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What I Learned for Other Roles as a Support

Deep Terror Nami·6/14/2015, 8:05:24 PM·17 votes·1,499 views

Even if you never get forced into the Support role, I think there are skills you can learn better while Supporting.

  • Warding: A solo laner usually wards for himself. He doesn't want to get ganked while farming, right? Sometimes the enemy jungler is focusing on somebody else, counter-jungling, or might be and your typical defensive trinket ward isn't any good.

  • Playing Support I learned to ward for other people who need it more. Is mid getting camped? Extend his range of protection by using a ward closer to mid rather than just defending your lane, wherever that may be. Is it an Evelynn? Ward closer to the camps not the lanes. I also learned to inform people when I see an enemy ward placed; we don't have a Ward ping yet, but in the meantime a Danger Ping and typing "enemy ward there" lets your team know to avoid it or destroy it.

  • Letting somebody else get the kill: You don't always need to drop all your cooldowns to get the kill before the rest of your team. There are other objectives on the map, and the whole team being on one that a single person could take might mean you lose opportunities elsewhere.

  • Playing Support I learned the subtle art of not wasting my time and resources when someone else has the job covered. You can spend 5 more seconds chasing an Alistar down in a 3v1 to secure the kill, or you can start your B so you can save the inhibitor turret that Jax is killing. Someone else can get Alistar. Every second you spend walking around aimlessly or putting 3 people on a 1 person job is another second the enemy gains to take advantage of it.

  • Keeping track of a roaming enemy on the minimap, and letting your team know with pings: Yes, we know you're engaged in mortal combat for your soul with Teemo in top lane. But did you also know Rengar has been in that river bush for 15 seconds waiting for you to push a little further?

  • Playing Support I learned to keep track of movement on the minimap in addition to whatever I'm doing at the time. This is useful to you, sure, but you can watch the minimap all day long and it doesn't help your team unless you tell them what you saw. I learned to ping a roaming enemy every time I see them on the minimap so that everyone is aware of who is in the most danger and who is safe to push as hard as they want. Everybody can and should do this.

  • Letting your team know what your plans are: The game is designed with teamwork in mind. You might be the most skilled player in a match, but it's going to be more difficult for you to carry the team if they are taking actions counter to what you intended.

  • Playing Support I learned to inform my team more often of what I'm going to do. Am I going B and leaving somebody alone? I at least danger ping on myself so they look and realize I'm not going to be there for long. You might be just off their screen, and they engage in a 2v2...well no now it's a 1v2 because he thought you were there. If they are heading into enemy territory and you are not going to follow them in, let them know you aren't. Same goes for if you're heading in and expect their help; they need to understand your intentions.

  • How to take one for the team: A lost teamfight doesn't mean your entire team had to die. People get greedy when an easy kill is close to them and want to be the one who gets it, and that can be used to your advantage.

  • Playing Support I learned how to distract the enemy and reduce casualties to a minimum, and to stand in front of skillshots that won't hurt me but would kill a teammate. If you can make the enemy choose two directions for two kills instead of one direction for two kills, you can often get them to go for the closest option and let the other escape. Getting between an enemy and a low teammate is a good idea too (depending on circumstance; you don't want to give MF extra range to hit them with a Double-up); this is especially important for global skillshots. You can't always dodge in time, so another obstacle in the way helps.

Nothing here is specific to playing as a Support. This is a team game, and covering for your ally's weaknesses goes a long way to winning it. Sharing information is probably the most important thing here.

7 Comments

Kei1436/14/2015, 10:13:23 PM6 votes

As a support main, I found myself looking at the mini map more since I don't need to focus on CS. So I do have better map awareness than most of my counter parts, and I'm able to inform that to my team.

I'm actually able to occasionally catch summoner spells being used on other lanes and inform them that a flash is down, and my team sometimes follows up with ganks.

Then again, I'm just bronze2. Most people don't type their enemy summoners at this ELO. It'll probably get easier for me at later ELOS.

Krigjer6/15/2015, 3:54:55 PM3 votes

  1. I started playing support because it was the only role no one ever fought over, so I played it and started getting good at it. Of course, now I'm obsessed with warding and I'm not comfortable without vision. A huge reason to why I don't play Twisted Treeline.

  2. When I play top or jungle, I normally play tanks or champs with heavy cc, or both, and I'll run Exhaust/Stalker's Blade so I can lock the enemy down and let my team do the damage.

  3. I sacrifice myself for teammates all the time. I do this less when I mid or adc, but if I have cc, you're damn right I'm doing everything I can to help my team disengage safely.

I'm actually able to occasionally catch summoner spells being used on other lanes and inform them that a flash is down, and my team sometimes follows up with ganks.

I also do this. If I see a summoner spell get blown, I type it in chat so we have a record of it.

Maining support has taught me how to be a team player in the best way.

Hotpes6/14/2015, 8:18:23 PM2 votes

That was really nice to read, thanks for sharing bud more ppl should think like you :)

Shogunai6/15/2015, 1:55:39 PM1 votes

I agree with this, I was a support main for the longest time an I recently went on to explore other options for the purposes of the difficulties trying to climb solo queue playing support, however it has overall helped me in the long run as far as the points you've made.

1000angrybees6/15/2015, 10:34:11 PM1 votes

Support made me a better player, I gotta say.

  • I ward as much as possible, and in areas that are very likely to have an enemy try to ambush you through. I end up warding the most out of anyone. Even when I'm mid. Upgrade those trinkets! I also do warn people of wards that ive seen lain down, or the possibility one is.

  • I also tend to look out for my teammates regardless of what's happening in my lane. If I spot someone moving through a field of vision somewhere, I'm going to warn whoever is closer to that field. (e.g, Someone passes through the brush towards bot river. I ping when I cant see them anymore to let bot know that they might be heading there)

  • If I'm in support, I sometimes sacrifice myself if I feel that the team cant get away without me doing so.

  • If I leave lane as support, I ping them to be careful. If I leave lane as mid, I ping near the tower if I think that they could do a lot of damage to it if left unattended, so the jungler can possibly cover the lane.