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Tips on how to be the carry that your support hopes for (from a support main)

MrSc0tty·7/22/2014, 3:23:22 PM·42 votes·13,814 views

Hey buddy. I'm your support. Odds are, we're a couple of strangers who have never met, and will never speak, and we're going to be expected to act as a perfect unit for the next 20 odd minutes while we duke it out against two other guys in the same situation. It's often hard to know what to do, and what the other guy expects, so I just want to give you a few friendly tips so we can go ahead and crush these other schmucks as hard as possible. These are things that, as a support main , I either really love, or really hate to see, in no particular order, that can make you a higher quality of right click warrior.

  1. If I am being attacked, you should be attacking someone. If you are being attacked and I am peeling people off you, you should be running until you're out of danger. DONT run away if I'm being whacked on (I will die ) and DONT try to turn and take a kill if you're low and I get someone low (I can kill them, no reason for you to put yourself in danger.)

  2. please practice your CSing. Go into a custom game and make sure you can last hit nearly every creep. There is nothing more frustrating than losing a lane for no reason because a guy who's been basically free farming is 40cs down on his opponent. If I fed two kills for no reason would you be annoyed? Being outfarmed is the same thing.

  3. I give you all the gold in the lane so you can spend it wisely. Please build items that make sense. DONT:

-Build early crit chance before AD -Rush BT as a first item -Build boots, especially Zerkers, before you have your first big item

You should pretty much be bee lining to get IE (when in doubt), Bork (If you're someone who uses that), or maybe TF (situational.) if you have spare gold, buy something towards last whisper. AFTER that first item, get boots. Too many carries get super lost when they can't build BF on their first back. ADC itemization is pretty darn easy and we both worked hard to get that gold, don't come back to lane with a shiny pair of bezerkers on your first back.

  1. if you're taking tower aggro, 9 times out of ten that's a bad idea.

Supports are made to cc. If the enemy support is around, odds are they can keep you under that tower way longer than you wanted to be there. Tower aggro: not even once.

  1. when you're ever in doubt, next to me is NEVER a bad idea mid/late game.

The closer you are to me, the easier it is to peel for you in a fight. I'm positioning like a squishy too most of the time, so unless I'm a Leona who's actively licking the nostrils of the enemy team, stick with me and we should be golden.

52 Comments

RiotRiot Whist7/22/2014, 7:55:21 PM18 votes

Nice post :) It's always good to try to understand the other roles especially when you have to lean on them so hard. If you're an ADC knowing this stuff can make laning so much smoother on both of you. Though Supports do need to understand that sometimes their actions and playstyle is not always clear.

One thing I find that works well when playing support is being able to inform my ADC when I'm harassing VS when I'm going deep to make some plays.

I play a lot of support Karma so I harass nonstop. I realized not long ago that it can be VERY hard to tell what is harass and what is me attempting to capitalize on bad positioning for a kill. I try to drop a ping on my target when I'm going full in now. That helps considerably and I find I have a lot less situations where my ADC doesn't help and just farms the wave.

It also helps to communicate with your ADC to try to get an idea of their play style vs yours. Knowing your adc would rather play safe and farm up at the start helps prevent situations where you run in and he runs away.

Morvrannis7/22/2014, 4:35:28 PM7 votes

Good post.

I'm not good enough to write the corresponding, "Tips on how to be the support that you carry hopes for" but would love to see that as well.

Tamat7/23/2014, 6:39:27 AM6 votes

Awesome tips. Would love to see a more in-depth strategy guide posted in Community Creations. Would love to see a guides community pop up in the Boards. :)

CaptainWednesday7/22/2014, 6:31:20 PM5 votes

From one Braum to another, great list! Keep carrying those ADC's and they'll keep saying they carried the team.

We both know who carried who ;)

Dreyst7/22/2014, 8:27:27 PM5 votes

THIS.

Speaking as a rather crappy ADC who happens to support more often than not, your support is your lifeline. Your midlaner is more focused on killing their carries, and your toplaner should be near half health if they're doing their job properly, and is more focused on being a frontline annoyance than actively peeling for you. Your SUPPORT on the other hand is literally your babysitter. They will protect you because that's basically their only job. So don't be an idiot and STAY WITH THE BABYSITTER.

Silverclaw7/23/2014, 1:30:39 AM4 votes

As a (decent) ADC main, I really appreciate this. immensely. To emphasize point #3:

a) Infinity Edge isn't a particularly BAD rush on any ADC, but there are sometimes better items (ex. BoTRK on Twitch, TriForce on Kog, etc). The only stat you should NEVER rush is attack speed.

b) Essence Reaver is an underrated item on AD Casters early. The mana regen and CDR allows for much more spell casts, so long as you're also autoing (which is what an ADC should be doing). Yomumu's isn't that great of an item on AD Casters that aren't Lucian.

c) I cry when I see the enemy ADC rush tier 2 boots. I DO NOT care if you're losing lane, I have a BF sword, you have tier 2 boots. Guess who just won the trade?

ModUlanopo7/22/2014, 6:34:46 PM4 votes

  1. Bush control is your friend. You have a trinket. Help me help you by maximizing our vision.

  2. I'm watching your health and cooldowns. You should try to be aware of mine.

  3. Respect my use of my abilities. Yeah, I know you would love for me to throw out that shield/root/stun/heal/etc., but I might be reserving my mana or not wanting to have everything on CD if something bad happens.

MrBuffington7/22/2014, 4:59:51 PM4 votes

Great list, if I could make an addition:

  1. STOP CHASING KILLS when I'm not around to help, especially under their tower or into a number disadvantage, unless you're incredibly ahead or you're DoubleLift/Uzi/Piglet. Heck, even if you're ahead, there's no reason to take that risk unless you're absolutely certain (bet your irl life on it) you can pick up the kill and get out. I will do my best to follow up on opportunities in the rare case that I'm not creating those openings, but if you're forcing us into bad situations, it ain't going to end well for us.
Kao Atlantis7/23/2014, 2:45:11 AM4 votes

As an ADC main, I love my supports. I was fortunate enough to start playing the game with a friend of mine who mains support and he very patiently taught me everything I needed to know to succeed and have fun. Supports are there to make the ADC shine in the early game, and the entire team shine in the mid and late games. Love this post, it is very insightful and I think it will help a lot of people.

Learning restraint is the most important and hardest thing in League of Legends. Not tower diving, going in when you shouldn't, keeping aware of the map and pings at all times, all stuff people need to be conscious of when playing the game. I think a lack of restraint has been the thing that most often gets me killed during the laning phase.

MissFortune

Dragon Fang Shot7/22/2014, 7:55:57 PM3 votes

My personal contribution to this case:

-If I am queuing with a friend and we call duo bot, don't take ADC. Two people who know each other in real life will be much better coordinated than two random strangers. I don't care if you main ADC or that you can't play anywhere else efficiently- two good teammates and one feeder is better than two feeders and one good teammate.

Orisi7/23/2014, 8:31:29 AM3 votes

My biggest pet peeve is when people don't understand the concept of a sacrificial lamb. I do pretty much babysit my entire team, giving them support wherever it is needed or can be given. This includes being full health and diving into the enemy team to buy my team-mates a chance to escape, even if it's just my ADC. If we've both been doing our job, I'm worth less dead than they are, and I can spare the time out if lane more than they can. I've had great moments where a jungled has caught us high up lane, and I've ran 1v3 interference long enough to get my ADC and sometimes myself to safety. But going in knowing I'm sacrificing to keep them alive, only for them to turn and fight, just depresses me.

TheSilentJay7/22/2014, 3:39:52 PM2 votes

preach it fellow support! most treat support like putting the worst kid in right field in little league. Put the worst player there and hope he doesn't screw up. But the position is a game changer if done right. And you morgana supports dont forget your still support and might want to ward every now and again. I main Taric . I appreciate a classic support who is big tank decent heal and a whole lot of cc and can keep his adc in lane for ever. have fun guys!

12tales7/22/2014, 5:04:10 PM2 votes

Quick point on #3, Infinity Edge is not a particularly good item to rush on ADCs, apart from a select few harcore right clickers (Caitlyn, Trist and Jinx, for the most part). Pretty much everybody else benefits much more from the Blade Ghostblade build, both in terms of damage and utility. Crit damage is a vastly overrated offensive stat, and IE doesn't really offer enough raw AD to make it better for casters than the CDR and Armor Pen of Youmuu's.

Dopefish7/23/2014, 12:08:18 AM2 votes

Great post. Although I feel like #2 and #3 could have been maybe put into the intro instead of making points about it. CS, builds, masteries and runes in my opinion are already established for everyone by people that just plain no better. Slight differences are out there, but it shouldn't be to far from the norm.

I do have some points that maybe you would like to add, I'm also a support main.

  1. Trinket ward - It's in my opinion the ADC should be placing their ward first. 90% of the time if should be in the lane bush where their support is hiding if we cannot gain control over it. Most junglers start with bot lane now to get a harder leash so a river bush for the most part isn't needed until later. My main reasoning for this is, if we do happen to get in a 2v2 I can ward the bush while you auto if the enemy tries to use the bush to their advantage.

  2. Awareness - Most would think I'm talking about map awareness, which is also good to have and improve on when possible. But I'm talking about the awareness you have for your own character mana and limits etc to take a look at me... If you are thinking about going in, please make sure you take a look at my mana pool to see if I have enough to do a full combo. If I don't, it's probably not the best idea to go in.

Silverclaw7/23/2014, 4:12:23 AM2 votes

Oh, I forgot - could I do the opposite (how to be the support your carry hopes for), with your permission? I have a few good ideas.

Deep Terror Nami7/23/2014, 4:35:07 AM2 votes

I'm a noobie support main, but if I had anything to tell my carry to be better is "Don't let them sit there and kill my pink ward uncontested!". Can't stand it when I spend 100g for their benefit and they just stare at minions waiting to last hit while the enemy is out in the river poking my ward to death and getting paid for it.

Paperboy5587/23/2014, 5:38:46 AM2 votes

Thank you, learning more every dayVayne

Sluiceway7/23/2014, 1:32:28 PM2 votes

I think your warning against BT is unwarranted, especially if the ADC in question needs to be at close range to get his or her attacks off. Champs like Draven and Tristana (before she hits max range) benefit from the bloodshield the BT now creates. Like all other major ad items, it is a situational choice, not a sign of a bad adc. Just because the lcs adcs have abandoned it as a first item does not make it bad. On the other had, I think you overlooked building attack speed before ad in your list of what not to do, as I have seen that hamper many adc players. Again, just because lcs players do it does not make it right. Their item choices are often comp specific and have no bearing on the game as the rest of us play it.

Sir ArmaMalum7/23/2014, 3:29:07 PM2 votes

Can't say I main support, but I play it often enough to relate.

I would also like to add that a support securing a first blood is not a bad thing either, as that gets them to sightstone faster and gives your team overall more gold (or in other words less gold spent). Unless it would have been a piece of cake to give it to the carry, someone raging at a support getting first blood when they also got an assist and essentially free farm and exp lead makes me laugh a little. :P

FatedTitan7/23/2014, 1:20:24 PM1 votes

Ok so I have a question. You say don't build early crit chance, then say don't rush BT. Do you define early crit chance as IE, or are you thinking more along the lines of "Don't get Brawlers Gloves"? I've been rushing IE and making BT my 4/5th item if I get it.

Riotgenexp7/24/2014, 6:11:10 PM1 votes

Really sweet post.

Razamanie8/20/2014, 11:28:40 AM1 votes

Simply put, an ADC must read!

Greato7/23/2014, 3:39:17 PM1 votes

Are you sure you're a support main? You haven't played a single ranked game and your match history is a bunch of custom games as toplaners... lol Also, Bloodthirster isn't the strongest item early game, usually you rush Infinity Edge or BoRK depending on the champion you are playing.

Crate of Cobras7/23/2014, 5:03:12 PM1 votes

Because this post is coming from a Silver player, just like me (woot SIlvertrash) I have to agree with this. The trouble in this post comes from the tone, I think.

I'm an accidental ADC "main" I suppose. I started as support last season, too afraid of failing so I played the role with the least damage, letting others do it for me. I hated ADC, but I've been forced to play so much of it from just filling in normals that it's my most comfortable role.

Not everyone you play with is going to be an amazing ADC main. Coming off as an arrogant support main demoralizes the team worse than a bad ADC not csing well. You article makes the innate assumption that all support players are infallible, when in reality the communication disparity in solo queue renders both players inadequate to some degree.

I get the ADC hate train too - I've seen toxic players in every role, but ADC catches some of the worst of it without reason. Maybe because Sky made that video about it.

OverlordAlphaOM7/23/2014, 5:40:52 PM1 votes

Hmm, this is so true, bad itemization, bad CSing, and bad positioning occur so much when I support (Low ranked blues anyone?) and its 9 times out of 10 blamed on me for them playing bad, I just hope more people read this. Although I would like to add one thing (If it hasn't been said already, little tired for reading) ADCs need to remember their role, An "Attack Damage" carry. They need to focus on the right clicks as opposed to spamming spells or calling 'oom' and backing randomly, and just cause they don't have mana, doesn't mean you can't win a early 2v2 fight (Most adc spells delay AA attacks anyways)

YouLostMe7/23/2014, 5:58:33 PM1 votes

I'm a Leona who's actively licking the nostrils of the enemy team

Never have I found a phrase that so accurately sums up by playstyle as Leona.

AvidReader7/24/2014, 2:13:06 AM1 votes

Ah, the madness of being a support. Definitely a mix of people wanting certain things or not having things go how they want.

My favorite being Blitzcrank Nautilus Thresh , the ability to hook enemies is great, but why must all adc and some others complaining on getting the tank or not the one champ that they want to have pulled and removed from the fight. Is it hard to understand that enemies know that you have the ability to do so and prepare by not being open and tanks being, in most circumstances, the largest enemy getting caught. Then they ignore them and chase after other targets.

DreCello7/23/2014, 5:42:25 AM1 votes

Good overall tips.

Wullf7/23/2014, 4:04:28 AM1 votes

Main support here. I got your point but I am completely satisfied when my ADC is polite and doesn't rush into enemy lines.

I'd just like to say that with LS runes and doran or two. IE could be also valid first item. (On certain champions)