. But it's the ones with the kills who get the credit. However, don't sacrifice yourself once or arrive too late to the fight and you'll be flamed.

  • No waveclear, EVERY support game I get, my team are trying to play Team Deathmatch and leaving turrets to die. I spend most of post-laning phase clearing huge waves, if I don't, the turret will die and the CS will go to waste because my team just ignores them, no matter how much I ping or ask.

  • XP & Gold. We get next to nothing compared to everyone else.

Scythian Empire3 votes

I think that in general lack of wave clear should be part of the class. But I think an anti-siege support with good wave clear would be a cool addition.

Dukues1 votes

Support has grown on me. I do wish Sight stone regenerated wards and wish as a support we could have an increase in xp gained. It really does suck always being lower level even when you winning lane.

Call me a noob but I feel lacking in items to provide teammates with armor. I feel like the go to armor item is item 3110 but the lack of health does not really help with being a squishy support and no aura for teammates. At least when it comes to magic resist and heavy AP team comps you can build item 3190 or item 3060 to help "support" your teammates. I just feel when it comes to heavy ad comps we are stuck getting armor for ourselves without being able to help the team. I play a lot of Morgana support and generally build item 3157 fairly early. My ult with item 3157 can be pretty effective in team fights but when your behind it would be nice to have other options.

If i am wrong about the armor please let me know as I am sure there are some things I should learn. However, if there were more support ad armor items or options then maybe these full or almost full 2 - 3 adcs comps would not be as effective or seen as often. Granted most teams realize the enemy is heavy ad their teammates build a lot of armor but would feel better if I had an item or items that provide some armor for my team and helped me as well.

Scythian Empire2 votes

It seems the only thing to do with the full AD comps we face is to be outrageous and go Taric .

Dukues1 votes

I like the answer. I however find Taric extremely boring to play and doubt I have played him in ranked since season 2 or 3 haha. Of course once his update is released I am sure he will be in most ranked games or banned.

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