Boards›Gameplay

The Official fan Support Rework Thread Compilation

PhantomGG··6 votes·586 views

Dear Riot, I am a player who got to gold by playing Support, and recently I have been thinking heavily on how can we fix the role. Now by "fix" I don't mean buffing champions, you guys have already done that.

What I am talking about when we say "fix support" i am talking about how to make it fun for everyone, while also keeping it balanced.

That being said I thought I would make a montage/compilation of posts/comments people made about support. This is a list of things people said that I find very smart that I hope riot reads and takes to heart.

Once again This is a list of things people said that I find very smart, that I want riot to notice. All Credit will be given to the original writers, I simply made this thread, for I dont want what they said to get lost in the background of topics.

Please show your support for riot to read this, by commenting and up voting.

The Skeleton in how I will post a persons reply is

User Name Topic or Comment Link to topic if they were replying Quote Link to a topic they made on the subject

-chipndip1 Reply To my Topic http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/VeAFzEws-from-an-ex-support-main-to-the-player-base

Now, let's move to Sona for example, since I one-trick her like I'll quit the game if I had to pick someone else. We all know people LOVE building Sheen on Sona, even though Lich is a mid lane item and not a support item. Why? Cause it bumps up the power of her Q and makes her feel better to play. I've been trying to convey this point to the boards for a long time, but no one really gives me the time of day when I say that the only real way to fix support is to stop being bitches about the role. Not every support is 100% geared towards defense. Some are offensive tanks. Some are offensive mages. Some, like Sona, are hybrids. Support itemization doesn't reflect the support roster's diversity, so if you don't jive with that defensive play style, you just don't support, especially when the community's always going "Jeeze, take your stupid mages to mid lane". What if the game had a more support-focused Sheen item for champs like Sona and Lulu, possibly Karma and Lux (if Lux support could possibly ever catch on)? What if we had itemization that worked with debilitating people rather than JUST flooding the game with shields and heals all the time? What if we had tanky support items that actually favored a Vanguard's play style rather than a Warden's? The point is that the itemization needs extreme work. Even if we make 50 fun support champs, the game doesn't feel rewarding after picking them because the itemization is lousy.

And if you don't believe me, just look at it now. Riot says "Man, Locket is too strong and is limiting variety. Let's tweak this." Result? Locket is MORE BROKEN and they made another broken support item nearly everyone has to build, which is Redemption. It's time to admit we have a problem.

This last point leads to people's complaints about not being able to carry as a support, a complaint that I'm not sure is properly expressed while it is being expressed in volume. What if we looked at it less as "there's no one who can carry" and more as "there's no options for carrying in the style of champion I like"? Don't get me wrong, there is a lack of hard carry potential I'm getting into

Please support Chips topic at http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/MX4nOyrj-we-should-overhaul-our-perception-of-support

-Linna Excel Topic

So what kind of champs are missing in the support role?

  1. No AD champs at all. Yes I'm ignoring support ashe and support MF at the moment, but I think people are happier that way. Even though Kayle can support, which is so rare I don't see her listed as a champion.cc support, when she does, she pretty much builds AP. AD kayle in any lane is pretty rare these days.

  2. All wardens, few vanguards. Just about all primary tanks seen in the support role save for Leona are a warden. So as far as tank supports go, we mainly see the reactive type of support instead of the balls deep initiator. I think this is why we see the odd Naut support or Sion support. People want a tanky initiator (playmaker) why can either start a fight or lock down a damage dealer on the other team. Of the one support vanguard we have, Leona has a big problem in that she's an early game champ which makes her bad for low elo players (bronze and silver) who can't fully take advantage of her early strengths. In a span of 5 minutes Leona loses 4 points of win rate. Lower elo players can't count on having teams that'll win before 25 minutes. At the least we need a second vanguard designed as a support who scales into the late game.

  3. No bruisers allowed Some people like playing champs with a good mix of damage and defense. While AP damage dealers can make it as a support if they have utility, and tanks can go support, we really don't see any support champs designed with a mix of defense or damage in mind. Leona tops or jungles are kind of a heavy bruiser in that they do get a single damage item, but those players are rare and as for supporting is concerned, there's no bruisers to be found. No divers, no juggernauts, nothing. This takes an option away from support players as we can't just pick a champ who can go tanky or play as a damage dealer depending on how the game goes. We have to guess right in champ select what our team needs, this is an issue for people picking first or second. If you are picking late and don't want to play a full on tank, you don't have an option for a champ who is tanky but still deals damage.

  4. Assassins are right out I know this ain't happening, but I'm just saying if you are an assassin main and you get stuck with support, you aren't getting a champion you like to play.

Considering that support is a role that's hard to keep filled, perhaps it'd be best if riot were to widen the variety of champs that can do well as a support and offer more flexibility in the role.

Please support Linna topic at http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/KP8Ba0IP-awhile-ago-riot-was-interested-in-why-more-people-dont-support

-BastionKross Comment Reply to my topic http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/ARZ4LyL5-the-possible-problem-with-supports-in-mobas Meanwhile, in League, try marching Soraka through the enemy jungle and see how well you can fight the enemy Lee you encounter there. Hell, just try to take his wolf camp with any sort of expediency. It's not going to be pretty. You need a completely different mindset to enjoy being so heavily specialized that you literally need your team to the extent some LoL supports do.

Soraka and Sona got nerfed and reworked as soon as they set foot outside bot lane and tried to become self sufficient. Lulu somehow managed to escape bot lane and rise above being support, as Riot started balancing her around mid and top play. Leo and Kench barely set foot top lane anymore. Thresh used to be able to ADC. Ali was a jungler who got banished to support for making towers an unsafe zone for his opponents, just like every tower in modern League. Blitz used to be an AD top laner that was kidnapped to support and has been held hostage ever since.

It almost seems like champions get punished by being made into supports. "Oh no, you're far too toxic in lane. We're nerfing you so hard they'll only play you support from now on."

4 Comments

Teridax681 votes

Thank you for compiling these threads! Gameplay could use more megathread-style posts, especially on topics that Riot brought up for widespread discussion. Hopefully, this should be the start to a good discussion on how to improve both the support class and the support position in the future.

PhantomGG1 votes

{quoted}

Thank you for compiling these threads! Gameplay could use more megathread-style posts, especially on topics that Riot brought up for widespread discussion. Hopefully, this should be the start to a good discussion on how to improve both the support class and the support position in the future.

doubt it, the typical forum rule is if ur topic doesn't get 10replies /10 upvotes within the first hour than it's most likely gonna die out.

Teridax681 votes

That's true, and unfortunately Gameplay isn't really the best space for constructive decision, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying. There's a wealth of options Riot could take to improve the quality of Boards, and organizing megathreads for topics like these is one of them.

Erockandroll1 votes

The general feel that I'm getting is a) the lack of Diversity in the support role and b) people's criticism about what the support should do.

As a support main, I really only believe in 3 core responsibilities for the support role. a) be able to work with the gold/xp deficit (Which could be alleviated some what) b) share the lane with your ADC or other bot laner (Don't take their cs) and c) Be vision in chief.

outside of that, how you chose to support your ADC and your team is largely your own personal preference. (Damage, sustain, CC, utility, I don't particularly care) But the reason why people bitch about it is when it comes to the team comp. And people have an unreasonable expectation that the support will fill a particular role, or fill a particular gap in the team comp. (If most of the supports are non support mains getting auto filled, we can't even assume said person has the right champ for the job) If you needed a tank, you could have played one yourself.

As for the roles and itemization. It becomes tricky. Because if your going to make a (role here)-support, you basically have to make sure said champion would better serve it's team from the solo lane or Jungle. I think that's part of the reason why the support role has so few Vanguards. Because they better serve the role when they have the gold to buy a lot of tank stats. Especially for Vanguards who have the AoE or the Dueling power to lane.

And then Itemization becomes even trickier, because you want items that, a) a support can actually afford and b) not get abused by other laners. Classically speaking, Riot tries to accomplish this by using utility items that are purchased mainly for it's active components. Good when that utility is what you want, but sucks if you just want to give the support more stats. (likes of Sona, Raka, Brand, etc, have a lot of abilities that scale with AP and CDR.)

Riot some what accomplished this with the % increased heals/shields, as it allowed enchanters supports more specialization, without breaking mid laners who get the same effect building strait AP. (Though Redemption itself, could be toned down) Riot struggles with Support tanks, but I think they are starting to figure it out with items like Knights vow, which gives you a ton of stats, just for being with your partner.

Damage supports? Their isn't really good itemization for such champions, except for the high cost AP items. Arguably, a high CDR build works well, (Given some supports like Brand and Zyra, are more focused on spell rotations than raw power) but your limited to 40%. (45% with the mastery) Mpen, also helps, but other than that, their isn't anything specific to help those types of supports. And then you have support like Sona, where you can get that damage if you synergize with a specific item, (in her case Lichbane.)

More from Gameplay

3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay764 comments
7,167
votes
3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay156 comments
3,510
votes
UPVOTE FOR URF
Gameplay606 comments
2,440
votes
Yes plz.
Gameplay456 comments
1,721
votes
3 Refunds per season, up vote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay114 comments
1,716
votes
When is ANYONE at riot going to address the awful new player experience?
Gameplay634 comments
1,383
votes

More by PhantomGG

Riot Removing Normal Draft is a mistake.
Gameplay25 comments
469
votes
So I just left a game at 6 minutes for the first time in ages
Gameplay170 comments
173
votes
To those who talk shit in a four v five game
Gameplay90 comments
161
votes
Dear Plats who got demoted to silver
Gameplay115 comments
151
votes
"scuttle timer raised"
Gameplay114 comments
124
votes
Riot Ranked has lost all meaning, please fix for season 7
Gameplay72 comments
112
votes