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Riot Has Killed the Support Role, Again

CloakAndGrenade··2 votes·1,531 views

Much of last year and the pre-season was spent around giving support players more items, more gold, and more agency to be effective in the game. Outside the god-awful ardent censor meta, its really been a fantastic time to play support.

Then Riot decided all the buffs given to tank support items needed to be removed. because god forbid anyone but Alistar be viable bot lane. Relic shield nerfed, bandit removed, 10% cdr is only given on upgrade, Celestial body gone, hp bonus from resolve tree nerfed, ect.

So most tank supports were given the middle fingers. Were they strong? Sure, for the first time in two seasons, tank supports were strong. Now, simply surviving the laning phase against someone like Pyke, Brand, or any of the other pure damage picks that are currently being thrown bot lane feels impossible.

So if tank supports cant handle this damage meta, surely shield supports can allow us to slow down the laning phase in order to scale up and be relevant again, right? Nope, Riots nerfing those too. Across the board shields and heals gutted. Every item and half the shielding supports nerfed.

Then finally Riot decided to kill the ADC role completely. ADC itemization has always been a problem. Crit builds needed a minimum of three items to be effective, while mages might need only one or two. Apparently, Riot forgot that preseason 7 adc's were a joke and a literal meme because they've decided to knock them down even worse then what they were. Early this season nearly every adc was at least viable. We saw nearly every ADC played at MSI, from twitch to varus to ashe to draven. Xayah, Kaisa, Cait, the list goes on. Now, if you aren't playing Lucian, you might as well play volibear ADC for all the good the class is currently worth.

So since ADC's are worthless, and traditional supports are worthless, bot lane is just a pure damage clown fiesta that isn't fun for anybody. Games are won or lost pre 12 minutes. Come-back potential is gone almost completely. What the hell happened? I was so happy with the game state pre MSI. I felt there were more viable options, team comps, and strategies then there had ever been. I felt like it was possible to rally my team and make a come back. Its just not possible anymore. You gave my role the love it needed, and then ripped it away, and then shot its counterpart in the knee.

Never before have I felt such an inclination to leave the role I've spent my experience here on. I've dealt with the meta because I genuinely enjoyed the role and felt I had actual agency in the way the game turned out. I don't fell like I have that anymore.

11 Comments

GinoSoldier2 votes

I'm completely fine with the 'support' role disappearing entirely, as well as the 'adc' thing. The duo botlane (or whatever lane becomes duo should the meta swap) should be balanced for two players to be equals, not one pretend-champion and one near-god. Now what needs to be done is to let all the traditional 'supports' scale within the game centering on their utility instead of necessarily damage/tank and become viable in solo-lanes or jungle without becoming utter cancer.

Sona becomes a mage with rebalanced aura/chord bonuses, Nami gains increased bubble size or bubble duration with AP, Leona gets to self-proc passive and gains some AD ratios, and Braum's shield duration and MS boost increases on levels. Y know, so they feel like they can do things on their own at some point.

Items worth below 2500 gold are raised above that value with the stat boosts and maybe effect boosts the price increase warrants.

CloakAndGrenade4 votes

The supportive role is one that occurs in most multiplayer games. There are players that exist, myself included, who genuinely enjoy the role and play style. I don't enjoy just mowing everyone down as a bruiser or a fighter, i'm much more content playing a more team-oriented pick. Even when I play other roles, this is how I go about it. I play an ADC with utility, cc, and other qualities to support allies. In the mid lane its galio, karma, or lux, who have alot of teamfight and assist potential. Top lane ornn is a big favorite of mine, as is shen. In the jungle its the teamfight peel of sejuini and rammus, or the shields and buffs from Ivern. Its a playstyle I love to play and thrive in.

Just because you don't enjoy the supportive role, doesn't mean there aren't players who do.

GinoSoldier1 votes

{quoted}

The supportive role is one that occurs in most multiplayer games. There are players that exist, myself included, who genuinely enjoy the role and play style. I don't enjoy just mowing everyone down as a bruiser or a fighter, i'm much more content playing a more team-oriented pick. Even when I play other roles, this is how I go about it. I play an ADC with utility, cc, and other qualities to support allies. In the mid lane its galio, karma, or lux, who have alot of teamfight and assist potential. Top lane ornn is a big favorite of mine, as is shen. In the jungle its the teamfight peel of sejuini and rammus, or the shields and buffs from Ivern. Its a playstyle I love to play and thrive in.

Just because you don't enjoy the supportive role, doesn't mean there aren't players who do.

I'm not speaking against the supportive role; i just hate how it's always pushed down as weaker and unable to perform well on their own. I play Sona because i love seeing my E late game increasing my ally's speed to insane levels, and her healing give out high numbers.

What i hate, is Ardent Censer and Athene's Unholy Grail costing 2300 and 2100 respectively, therefore giving sub-par combat stats while Luden's Echo and Hextech Gunblade cost 3200 and 3400 and give outstanding combat stats to their buyers.

What i want, is for all four of those items to give out similar combat stats and cost similar value, while being meant for different roles via their effects. AKA Utility vs Damage. I want to be able to pick Ardent Censer as Orianna or Lux mid without gimping my AP, and get Morellonomicon as Nami or Rakan when appropriate without being looked at like a troll player.

If it happens that an item's utility is overbearing, it can be balanced. Champions can be balanced, kits and effects can be balanced. There's no solid excuse outside of the gold income issue, and that's still more of a mentality problem than a gameplay problem.

CloakAndGrenade1 votes

The supportive role is weaker by nature. You think a healer is gonna solo a dungeon in WoW? I don't think so. However, Four people and a great support feels like six people, because everyone is stronger for it. Support items have to give sub-par stats or they'll be abused. Nobody wants a Locket Top meta, or ardents censor nidalee jungle again. Relic shield ADC, spellthiefs top, ect. Support items have to be tailored toward supports, and this works fine in most cases. I don't mind going brand support to be an option, but after these last few patches it seems to be -the- option.

Having mid lane item and support item costs being the same simply wouldn't work. It would cause the support roll itself to be abused. You'd pretty much see straight up carry champions filling the support slot if it worked that way, and that causes a snowball meta like the one we're seeing now and its just not fun for anyone but assassins.

Traditional supports have always had their niche and right now that niche is in flames.

The gold income issue is not a mentality problem. Take a look at any of anybody's past games. Even the games were a support does an incredible job, they are still earning thousands of gold less than any other role. On average supports earn 20% less gold then other roles. This is quantifiable and demonstrable so I don't know what you mean by mentality issue.

There are already cheaper damage items that supports can and do tend to use. Rylai's, for example, is taken by Brand, Zyra, and even Morgana. There's room for cheaper damage items, the tradeoff comes in not being able to farm. You certainly can build things like Ardents in the mid lane, but not as a first item. Support items are a trade-off, team strength over personal strength. If you want to build something team focused, you sacrifice personal power. If you go full damage, your supportive options are limited. Its a balance spectrum.

GinoSoldier1 votes

{quoted}

The supportive role is weaker by nature. snip

First point; The support income issue is due to perception/mentality essentially because people can't imagine having a support on the same income as a carry, and therefore will either play accordingly and step on the support's income source, or abuse whatever means the supports have of gaining gold as a means to amp their own. This means that Riot cannot help the support class out of their ongoing plight without screwing the game balance over for another loop, which they're unwilling to do.

Second point; You know what would make ADCs seem decent in botlane without breaking the game in half right the hell now? Ardent Censer buffs. Literally the reason why it was deemed OP was because it allowed ADCs to reach powerspikes ridiculously early. Now that ADC powerspikes are finally back where they belong (or at least closer to), it's the perfect time to give supports some power back. And then make sure notto give more back to ADCs.

Third point; The reason why people hate Locket top isn't because it gives 30/60 resistances. It's the active. If the active is too strong and warps the game, nerf it. If the issue is multiple shields stacking, nerf shield stacking. There is zero reason why buying Locket toplane to help your team if your botlane has an enchanter or a mage for support should also feel like gimping your combat stats. Zz'rot Portal is a similar item, and it provides push instead of self-defense or offense as a bonus to it's stats the same way Locket provides a team shield. Yet Zz'rot Portal is allowed to both cost more and give more combat stats based on the simple idea that it's not a support item.

Similarly, the only difference in terms of power between Lich's Bane and Ardent Censer should be that one gives yourself a fair amount of burst damage, while the other gives your team slightly more DPS. There is no excuse whatsoever to have Lich's cost and give more combat stats than Censer. As for abuse? If the item's passive is deemed too strong, goddamn nerf it, make sure it's not rewarding for a team to have two of them. The effects of both items should simply be balanced to be about equivalent to each other.

Supports already pay the tradeoff strength of team VS personal in their very kits. Sona trades away enormous amounts of power budget for her auras and Leona straight up doesn't have a solo passive. Most of them either can't burst, have poor sustain, poor mobility or high cooldowns (Supp ult CD vs Assassin ult CD for instance). There's no reason to double down on that tradeoff with items.

Of course, if you take all support items right now and buff them all sky high immediately Lux will buy Censer and Athene's and give ridiculous sustain to her team and Lulu will become utter cancer again. It's why balance teams exist. To make these things viable, but not broken.

OurLestrade1 votes

Patience.

CloakAndGrenade2 votes

My patience is sorely tested when Riot takes a sledgehammer to the Meta in the mid-season like this. My patience is sorely tested when they spent so much time giving my role agency, only to knock em down even harder then they were before. Entire options are vanishing. Upgraded support items other than eye, bandit, all kinds of things were just simply removed.

Malza1 votes

“Riot has finally decided to kill the adc role completely”

But there are 5 bot laners playing non adcs and 27 bot laners playing adcs in your last 20 games (not incl your adc games)

How is this impacting your personal experience in bot lane so much?

Plus traditional supports are still good with other champions.

CloakAndGrenade1 votes

Most of the ADC's on the winning team have been Lucian. Irelia, Singed, and Riven have also made an appearance. Meanwhile, these other picks are getting crapped on, because crit builds are absolutely trash, and for champions like Ashe who NEED crit, they become a glorified super minion in these games.

Traditional supports are getting absolutely trashed across the board by things like brand, zyra, and pyke in the bot lane because all of their tools have been stripped down to near uselessness.

D0GGO1 votes

"I felt there were more viable options" Bro there were 5-10 adc picks and a bit more support (depended on meta). Now you have like 100 champions for adc because it might work. So there werent more options at all

CloakAndGrenade1 votes

Speaking specifically on marksman themselves. Lucian is pretty much the only reliably viable ADC this patch. Marksman had a comfortable role in the bot lane, and now they might as well be removed from the game entirely.

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