Advice from a Support Main

If you like the support role as much as I do and you are struggling within the lower tiers of ranked play I have made it from Silver 5 all the way to platinum being a support main. It isn't easy, but there are key ways to help carry the team as a support. There is a way to do it with just a few pointers and style of play changes. Will this get you to challenger? Ask me later, I'm still rising in ranked at the moment.

• Map Awareness - This is paramount if you want to rise in ranks. Forget mechanics, forget positioning, you need to focus on your map awareness. This means you ward. Are AP supports fun? Hell yes, but you won't carry from that (unless the enemy bot super feeds you). Buy Sightstone, normally as your first item. If you are forced back and can't get SS on first back then buy some individual wards. Ward in places that gives you information. In front of the dragon pit is a nice location, I am also very fond of warding in the enemy jungle between blue buff and Gromp/Red Buff or Golems, and my 3rd ward often goes in/around the small river bush(often my pink) and 1 ward for in the bushes in lane. So, when do you check the map? Always. Every time the enemy support/adc isn't within threatening range take a peek at the map to see if you spot anything. Is the mid missing? Might want to play safe. Did you see the enemy jungler at blue buff? Maybe you can apply pressure on him. If you know where the enemy is then your team will be able to make plays.

• Peeling as Carry - You're not the carry in a traditional sense. Your focus is not to get kills but rather to assist the carries with kills. The tools you have to do that with are CC, Shields, Healing, and stat boosts. CC is by far the most important though because that is what allows you to peel for your carries. Don't focus on getting picks, focus on protecting your carry. Leona has great ability to engage but remember that when you do so you have no tools left to protect your carry, and more then likely you are too far away to peel for your carry now because E makes you dash. Does that mean you don't engage? No, there are times that engaging or zoning as a support is better then peeling, but 7/10 times it is better to peel. "But, in LCS the support is always engaging!" Yes, this is true. In solo que though, you are not directly talking with your teammates to setup those amazing plays with ridiculous timing. In solo Que, it is often better to react to the enemy plays instead of making your own because they will often be out of sync and if you can mess up their timing they will often not be able to secure kills.

• Pressure makes the lanes go Round - If you are winning your lane. Work with your ADC to push the wave in to enemy tower, then ping a warning or type that you are going to roam mid/top/harass jungle. The wave will take time to get back to the middle of the lane and your ADC can back off. At most, they will lose a few CS (as long as you managed the wave right). Take this time to transfer the pressure in your lane and roam around for a short time to try ganking or just pressure the other lanes. This will make the enemy champions more wary if they know you might be lurking in a bush waiting to CC them. Even if you don't secure a kill you could drop a pink ward that could allow your jungler to gank right after you. Even a drive by Soraka healing can make a huge difference. Just make sure you don't take too long getting back to your ADC.

• Not a one size fits all - Support is one of the most diverse roles in the game. Each support champion has a radically different play style from the other. In addition, you are in a lane with a second champion allowing interesting combinations and tactics. Ashe + Leona is going to be played a lot different then Lucian + Janna just like Ezreal + Karma would play different from Tristana + Soraka. Power spikes and shifts in when one lane is winning over the other are more pronounced in bot because 2 champions are hitting 6/buying items instead of 1. This diversity allows for a lot of counter picking more then in any other role. For instance, no matter how hard you try, a Sona will not be able to poke out the ADC with an opposing Soraka healing them (unless the Soraka is foolish and lets you hit them). However, support is also a role that can often fill a need in your team comp. This means that getting good (you can have your mastered main) with multiple Supports is really important. When I was still in silver and low gold I would often win lane due to good mechanics but lose game due to a lack of needed Peel/CC/Sustain/Poke/Wave Clear to fit the team (most often it was missing peel/CC). A good example is when my team has no CC and I choose Soraka. I dominated lane but without any CC to have Soraka follow up with E with it rendered the E almost useless and we lost game because she couldn't peel anyone off the carry.

I hope this helps you all my fellow Support mains. Good luck on the rift!