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Tips for ADC players. (from a support main)

SynCro·2/19/2014, 9:52:30 AM·44 votes·3,413 views

Disclaimer: You're probably not going to like this. (These are tips on how to work with your support, yes everything on the list in parenthesis is mild venting, but not to be taken offensively)

1.) If you die, it's not my fault. (If you over extend -even when I keep wards up- and die to a jungle gank, it's your fault. Sorry, but it's true.)

2.) For the love of god, research support champs. (I have cool downs, if you see I've used a spell, don't automatically expect it to refresh in .5 seconds.)

3.) Disengaging does not mean fight. (If I use Janna to disengage the enemy, why would you take that as a sign to rush into your own death? You deserve to respawn.)

4.) Screw your support items. (I'll buy a sightstone to ward for you and I'll even get a crucible or locket for you. After that? I have to buy items that allow me to support better - Mana Regen, CD reduction, some AP to make my buffs stronger, etc.)

5.) If I peel to save YOU do not call me a feeder. (Seriously, call me a feeder after peeling and I will roam and leave you to carry all by your lonesome.)

Because I feel this needs repeating I HAVE COOL DOWNS AND MANA COST TO WORRY ABOUT I can't just mindlessly spam my skills for the sake of your early first blood.

6.) If I buff you, don't run away. (As Morgana - I shield you, you're immune to CC and it absorbs damage, why so scared? As Janna - Absorbs damage and even makes you hit for more, need I say more? As Nami - (see Janna))

7.) I will die for my ADC if the situation calls for it, please don't waste my death.

8.) CS more, I gain gold passively, but you don't. I can't farm for you effectively (unfortunately, or I would), if you don't farm you can't get items faster for me to feed you more kills. (I'm not even sure why this is an issue, but it is.)

EDIT: (Credit to burdlover90) 9.) Your pings are an invaluable tool in our lane phase. ("if you want to go in, use an attack ping. I'll set it up. If you don't want to fight and just retreat and keep farming, ping me to fall back. I'll play more passive.")

With the above list in mind, I will do everything I can to make my ADC shine, but you have to understand, I can't kill them for you. (Then you'll just say I KS)

EDIT: Thank you for all the up votes, and yes there are supports who could use some tips from an ADC's point of view. (Tsiddique thank you for pointing this out) As I rarely, if ever play ADC anymore, perhaps someone could create a topic for this as well. Bot lane will become a much more challenging lane on both sides of the rift if people just take the time to read it. If a topic is posted for support tips coming from an ADC, please alert me and I will link it into this page to give it more attention.

34 Comments

Tsiddique2/19/2014, 2:38:13 PM10 votes

As an ADC main, I know these tips very well, as I have not used them back when I was in Bronze. Soon as I started communicating, almost every bot lane has been won for me. But the same can go for supports. I've had Leona's who go ham and dive in when I'm not even at my turret yet without even saying anything or pinging. Bot lane is a cooperative effort, both sides need to communicate, otherwise go play a solo lane.

burdluver902/19/2014, 1:34:42 PM8 votes

My main tip to ADCs would be to use the pings. I realize you are focusing on farming, but if you want to go in, use an attack ping. I'll set it up.

If you don't want to fight and just retreat and keep farming, ping me to fall back. I'll play more passive.

If you want me to harass, there's no good ping for that, so just tell me in chat.

Bot lane requires both people to be on the same page about when to fight, when to harass and when to disengage, please communicate.

Also, like the OP said, mana and cooldowns are a thing. Watch my mana, if it's low, you might not want to engage. Chances are I can't use all my skills and help you as well as you would like.

Lady Luck2/19/2014, 3:53:34 PM3 votes

Number 3 needs to be known by everybody.

I don't know how many times I've had a great disengage as Janna... And then top lane or jungle runs back into the enemy team. (Which baffles me even further because they were often running away when I got there... Does my ult give you some amazing bonus stats after blowing everybody away?)

Teysa Karlov2/20/2014, 5:50:28 PM3 votes

As an ADC main who occasionally support and loves Thresh, I approve because when I'm supporting half the time I'm like "NOOOO WHY I WAS SACRFICING MYSELF!" Or "NO I wanted to disengage not go in!" Or "Oh crap why are you way over there in their face in the open so you can take a grab/harass" or **"GOD DAMNIT CLICK THE LANTERN!!!" **

And please, use your trinket and/or buy some wards mid/late. If you buy something, get pots and have 100g left over buy a damn ward...

It's not harsh, it's reality and some people are "Blind to the truth"

Roaranor2/20/2014, 12:55:36 AM2 votes

I consider myself a ADC/Top main, and I really do appreciate this post. It's factual, but the tone is unnecessarily harsh. It's pretty obvious that there's some venting mixed in, which is completely warranted (not a typo). I won't even attempt to deny that the majority of Marksmen players treat their supports rather poorly.

I think a lot of it comes from everyone still having a "Supports are the team's pack mule" mentality. This leaves the supports in a rough spot as they're expected to very large (sometimes unrealistic) amounts of work with little to no reward. It doesn't take much effort to prove it. Everyone jumps to praise the 15-3-5 Marksmen while ignoring the 2-3-35 support.

I didn't learn to effectively support until around 300 games in, which is pretty pathetic, I know. But it wasn't until I did that that I learned how much unnecessary heat that supports take (ie. "Why didn't you ward Baron while across the map defending a turret?" when top lane could've easily bought a 75g ward). The point I'm trying to make here is that I think it's one of those things where you have to play around in someone's shoes to understand things from their perspective. Afterwards, I began doing whatever I could to make the support's life easier (something I kinda should've already done)

Finally, as for the attitudes of general players, something I think Lady Luck was referencing to (hence my joke), it just goes back to communication skills and a willingness to work with others. The support role innately calls for these characteristics within the player, a lot more so than other roles. A few things I've noticed in almost every game: Player(s) who makes little to no attempt to work in coordination with the team, who expect the team to read their minds instead of making their intentions known (I was bad at this for a long time), players who look to blame others for their own personal mistakes, players who fail to account for the current condition of their teammates prior to engaging (ex. #2 from OP).

I wouldn't mind making a post for Marksmen (this is such a fun word to say), help always being welcomed, but I think a big issue is just general communication.

BaraonCat2/20/2014, 12:09:35 PM1 votes

My job (as support) is to keep the carry alive. I don't care what it will cost me, but the carry must always stay alive. The carry also should know when to actually start a fight. If I'm playing Leona and you see my shield go up and you're at full mana and jungle is clear, expect a dive in the next two seconds. Seriously, carries, I know this isn't all of you, but research the more popular supports at least.

Rhyto2/20/2014, 3:01:10 PM1 votes

Good tips, and I finally won a match in ranked in the Bronze ELO because my ADC knew what he was doing and such. (He was a former Silver like myself)

Pollyanna Wright2/21/2014, 11:39:42 PM1 votes

8.) CS more, I gain gold passively from your CS. If you don't farm I can't get items faster to feed you more kills. (I'm not even sure why this is an issue, but it is.)

Bear with me here. You literally just have to sit there and wait for CS to die to get the money. My CS has no correlation to your money. You are just trying to find something to complain about. (In case you didn't know, the gold passives from coin and the mastery don't need somebody to cs them for it to work)

If you support me the only thing I ask is wards lol. You could roam for all I care xD

W3W03/6/2014, 9:46:54 PM1 votes

LOL I like this guy^^^^^^^^. Music to my ears. ADC don't think that a farmed-up adc is more powerful than an adc with 5 kills. Well they though wrong. I like the tips you have here and i want to them down in my list of things to remember when i go into a match as an adc. Thanks a bunch.

yeldahman133/19/2014, 2:44:42 PM1 votes

i agree and i hate when i play as thresh or soraka and they think their invincible just cause of who i play as and they think they can go in whenever they like with infinite hooks and heals. im like DAMN QUIT BEING SO AGGRESIVE!at least tell me when your going in.

Sir ArmaMalum3/28/2014, 7:14:20 PM1 votes

Hey just finished my Marksman Guide, or at least the first part of it, and wanted to ask if you would mind me linking this post in it?

Also, I have a Support Guide out as well. In fact I posted it about the same time as your post. It's not specifically from an ADC's point of view and is a massive wall o' text but it's geared largely towards newer players, which are the ones who I usually see talking smack about a role they don't understand.

Scurdy Cat2/19/2014, 8:46:28 PM1 votes

As a support main I've just learned that its always "my fault" and expect to be blamed when the ADC feeds.

Cant dodge a blitz pull? my fault for not saving them in the 1.5 seconds it took them to annihilate you.

I don't argue, I just let them vent their anger and hope they don't AFK.

Linna Excel2/20/2014, 1:52:35 AM1 votes

As someone who mained support in S3...

CSing well and consistently is hard. Also you get the gold if I kill the minion or not.

OceanBIues2/20/2014, 3:02:36 AM1 votes

[deleted]

IlyaK19862/20/2014, 6:25:35 AM1 votes

The thread might sound unnecessarily harsh, but it's all so very true.

Whenever I do play on ADC (I usually play Dom or ARAM, so not a lot of Rift), I basically know that my support is my lifeblood. Conversely, as a support, I try to set the best situation possible for my ADC.

Also, one other thing...

As someone who mains Leona on Crystal Scar...oh god is she ever fun.

LeeDark2/20/2014, 1:33:07 AM

I agree with a lot, since I don't really main a particular role. I've played both sides of the bot lane coin. However, number 8 is a bit off. The Support's ambient gold, whether from mastery or coin, isn't dependent upon the ADC getting the last hit.