a support heal/shield question

ameilianna·Sep 3, 2015·1 votes·1,034 views

Hi, sorry for noob questions.

I main janna, soraka and sometimes mid. Whenever I go 21/0/9 or 9/0/21 I feel squishy. I'm more comfortable with 21/9/0 and 0/9/21. Is it my imagination or does the 9 points in defence actually make a difference?

0/9/21 means I take X less damage and have Y more health. If I went 9/0/21 on janna instead, does the extra AP make my shield absorb more than X and Y that I lost?

Same with soraka. 9/0/21 my Q will heal me for more but will the extra amount of heal heal more than the X and Y that I lost for not going 9 in defence?

And finally If magic pen on soraka makes my Q hit harder, does it also heal me for more?

9/0/21 all my spells will do more, but I don't know if it's worth it over 0/9/21.

Hope someone can understand my questions ty

5 Comments

Loli LuluSep 3, 20151 votes

Hiya! As a squishy poke/utility support, I've shifted away from 9/0/21 to 0/9/21. Those extra points in the defense tree helps increase survivability and lets you stay in lane longer. You're trading that for just a little bit of AP and some CDR. There are a lot of options for CDR items, so I don't find it as useful. The AP is also barely noticeable in the laning phase. At Level 1, you're getting 6.89 AP (22 AP at Lv18). Using Janna as an example, the 0.7AP ratio on the shield means you shield for 4.82 - 15.4 HP more. Using Soraka as an example, that 0.4 AP ratio on the heal means you'd only be healing for 2.75 - 8.8 HP more.

As a support your job isn't to deal damage, and your offensive spells usually have a poor AP ratio, so I'd recommend the extra defense. (Unless you have a very specific build planned and require all the CDR from both offensive and utility trees.)

Also, your Q heal is based mainly on the level of W and your AP ratio. Dealing more or less damage wouldn't affect the amount you heal for at all, unless you have Spell Vamp.

MarthianSep 3, 20151 votes

Nothing wrong with asking questions (just as long as they aren't stupid) (These are answers to your questions in order)

Depends on where you put the points. x/9/x gives you a slightly bigger cushion of safety (as Soraka and Janna are fairly squishy). It's up to personal preference

Would require number crunches (not up to it), but the extra AP will provide more scaling on your utility as well (doubt it will cover the loss of defense)

Q's heal only cares about what your current % HP is, your AP, and W rank. (probably also less defense, but may also end up being the same due to more heals.)

See last statement about Soraka. Q would heal more from magic penetration if you took spell vamp (and even so, Will of the Ancients eventually stops caring about it and just heals for a % of the original damage it deals.)

Again, comes down to preference. Have to decide for yourself what you want to get and what you are willing to give up . (sorry if it doesn't answer your questions well.)

5000000000000000Sep 3, 20151 votes

Soraka main here. I personally take 5/4/21, taking CDR and Expose Weakness in Offense, and hp5 and damage block in Defense. The damage block is really helpful in lane.

Soraka's healing from landing Starcall has nothing to do with magic penetration. You can hit a full MR tank and do no damage, but still heal the same amount. It scales with your rank in Astral Infusion and your AP.

ErockandrollSep 3, 20151 votes

Part of it is Personal Preference. Personally I keep with the 9/0/21 on most of my Non Tank Supports. Though I generally play more Karma and Sona over more Utility heavy supports. Most supports like that I prefer to rely on speed and good positioning, (and good warding) to keep me safe.

Janna should have enough disengage with her tornado to keep her safe, so I personally would not feel the need for the defense masteries. Soraka may be a little different, You have a lot less disengage power with Soraka, and yet your are some what reliant on her Q for sustain. That's why I don't like playing her. Her health generated from her Q isn't connected to her damage, so Mpen should have any bearing on that.

Mid lane is a little more dangerous, as you need to put yourself at risk for a few CS. I still go 21/9/0 as my primary Mage masteries as I expect to end up in some trades in the mid lane. But over all, it should be a matter of whether your running out of health, or mana faster. If you do go 21/0/9, I would advise getting the Biscuits. That way you would have some lane sustain.

ameiliannaSep 3, 20151 votes

ty all this helped alot!