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Progressing through ranked as main support

Whyzerman·10/28/2014, 10:02:02 AM·1 votes·1,983 views

I've tried ADC - but aside from Ezreal I really don't like the play style - and I suck at it hard core. I've tried mid with a bit more success, but my champion pool of champs I don't suck with are limited to ryze and oriana. I've tried JG with even more success. However again my champion pool for jg is limited and I normally only play it in normals. I've tried top - and I am not half bad at top - just don't expect me to carry. Then I tried support and immediately fell in love. Coming from World of Warcraft - it is the closest thing to a healer this game has, and that is what I loved doing in WoW. My support champion pool is 9 out of the 23 champs I own. I won't say I have mastered all of them but a good chunk of the supports I own I feel comfortable on any of them in ranked.

My problem lies in the fact that I just can't carry a team as support. I am stuck relying one of the ADC/JG/Top/Mid to not feed, and/or carry - and realistically this just doesn't happen in solo queue. All the advice I have looked at in these boards and on the old forums has suggested playing something I can carry with besides support. Is there any other way to do it, or am I just stuck for life in bronze if I plan on playing support?

13 Comments

AwesomeChad10/28/2014, 3:58:21 PM2 votes

Alright so i can tell you from experience that a good support can carry the game. I'm a diamond 3 ADC main that also plays support. Here is an example of the type of plays a support can make to carry the game: http://www.twitch.tv/awesomechad/c/5379451 . Now, some very important mechanics that supports need to learn to carry the game are: roaming around the map to gank other lanes, landing all your skillshots, and being able to play very aggressive.

TehomCD10/28/2014, 11:41:56 AM1 votes

You can carry as support at lower ranks, though it's easier on a support who can obliterate the enemy bot lane rather than a defensive support, because you might be paired with someone who can't play ADC at all. I remember in my placement matches, I had multiple games in which I had someone who had no idea how to play ADC - in retrospect, I just should have dodged when someone locks in gangplank and says they're going ADC, but whatever.

When you're with actual ADC mains, then you can carry spectacularly well with someone like Janna, since they'll use what you give them appropriately. There's no point in giving someone +AD if they won't use it to trade, and there's little point in blocking harass when they're taking it for free. But if you're killing the hell out of the enemy bot lane on a support who can harass or all-in, it doesn't really matter that much if your ADC is worthless, since the enemy team will have 2 crippled players while you have 1 who's mediocre.

Nave22210/28/2014, 12:19:41 PM1 votes

I think it may be easier to carry in a bronze level elo with a role that can carry and direct the flow of the game easier than a support because you are also reliant on the ability of your adc to follow up per say.

though if you want to stick to supports, i suggest playing supports who are play makers and not those who sit back passively and defend when be needed.

a support who can easily punish their mistakes, such as nami due to the CC. ( my personal fav for making plays)

is not impossible to carry with support ( i did it mostly through silver)

just pick or go with champs who can directly affect the game and make plays.

it just came to me that perhaps karma support would be good, spam them Qs

swagblocker10/28/2014, 1:25:41 PM1 votes

You have to choose supports that are middle ground on aggressive and passive. Sona and janna are both good at this. Also, look at what your adc is picking and pick a champ that goes well with it. Thresh and braum go well with most. Also look at unconventional supports, nunu and fiddlesticks can be played really well at low elo.

MysticWav10/28/2014, 2:30:08 PM1 votes

I've always found Karma to be great as the kind of support you can use to herd cats. She's got some great tools for covering up others mistakes. Blitz is also pretty good if you can land the grabs.

Trading Aces10/28/2014, 3:31:31 PM1 votes

Climbed to gold supporting 80%-90% of the time. It's plausible. Then again I started out Silver - so I don't really know how terrible Bronze is. Who do you use?

Chillub4510/29/2014, 1:53:17 AM1 votes

If you really want to rank up, find a champion that you are good at and that is also good for the meta. I was Silver 3 last season but this season I picked up Zilean and mained him support. I started in Bronze 3 and made it all the way to Plat. Doesn't matter what role you pick as long as you play it well. Good luck!

Jamini10/29/2014, 11:33:06 AM1 votes

I would suggest that you hunt down an ADC player you can duo with reliably. Find a person who's playstyle you can "click" with and get them on voice. You will immediately notice a huge increase in your winrates. (I've started duoing with my husband as support. With him I have roughly a 75% winrate in ranked, compared to the 40% or so I had without. He noticed a very similar trend when he started duoing with me. I've had similar stories for a few morgana and Leona mains that I've met in the field.)

Bot lane is a two-man unit. The ADC relies heavily on the support for the first fifteen minutes of the game to get their first items, and afterwards they rely on the support for peels so they can dish out the high damage that their role requires. The more familiar and comfortable you are with the other half of your unit, the better you will do.

Don't be afraid to ask someone better than you (not me) for mechanical help too! It's easy to miss what you are doing wrong in a long game.

Deep Terror Nami10/28/2014, 10:09:21 AM1 votes

Pretty sure it's easier to climb as other roles, since you can't really carry a failing team as a support (unless you like, stole all your ADC's kills and became the carry). I'm certain you can get out of Bronze with it, though; I myself am stuck in S2 as support main...probably going to change to ADC/Mid to climb next season though and go back to Supp when I'm in a good spot.

Whyzerman10/31/2014, 7:37:07 PM1 votes

Just an update. I went away from the traditional supports and started playing some of the more niche supports you don't normally see. Teemo, Maokai, Karma, Leona etc. Supports that can poke hard, and give the ADC plenty of room to farm. In each game I have played these supports the enemy adc was bullied out of lane so hard they were useless til late game. My teams ended up throwing most of the games, and I cant say I performed perfectly in each of those matches, but the tips you guys gave here were a huge help in showing me how to climb out of bronze.

Now to get better at mechanics ^_^