Finding good support champions isn't just about picking what's popular; it's about understanding your playstyle, your ADC's strengths, and the current meta. Picking the right support can be the difference between a frustrating climb and a dominant season.
At a glance:
- Discover top-tier support champions excelling in the current meta.
- Learn counter-picking strategies to gain an edge in the bot lane.
- Understand the strengths of enchanters, engage supports, and mage supports.
- Get actionable tips to improve your support gameplay and climb the ranks.
- Find out how to synergize with different ADCs for maximum impact.
What Makes a Support Champion "Good" Right Now?
The definition of "good support champions" is always shifting based on item changes, champion buffs/nerfs, and overall meta shifts. Currently, a good support champion excels in one or more of these key areas:
- Lane Dominance: Ability to control the early game and secure advantages for your ADC.
- Teamfight Utility: Providing valuable crowd control, healing, shielding, or damage in teamfights.
- Scaling Potential: Remaining relevant throughout the game, even in the late game.
- Synergy with Popular ADCs: Complementing the strengths of commonly played ADCs.
- Counter-Picking Potential: Effectively countering enemy support and ADC picks.
The Z Tier Powerhouses: Lulu, Pyke, and Thresh
As cited in the Current Support Tier List, Lulu, Pyke, and Thresh are dominating the support role right now. Let's break down why:
Lulu: The Enchanter Queen
Lulu is the quintessential enchanter support. She excels at protecting hypercarries and enabling them to dish out massive damage. Her kit provides:
- Shields: Pix, Faerie Companion shields allies, mitigating incoming damage.
- Polymorph: Whimsy turns enemies into harmless critters, shutting down assassins and divers.
- Attack Speed Buff: Whimsy also grants allies bonus movement speed and attack speed.
- Ultimate Growth: Wild Growth grants a massive health bonus and knocks up nearby enemies.
Why is she good? Lulu synergizes incredibly well with hypercarries like Jinx, Zeri, and Twitch, amplifying their damage output and keeping them safe. With more and more assassins being picked in mid lane, Lulu is extremely effective at protecting your carries from threats.
Pyke: The Assassin Support
Pyke is a unique support champion who thrives on aggression and snowballing. Unlike most supports who focus on protecting their ADC, Pyke actively seeks out opportunities to assassinate enemy carries. - Stealth and Mobility: Ghostwater Dive provides camouflage and increased movement speed.
- Crowd Control: Bone Skewer pulls enemies towards you, setting up kills.
- Execute Ultimate: Death From Below executes enemies below a certain health threshold and grants bonus gold to allies who assist.
Why is he good? Pyke punishes poor positioning and disorganization. He's a great counter-pick to enchanters like Lulu, as he can bypass their defenses and eliminate their carries. He is extremely strong when ahead, but can struggle to be useful if behind.
Thresh: The Chain Warden
Thresh is a versatile engage support with a kit full of crowd control and utility. He can both protect his allies and set up aggressive plays. - Engage and Disengage: Death Sentence is a long-range hook that pulls enemies towards you. Dark Passage allows allies to quickly reposition or escape danger.
- Crowd Control: Flay knocks enemies back and slows them.
- Utility Ultimate: The Box creates a prison of walls that slows and damages enemies.
Why is he good? Thresh is a consistent pick that works well with a variety of ADCs, like Jinx, Aphelios, and Kai'Sa. His kit provides both engage and disengage, making him adaptable to different game states.
Beyond the Z Tier: Other Strong Support Options
While Lulu, Pyke, and Thresh are currently top-tier, several other support champions are viable and can be effective in the right hands.
Enchanters: Nami, Soraka, Janna
These champions excel at keeping their carries alive with heals, shields, and buffs. Nami provides engage and sustain with her Aqua Prison and Ebb and Flow. Soraka is a dedicated healer who can keep her team topped off with Starcall and Astral Infusion. Janna is a strong disengage support who can peel for her carries with Howling Gale and Monsoon.
Engage Supports: Leona, Nautilus, Alistar
These champions are tanky initiators who can lock down enemies and start teamfights. Leona provides a barrage of crowd control with Shield of Daybreak, Eclipse, and Zenith Blade. Nautilus is a tanky behemoth who can engage from long range with Dredge Line and lock down priority targets with his ultimate, Depth Charge. Alistar is a versatile support who can engage, disengage, and protect his allies with Pulverize, Headbutt, and Trample.
Mage Supports: Brand, Zyra, Xerath
These champions deal significant damage and can carry games from the support position. Brand burns enemies with his passive, Blaze, and can chain his abilities for devastating combos. Zyra controls the battlefield with her plants, which deal damage and provide vision. Xerath can poke enemies from long range with his abilities, making him a lane bully.
Counter-Picking Strategies for Support
Choosing the right support champion based on the enemy team composition is crucial for success. Here are some counter-picking strategies:
- Enchanters vs. Engage: Enchanters can struggle against engage supports who can bypass their defenses and lock down their carries. However, a well-positioned enchanter can peel for their carries and deny engage attempts.
- Engage vs. Mage: Engage supports can often shut down mage supports by diving on them and preventing them from dealing damage.
- Mage vs. Enchanter: Mage supports can poke down enchanters in lane and prevent them from keeping their carries healthy.
Example: If the enemy team has a strong engage composition with champions like Leona and Vi, picking a disengage-heavy support like Janna or Thresh can help you peel for your carries and shut down their engage attempts. On the other hand, if the enemy team has a passive lane with an enchanter like Soraka, picking an aggressive mage support like Brand or Zyra can help you bully them out of lane and gain an early advantage.
Synergizing with Different ADCs
Different support champions synergize better with different ADCs. Consider the following examples:
- Lulu + Hypercarries (Jinx, Zeri, Twitch): Lulu provides the protection and buffs that these hypercarries need to scale into the late game.
- Pyke + Aggressive ADCs (Draven, Lucian): Pyke thrives on aggressive playmaking, and these ADCs can capitalize on his engages.
- Thresh + Versatile ADCs (Jinx, Aphelios, Kai'Sa): Thresh's kit provides both engage and disengage, making him a good fit for a variety of ADCs.
- Nami + Auto-Attack ADCs (Jinx, Kog'Maw): Nami's E, Ebb and Flow, empowers auto-attacks, making her a great partner for ADCs who rely on auto-attacking.
- Leona + Burst ADCs (Draven, Lucian): Leona's lockdown allows burst ADCs to quickly eliminate their targets.
Example: If your ADC is playing Jinx, picking Lulu can create a hyper-carry threat that is very hard to deal with. The constant shields and attack speed from Lulu will allow Jinx to freely deal damage. If your ADC is playing Draven, Pyke is a very good option, because Draven likes to play aggressively, and Pyke rewards this playstyle.
Practical Playbook: Climbing with Good Support Champions
Here's a step-by-step guide to climbing the ladder with the best support champions:
- Identify your playstyle: Do you prefer protecting your carries, engaging in teamfights, or dealing damage?
- Research the meta: Identify the top-tier support champions and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
- Practice a few key champions: Focus on mastering a small pool of champions that fit your playstyle and are strong in the current meta.
- Learn counter-picking strategies: Understand which champions counter which and be prepared to adjust your pick based on the enemy team composition.
- Communicate with your ADC: Coordinate your picks and playstyle with your ADC to maximize synergy.
- Focus on vision control: Warding is crucial for preventing ganks and securing objectives.
- Track the enemy jungler: Knowing the enemy jungler's location can help you make informed decisions and avoid ganks.
- Roam when appropriate: If your lane is pushed and your ADC is safe, consider roaming to help your mid laner or jungler.
- Prioritize objectives: Focus on securing dragons, Rift Herald, and Baron Nashor to gain a significant advantage.
- Stay positive and adaptable: Don't get discouraged by losses and be willing to adjust your strategy based on the game state.
Quick Answers: Common Questions About Support Champions
Q: Which support champion is the easiest to learn?
A: Soraka is often considered one of the easiest support champions to learn due to her straightforward kit and focus on healing. However, mastering positioning and decision-making is still crucial for success.
Q: Which support champion is the hardest to master?
A: Thresh is widely regarded as one of the most difficult support champions to master due to his complex kit and reliance on skillshots.
Q: What is the best support champion for carrying games?
A: While support is inherently a team-oriented role, mage supports like Brand, Zyra, and Xerath can carry games by dealing significant damage. Pyke is also a strong carry option due to his assassination potential and gold-sharing ultimate.
Q: How important is vision control as a support?
A: Vision control is arguably the most important aspect of playing support. Providing vision for your team can prevent ganks, secure objectives, and win teamfights.
Q: What do I do if my ADC is bad?
A: Focus on supporting your other teammates and making plays around the map. Roam to help your mid laner or jungler, secure objectives, and ward key areas.
Actionable Close: Dominate Your Games
Stop picking supports randomly and start thinking strategically. Consider the meta, your ADC's champion, and the enemy composition. By focusing on a select few "good support champions" and mastering the fundamentals of vision control and roaming, you'll be well on your way to climbing the ranks and dominating your games. Don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you, but always be mindful of the current meta and the strengths and weaknesses of different champions.