Small tips when playing as Soraka support

5000000000000000·Aug 30, 2015·2 votes·2,390 views

Soraka is a great healer, but not great at anything else. You can abuse this, and I'm gonna tell you how to abuse this.

Almost always start heal first. Your Q does little damage without a lot of ranks into it, and it doesn't even heal you at level 1. Even if some sort of invade happens, level 1 heal will do more for your team than AoE silence or unreliable slow. Start with ancient coin. It gives you amazing health/mana sustain, and it builds into Talisman of Ascension, which is arguably the best of the three gold income upgrades.

Ask your teammate to start Long Sword+3 pot. You can give your ADC enough sustain, so your ADC doesn't need to waste gold on an item that doesn't build into anything. This works especially better if the ADC is rushing an item that builds out of Long Sword (such as Bloodthirster or Blade of the Ruined King).

Heal your jungler during first clear. This way you can make use of the sustain portion of the item starting level 1.

Take a camp with your ADC. Make the ADC tank it, but since you're Soraka you can just heal them. No need to juggle aggro.

Roam mid. You have no pressure to make any plays happen. Just heal your midlaner and go back to your lane. Quick and easy. Only do this when you think you're pretty safe, though. Ward dragon on the way.

Build AP, and don't build Warmog's. The health sustain is good, but if you build Warmog's you'll do more damage to yourself to heal your allies. You can kinda ignore the health cost with Warmog's, but know that your heals won't do much. It can be viable against a very poke-heavy comp, but otherwise it will suck in teamfights.

18 Comments

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20152 votes

{quoted}

Take a camp with your ADC. Make the ADC tank it, but since you're Soraka you can just heal them. No need to juggle aggro.

I love how people just say "start a camp" and have zero consideration for the jungler on that team. As a support player you should know how aggravating it is to be treated as the team's bitch and expectations of you to feed someone else so they can take all the glory. Well that's exactly how junglers feel and they usually don't appreciate poaching.

5000000000000000Sep 3, 20152 votes

Maybe I should have added "ask your jungler first." I always make sure to ask first. I thought it was common sense so I didn't write that part in.

EDIT: you can see that I actually care about my jungler because I said

Heal your jungler during first clear. This way you can make use of the sustain portion of the item starting level 1.

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20151 votes

Yea well lately I have been getting players who don't ask at all, and when I see them about to take a camp at level 1 I tell them not to poach my limited income and they say to me "Shut the fuck up literally every top laner does this now" and i'm also seeing ADC's take gromps by the time they have BF sword and it's really not funny because they won't hesitate to spam red ping on me if i'm csing a minion wave that they aren't even there to farm. Don't get me started on how midlaners come to blue every single time you're clearing it and expect you to give it to them, even if they are 0/4, then verbally abuse you when you smite it, like seriously I don't feel like giving the enemy Fizz blue buff.

BakedLotionSep 3, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jelly Mac,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=FvpbpPgI,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2015-09-03T04:07:54.799+0000)

I love how people just say "start a camp" and have zero consideration for the jungler on that team. As a support player you should know how aggravating it is to be treated as the team's bitch and expectations of you to feed someone else so they can take all the glory. Well that's exactly how junglers feel and they usually don't appreciate poaching.

Most of the junglers at the moment can't even do a full clear. They can survive without one camp. By the time they back, its already respawned.

As a jungler, I don't mind if they take a camp. By the time i'm finished with gromp/golems and red+blue, its already up again.

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20151 votes

Well sometimes i'm playing MasterYi who can do 2 full clears before backing. Sometimes i'm starting gromp and my toplaner taking my wolves without my permission (but they do it anyway) now I can't get to level 3 and it ruins my route an I have to back before I can afford the smite upgrade. Often my jungle route is to clear blue side, then go straight to red side and clear the raptors, even if the raptors have respawned by then they have leveled up and now I can't clear them and my route is ruined.

I would just prefer people not fuck with my jungle, and I have to literally threaten "No ganks for poachers" now because thanks to LCS i'm seeing toplaners and ADC's who think lvl 1 access to the jungle is their god given right and i'm an idiot for saying they can't poach my camps.

BakedLotionSep 3, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jelly Mac,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=FvpbpPgI,comment-id=000200010000,timestamp=2015-09-03T19:15:58.025+0000)

Well sometimes i'm playing who can do 2 full clears before backing. Sometimes i'm starting gromp and my toplaner taking my wolves without my permission (but they do it anyway) now I can't get to level 3 and it ruins my route an I have to back before I can afford the smite upgrade. Often my jungle route is to clear blue side, then go straight to red side and clear the raptors, even if the raptors have respawned by then they have leveled up and now I can't clear them and my route is ruined.

I would just prefer people not fuck with my jungle, and I have to literally threaten "No ganks for poachers" now because thanks to LCS i'm seeing toplaners and ADC's who think lvl 1 access to the jungle is their god given right and i'm an idiot for saying they can't poach my camps.

o.o You don't need wolves to get to level 3. You get level 3 from 3 camps. Just run overto raptors. Yi is the best champion for clearing those anyways since he one shots the small ones. You get a smite upgrade after your third camp. Stop making a big ass fuss about one camp. It's literally not a big deal unless it's two people who take your camps

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20151 votes

I don't play Yi every game. When i'm playing other champions, I clear gromp > blue then go to wolves to get level 3 without any risk because wolves rarely kill anyone. Many junglers can't clear raptors at level 2 and they can't clear krugs or red buff at level 2 either unless they started red buff, which I clearly didn't. Having to go to red side and try to clear anything at level 2 is asking for a near-execution at best and 100% death to enemy counterjungler at worst. I refuse to believe anyone laners who start camps in solo queue have any serious experience in the jungle role.

BakedLotionSep 3, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jelly Mac,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=FvpbpPgI,comment-id=00020001000000000000,timestamp=2015-09-03T19:32:45.341+0000)

I don't play Yi every game. When i'm playing other champions, I clear gromp > blue then go to wolves to get level 3 without any risk because wolves rarely kill anyone. Many junglers can't clear raptors at level 2 and they can't clear krugs or red buff at level 2 either unless they started red buff, which I clearly didn't. Having to go to red side and try to clear anything at level 2 is asking for a near-execution at best and 100% death to enemy counterjungler at worst. I refuse to believe anyone laners who start camps in solo queue have any serious experience in the jungle role.

Then tell them to get raptors? They don't care which camp they take as long as they get level 2. Which all camps give. Everyone has jungle experience, they just don't care because they're not the jungler. Any champion can go gromp/golems to blue to red. I do off-meta picks all the time and even when i go someone like sona i can do that without dying. Ward the bush before you start the camp so u wont die?

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Then tell them to get raptors?

Why should they be entitled to anything in my jungle? Can you imagine how much of a hissy fit they would throw if I taxed their lane minions to get to level 2? I don't know them and they aren't my friends, junglers already get so much shit last thing I want is the laners taking my camps.

BakedLotionSep 3, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jelly Mac,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=FvpbpPgI,comment-id=0002000100000000000000000000,timestamp=2015-09-03T20:07:14.803+0000)

Why should they be entitled to anything in my jungle? Can you imagine how much of a hissy fit they would throw if I taxed their lane minions to get to level 2? I don't know them and they aren't my friends, junglers already get so much shit last thing I want is the laners taking my camps.

The respawn timers are 1 minute and 40 seconds. By the time you finish your starting camp, starting buff, and an additional camp, it's up in like 10 more seconds. Why are you being such a whiny bitch about one camp? I jungle like 60% of my games and I've never had a single problem with people taking a camp. You can't clear them all without one respawning anyways Your laner gets an advantage in their lane, which allows u to farm more since you don't have to be on their ass the whole game, and you generate more gold.

Only Play DariusSep 3, 20151 votes

Ahh, your Plat5, that explains it. See down here, no one knows how to abuse a brief level advantage, in fact half the reason I hate my laners starting camps is because they somehow give first blood despite having the xp advantage in lane, and after dying 3 times they blame me for not ganking AFTER they took my camp.

Nick ValentineAug 30, 20151 votes

item 2053 This is the secret op Soraka lane item

item 3512 Secret upgrade

I swear this is the BEST item for her. The stats are so good.

5000000000000000Aug 30, 20151 votes

You can heal the voidlings, too!

Aeolian MelodiesAug 31, 20151 votes

{quoted}

You can heal the voidlings, too!

Not sure why you would spend HP for that but yeah sure

iluvalarSep 3, 20151 votes

I disagree with several things you said. First you need starcall first even if it's worst. Here is how it break down :

1- I starcall the first minion waves as soon as I see it. You don't. i know you have heal now, you're doomed. 2- If by any chance your adc react fast enough and try to wave clear faster then my adc, I starcall again the minion wave aiming for him at the same time. Otherwise I don't to make sure the wave stay in the middle of the lane when I hit the level 2 first. 3- I step forward, i drink a red pot and I heal the minion who would give you the level 2. 4- You're now in trouble, 4-A if your adc try to get to level 2 over me, i just starcall him and use the health from the potion to heal the minion. Won't happen. 4-B If he turn over me. Well i'm level 2 and he is 1. I have an epic early game with hp5 runes and he is an adc so he's meant for late game powerspike... Won't end well for him 4-C Meanwhile all you can do is to heal my starcalls on him while my ADC, who is also level 2, take a huge chunk of your hp bar. 5- By the time you realize that you wont get to level 2 at all (if only you could starcall the minion there that i just healed), your lane is down to half health and half mana due to a rigged fight at level 2 vs 1 and you gonna be in a tough position (losing 1-2 cs per wave) until both of you back to base to refresh. But you are still level 1 so good luck with that recall, we'll be 3 before you make it back.

Here i made a raka vs raka scenario so you can see both side of the situation. But any support with any capacity to influence the minion wave could force you into the same bad early game.

For the start item, since the mastery changes, i really prefer starting with item 1027 . Grants 3 extra starcall and now 1 extra starcall per 2 minutes due to meditation. But that's just me. item 3301 isnt a bad start.

building item 3083 is extremely powerful, but as always you need a base AP first to not get drown into hp cost while you build it. That's where so many people fail, they try to upgrade their gp10 build a sightstone and then rush the warmog. NO!! this wont work. You need item 3027 into into item 3065 . In that order. Yes it's an extremely expensive core build for a support but it well worth it. The powerspike is just insane.

Hope it help someone...

5000000000000000Sep 3, 20151 votes

If you want to reach level 2 first with your ADC, then you can just take gromp/krugs. That's much more effective than trying to push wave, since Soraka doesn't have much peel. Also, usually the ADC doesn't know how to CS when your support is clearing wave. Your strategy will most likely make your ADC miss some CS unless you communicate first.

If the jungler is starting the camp on your side, then you can go and heal the jungler while ADC soaks up the experience for approximately half of the first wave. By the time you return, your ADC should still be level 1, but reach level 2 before the enemy. Since I take inspiration mastery, we have the exp advantage. Even if the enemy all-ins you at level 2 (which is difficult because the wave is pushed to your side), then you can heal your ADC to save them. This isn't possible with starcall start.

Starting coin is extremely important because of its hp sustain, mana sustain, and gold income. It also builds into Talisman of Ascension, which has one of the most powerful actives in the game, and you can make use of all the stats. Since you're immobile, HP regen helps. MP regen helps. CDR helps. MS helps. Gold income helps. RoA on the other hand has only mana and AP that you can use. And since you have more HP, your heals will cost more.

I've seen a lot of Soraka players suggesting item 3027 item 3083 item 3065 , but that costs 2700, 2750, 2700 gold each. That's 8150 gold without gold income item or CS. You also don't have item 2049 , which is the must-have item as a support. My build rushes item 3069 item 3504 item 3158 2100, 800, 2100, 1000 gold each, which add up to 6000 gold. This is easily achievable, while your build is practically impossible to reach by mid game unless you get a pentakill as the support. Warmog's as the last item, perhaps, but as a rush item? Nope.

iluvalarSep 3, 20151 votes

There is several things wrong in your post. First gromp/krugs on the bot side is the typical starting camp for the junglers. You are expected to help HIM reach level 2 this way. The strategy clearly worth a few CS. No questionning there even doe good adcs and a bit of timing allows them to cs fine.

Tje inspiration mastery got buffed recently, the lines are a bit more fuzzy, but you also generate 30% more exp if you stay in exp range. So juggling the exp gain this way with your adc is quite impossible on short term. You'd need to leave your adc exposed for several minutes to have the slighest positive impact. Meanwhile you're just weaker.

I have excellent early game hp sustain thx to flat hp5 runes, starting with item 1027 gives a lot more mana and mana regen then the coin. You should do the maths with the gp10 items, it takes at best 10 minutes to repay for item 3301 and item 3069 takes 40 minutes. I'm not saying they are bad items if you make good use of the stats they are ok. But claiming that they help to build the remaining of your build is quite a stretch.

The hp of the roa is used to trigger the item 3083 and the ap cancel the negative effect up to that point. After the completion of the warmog, your regen is in % hp and even higher then the cost of the heals so the negative effect of hp on ROA is gone.

I'm not stopping you to build a item 2049 if you want. But it hurt your heals a ton if it's rushed. Buy the time it's reasonable to buy it, item 3361 is avalaible which grant more wards.

I don't need a pentakill to end my build, I reach it at level 15 with the 2 first ruby from item 3065 to reach 3k. I'm aware it's a bit late in game, but it is totally in the bound of a standard game. We are talkiing about 700hp5 heals with NO cost and the potential to scale it with the 3 next items. As a comparition, it's way bigger then a Nasus dmg output even he farmed in an empty lane all that long.

You are allowed to disagree, i'm not agressive i'm enjoying this chat actualy.

5000000000000000Sep 3, 20151 votes

If the jungler isn't starting at gromp/krugs, and you ask them if you can take it. If they say yes, only then I go ahead. If not, I go and heal the jungler.

And if I do heal my jungler, I'm only leaving my ADC alone for like 15 seconds. I'm just healing my jungler twice or so.

The gold income items help my build because they let me generate gold without farming, and because they're already cheap items. Also, it lets me start with 4 potions instead of 2. Since I don't play aggressively as Soraka, I don't need a lot of mana. I just need enough to heal my ADC and myself. Also, I can out sustain mana crystal start just by having more potions.

Also, since you're not building sightstone, I'm guessing you're buying all the wards instead. You're also not getting Sweeper's Lens. This is bad for the team. My first back is when I have at least 1300 gold, which lets me upgrade coin and get a sightstone. The health regen from the item is a lot better now, so sightstone is okay to have. It also grants a lot more safety than a catalyst the protector+blasting wand.

You said you reach your build by level 15. I reach mine at about 9-10. I can also roam because of the movement speed from the talisman can keep me relatively safe. This means even more pressure/even more gold gained than your build, not to mention helping out your mid laner and jungler, and very occasionally top laner.

The defenses help your survivability, but getting it for health regen is kinda silly when you can just land one Q and regen more than half your health.