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New player needing tips for support role.

E8LtYTL46h·3/20/2016, 5:00:36 AM·3 votes·788 views

Edit: Ty to everyone who gave me tips/advice on this ^-^. After reading through everything, I really like the idea of this type of playstyle. It's a bit early to say, but I might main support =)

I'm still fairly new to this game being only lvl 11. There are two roles I've been playing so far. One being top and the other being support. So far, I've found great success in top lane so far. Though, it's sort of been mixed when it comes to the support role. I need to focus on this more since the queue has placed me 8/11 times so far in the support role even though I set primary to top. I could really use some advice on a few things.

  • Is it a bad thing to roam often to other lanes since I won't be able to assist the adc?
  • When it comes to team-fighting, should I be sticking to my adc?
  • If the adc and I want to do different things, what should I do? As in if I think it's a bad idea while they think it's a good idea and either way, they're going to do it.
  • Should I die for my adc? If there's a situation where only one of us could live should I die for them? There have been a few occasions where the adc wasn't too happy that I didn't die for them.

These are just a few things I'm curious about. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated =)

12 Comments

IDreamOfJhinie3/20/2016, 5:41:50 AM3 votes

Hey buddy, i'm a silver-gold support main, but i will try to answer your questions the best i can. But, there is a thing you should note:

At your level, many players don't know how to capitalize on the utility of a pure support, so i'd recommend you to play a mage to start on the role, since (for example) a Vel'koz ult has more raw impact than a Sona ult, it is also less frustrating for you since it is way easier to have an impact without depending so much on your teammates.

Now let's answer your questions!

1-it really depends on the match, for example if you are Janna, don't expect your ganks to be that effective since she is more about cockblocking the enemy team, on the other hand, if you are a Leona or a Blitzcrank...HELL YES, roam at every chance you have, but make sure that your ADC is safe, keep their lane safe so they will be less prone to get ganked by the enemy jungler.

2-You don't need to always stick to your adc, it really depends on the fight.

When it comes to teamfight, your duty as a support can vary depending on the champion, if you are Alistar you are probably going to engage on the enemy and/or peel for the carries, if you are Soraka, your duty is to keep your team healty and disable the enemy casters with your silence. But to make it short, usually your duty is to lock down or disable the enemy carries while making sure your carries stay alive...

Now, note that im saying carries, not adcs specifically, you will encounter games where your actual carry may be your jungle Kha'zix, in which case you may want to lock down the enemy squishies for him and make sure he gets out of the skirmish alive.

Now, there are going to be some games when all the enemy team and their moms will try to dive and kill the carry, in which case, yes, stick with him and keep him safe.

3- Actually this happens a lot in every game, and it doesn't happen only between ADC-Support, it happens a lot between a jungler and his laners, for example. What you may want to do in these cases is to:

a)- 'Caution' Ping your teammate to retract, so they at least know they won't be expecting a huge follow up from you since you don't like the idea. b)- try to follow up your teammate without putting you in a huge risk, like, making sure you have the resources to escape if that play indeed is a bad call.

4- Yes, if you can protect the life of your carries by sacrificing your own life, then DO IT, also, if you get to main support, you will find that it is very common to use yourself as a bait to set up ganks!

I'm here if you have more questions :) Good luck!

Mister Modesty3/20/2016, 5:23:07 AM2 votes

A lot of your questions don't have cut and dry answers.

-Yes it is okay to roam. In fact, you're helping your ADC by leaving lane. Experience is divided between champions, which is why Bot lane levels more slowly usually. Leaving lane lets your ADC level up quicker. Also- you're the support, the entire team needs you. Just make sure you let the ADC know you're leaving them. Support is just a kick-start for ADC champs. ADCs need someone to help them early game. Once they've got some oomph- leave lane and help out others.

-In team fights, stick to your role. You want to help anyone who needs it. Some supports are better with more allies. Taric gives all nearby allies bonus stats- so the more people you have near you- the better your team is. But- the ADC is still very susceptible to team fights. You should make sure your ADC can poke safely- that way you get the most out of your engagements.

-The ADC is "bot lane". There are 3 lane roles, and 2 utility roles. If your ADC wants to do something else- let them. You're not restricted to their hip. Recent champs and updates are encouraging supports to roam. Bard is a support champion that needs to roam to collect chimes. Support needs to roam- which means sometimes leaving your ADC behind. But- it is usually beneficial to stick with them. Supports are meant to be with another champion.

-Only die for an ally when it's beneficial. If an ally over-extends, don't go out to try and save them. If you're retreating- yes- always. You should always be placed in a way that places aggro on you- unless you have a tankier ally- like if you go AP support and you have a tank Jungle. I play tank support- so I keep myself placed between my allies and enemies. If something happens and our push collapses, the tank needs to "peel". A peel is just getting enemies away from your allies. This sometimes means you have to die- if you try to live you might just lead them to your more "key" players. Always signal to your allies what you plan on doing. Peel/engage. Sometimes you might go to engage, and an ally uses it as an opportunity to flee. Other times you try to peel, and the ally turns to finish the fight and die. Communication is the most important part of support.

Let your allies know when your Ult is up. Let allies know where the enemy Jungle is. Let allies know what you're doing when you hop into the fight. And tell allies beforehand what abilities you start with, or how you play a certain champion.

I play Taric. So this is an example of what I might say at the start of the game and as the game goes on: "ADC you want heal or stun first?" "Invade?"/"No invade" "Play passive"/ "I'm going to be going hard." "Focus sup"/"Focus ADC"/etc. "Go 'b' I got turret" "Leaving bot"/"Got bot?" "drag is up"/"red is up"/ "enemy Jungle at red"/ etc. "Ult is up- wait for engage"/"How long until Ult..?"

Learning smart pings is also helpful. Click your turret with a "V' ping to let allies know your falling back. Click your 'focus' with a "G" ping to let allies know who you're attacking when the team fight comes. Make use of "assist" pings and "on the way" pings. This lets your team know where and what their support is doing.

The afro samurai3/20/2016, 5:31:25 AM2 votes

*no, roaming is an excellent way to help support your carries, if the ADC is ahead and just farming while the other ADC is dead going mid could really help push the team to vicotry. Just be sure you ping to make sure they know what your doing.

As a general rule yes you should be close to the ADC in a team fight when your a support.there is a few suoports that are exceptions (Leo)

that's a tough situation to give advise on. When my ADC does something I don't want to do I help anyway about 65% of the time to atleast make sure the mistake doesn't kill them.

I main braum so my answer is yes. As support your job is to provide utility to the team in whatever form it is needed and as a whole are far more expendable the the ADC.

Evêñtfûl Hôrïzôñ3/20/2016, 5:32:37 AM2 votes

As a secondary main support who just recently level up to level 30 (yay!) I have loooooootsss of tips to toss at you :3 And some humor. But the ones I will be posting will answer your questions.

  • Is it safe to roam? It depends on how your AD carry is doing. If the marksman is doing fine, and you're 17-20 mintues in the game with boots, it would be fine to roam (in fact you should). If marksman isn't doing good but you're at 25+ minutes and have boots, go for it. Now, if the marksman is or isn't doing good but it's early game (Ex. 10 minutes) it would be best to stick around your Ashe or whoever the ADC is. Summary: Early game or bad ADC, no. It's not a good idea to roam. Late game or good ADC, yes. It is a good idea to roam.

  • Who should I stick with in teamfights? It is a good idea to stick around your ADC often, especially early-game. But if you're in a teamfight without your carry, feel free to join in and help your other teammates. If the marksman is in the groupfight but your toplaner is low, it would be best to stick around them and help them out. Summary: If you're in a teamfight stay with those who need your help most.

  • If I want to help my midlaner shut down the fed Annie but our ADC Jinx wants to steal blue buff, what should I do? Similar to paragraph 1, this depends on how your ADC is doing. If your ADC is behind in kills and needs more help, stick with them. If your ADC is 7/0/2 in 15 minutes (basically fed) and wants to steal, it would be best to help your midlaner shut down that fed Annie. Also, if the ADC wants to steal drag and you want to ward some bushes, it would be best to help your carry steal drag and ward later (vision is still important!). Summary: If your ADC is getting multikills, go ahead and do whatever. If your ADC is behind or needs your help/getting an objective, it would be best to help them.

  • Should I die to save my AD carry? Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes! It is always important to risk your life for your carry even if you have to die. Yes, you should still stay safe. If you really can't help your carry then don't risk going in. But if the enemy Lucian ults, your Kalista is low, and you have enough HP to block the Lucian's ult, go in! Save your carry! Save even your jungler and midlaner and toplaner! If you do this, nobody has any right to say you fed because you didn't feed--you saved your ally's life. Summary: Yes.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me! I'll be glad to help. --A pro Janna support.

Athenes Lulu3/20/2016, 5:36:10 AM2 votes

Is it time to give advice? Yes it is. Time to answer some questions...

  • It really depends on who you are going against. If it's something super aggressive like Leona, Lulu, or Draaaaven, you're better off staying in lane unless they're gone, because they WILL turn any form of 1v2 opportunity into a deadly massacre. Knowing when or when not to roam also involves on how much EXP you will gain, so that's something to consider... don't be one of those idiots that cry about how supports are "always behind in levels" because they don't know how to roam properly. Usually, you would want to roam when your ADC isn't in lane, your ADC is trying to get back to lane, the enemy botlane is gone, or a tower is down. As a starter advice, roaming isn't recommended unless you get the idea of managing EXP, or just do it when a tower is down.
  • It also depends on who is more fed, and who needs your help more. If your ADC is something immobile and defenseless like Jinx, you should keep an eye out on her more. If your ADC is something mobile and independent like Graves or Quinn, keep an eye out on your frontline. If your ADC is very behind, but some other teammate is fed, focus more on that teammate because he will be more likely to help his team win, not your super-behind ADC. Usually, that's because the enemy would focus more on that fed teammate and that your ADC won't be focused as much, therefore that fed teammate needs help more.
  • First of all, try to ping him away. If that doesn't work, just try to follow up, though have an escape route in mind. If it is hopeless, ditch him; that's his own fault for doing stupid things. Nothing you can do otherwise, really.
  • If he is smart and/or fed, yes. If not, not worth risking it. You are the judge. If they are crying then that's usually his problem.

Feel free to ask anymore questions, I'll probably have answers ready too.

Mhihnj3/20/2016, 4:23:01 PM1 votes

For now i think you should stick with blitz or sona. Very good supports imo. the questions have been answered by others already