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How to be a good support

LVL 5 PORO·10/20/2015, 4:27:30 AM·2 votes·1,094 views

99.9% of people are bad at support. By reading this simple guide you can be better than most people!

As the Support, it is your job to control vision for your team. This is the most important job of the Support. If you don't do anything right, do this. Place wards on the map. Bonus points if you Sweep/destroy a ward. If you don't have a Sighstone, a pink on the map at all times, and some type of vision you have failed at your job.

Step 1: Don't ever buy this item: item 3092

Step 2: Buy this item FIRST: item 2049 It doesn't matter if you are "support" Kindred or support Bard, you get this item first, no matter what.

Step 3: Upgrade your trinket from item 3340 to item 3341 when you get Sightstone.

Step 4: Buy a item 2043, put it in the bottom bush and always keep one in your inventory.

Step 5: Look at the map at least once every 3 seconds to check for the enemy jungler. You should know where he is at all times. If you don't, you're doing something wrong.

Step 6: Actually USE item 2049 If at any time you have max wards you have failed as a support. Ward the river, ward the enemy jungle. Just ward SOMETHING!

Step 7: Auto Attack someone! If you havent attempted to hit, or kill the enemy ADC or support you arent doing your job. You should be hitting them 24/7 unless you are Blitzcrank or something. If you are sitting behind your ADC or in a bush healing them when they get hit you are doing a bad job. You are being a ward. Dont be a ward, place wards. HIT SOMEONE!

46 Comments

Final Boss Naut10/20/2015, 4:32:17 AM7 votes

downvoted because no explaination why item 3092 is bad to plebs, and they wont listen to just "dont do"

Deep Terror Nami10/20/2015, 4:53:36 AM4 votes

I used to default to Spellthief's because of the better gold income with a ranged harass and the stats, but with the buffs to Talisman line it's hard to find a good reason to ever start Spellthief's even if you planned on trading it out later.

However, I do think it has its place; if the enemy has a few melee with strong sticking power (like Xin Zhao, Udyr etc.) but not a strong comp that we need to disengage quickly from (like Gnar, Riven, Vayne) I think FQC can be better. With the melee they will tend to rush a squishy target and you can screw them over with the active of FQC. Again, this all depends on whether your team needs the disengage speed from Talisman or not.

As for buying Sightstone first, this is true about 98% of the time. The other 2% is when you are forced to recall with awkward amounts of gold; it's ok to buy regular wards and boots if you can't afford the SS on your first back, and if you're roaming to make early ganks (like Annie) you can rush Mobis but you must continue to maintain vision with regular wards.

Pink placement varies. If you are pushed up in bot lane you can put it in the river bush. If you're even or pushed back, you can place it in your tri-bush or up near mid to help them and cut off counter-jungling and river ganks early.

"Being a ward" is not as bad as it sounds. There is never just one "best" way to play the game. While I most often am very aggressive, weaving in auto-attacks for bits of damage and the Bandit gold, if the enemy is a strong kill lane it may be best for me to sit back and just make sure I don't get caught and if my ADC does I can peel them off (the ADC can rarely peel for a caught support). I'm only saying to not force yourself to be aggressive if the enemy is much better at it.

Some more tips;

  • Watch where they ward. Inform your jungler of it so he's not wasting his time coming for a gank.
  • See what kind of ward it is. You can simply time it and inform your jungler to gank when it dies.
  • Learn how to ward beyond the normal placement distance when putting them over thick walls; if you place it more than 50% through a wall, it will go to the other side. That is how you ward the bushes next to the tier 1 mid towers from the lane.
  • Upgrade your trinket asap. Oracle's is way way better than Sweeper. Sometimes you don't have the right amount of gold, but try.
  • Try not to recall almost to level 9. Get the xp so you level up and can upgrade your trinket. I'm really bad at this, I often recall with 1-2 minions worth of xp left XD
ZT Xperimentor10/20/2015, 4:39:00 AM2 votes

With trinkets being free, there's no excuse for anyone on the team to not ward, it's not just relegated to supports anymore. If you're trying to sales-pitch the idea, you need more explanation. You also forgot one of THE most important parts about being a support; communication. You need to work in tandem with your carry for when you're just poking or going all-in; which will backfire horribly if you're not communicating about it.

SpartenA799110/20/2015, 4:35:58 AM2 votes

This all coming from a silver 3 player. Some support champions use the frost queen claim, and need it's stats to do their job right. I agree completely about sightstone tho. I always buy it if i can afford it, if not, I get a ruby or boots depending on what the scenario is. If you are a melee support like braum, i can't hit them 24/7. The way you are talking is pretty much like saying "supports are ward bots". If yes, just uninstall the game, you don't understand how a team game works.

Lugg10/20/2015, 6:12:31 AM2 votes

Support main here with some changes.

Step 1: Don't listen to original poster. item 3098 is a great starting item for AP supports who poke a lot. It's by far the best one for Morgana Step 2: Start with a gold generating item and do the first upgrade on it before anything else. Then build SS and Mobi boots. Step 3: I agree with this one. Step 4: Also agree. Put it in a bush on your side of the map near Baron or Dragon so you have some vision on that area. Step 5: Every 5 seconds is fine. Step 6: Agree. Step 7: Harassing the enemy laners is important, but your primary job is to keep your ADC safe so they can farm.

VesperNadal10/21/2015, 10:59:55 AM1 votes

For the active the item 3092 isn't that great. At best it is an AOE peel item. But if you play an aggressive poke laner it's a great item. If you can keep up the pressure it has the best gold generation out of all 3 items. That gold generation comes in handy for buying your sight stone sooner. And this is more like a "don't forget to ward stupid" guide. There is more to the supporting role than what is stated here.

Archon X10/20/2015, 5:07:07 AM1 votes

spellthief is still better to start on mage poke supports, such as Morgana, Annie, Lulu, Sona...

check probuilds.net thanks

Mimy10/20/2015, 5:09:25 AM1 votes

Question: Why are are you building full ap lulu as support (They had exhaust so they weren't mid.. )

I don't know there's so many things wrong with this on so many levels.

item 3092 item 3303 is a good item.. for lulu. Why? The AP , mana regen, CDR, Gold income with time and with poke and lulu tends to poke A LOT... and it has a wicked slow like a nasus wither (Unless you don't even use your actives).

I'd laugh if I saw a lulu with coin.. you'd be missing out on the AP and a lot of money in pokes. you poke them constantly and you can earn a lot more then you could with coin.

#You say to poke, but you tell them to NOT get the support poke item?

Caytheles10/20/2015, 6:02:20 AM1 votes

This is not how to be a good support, You did not even go into the Defensive offensive Turtle and Vision sticking Warding. those are important to a support, Also synergy was left out. the option to switch Sweepers back to Ward and upgrade to pink. Peeling, Bush swerving. You didnt explain any of that! and they are needed to be a Good support. You just described the Typical "Fill" support.

Snowyamur10/20/2015, 6:07:51 AM1 votes

I mean, seriously?item 3401 item 3069 item 3092