For the bigger picture and full context, make sure you read our main guide on Support Tier List: Best League of Legends Champions Now.
Tired of feeling helpless in the bot lane? Picking the right league support champs can be the difference between a crushing defeat and a glorious victory. The meta is constantly shifting, and figuring out which supports are truly dominant can feel overwhelming.
At a Glance:
- Discover which support archetypes (enchanters, tanks, mages) are strongest right now.
- Learn how to quickly adapt your champion pool to balance meta shifts and personal playstyle.
- Get practical tips for dominating lane and influencing teamfights, regardless of your champion choice.
- Uncover the best support champions for beginners looking to climb the ranks.
- Address common misconceptions about support viability and team composition.
Understanding the Support Landscape: Archetypes and Their Strengths
League support champs aren't a monolith. They fall into distinct archetypes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these differences is key to choosing the right champion for your team and playstyle.
- Enchanters: These champions excel at buffing and protecting allies with heals, shields, and movement speed boosts. They're often squishy but provide incredible sustain and utility. Examples include Lulu, Nami, and Soraka. Their strength lies in enabling their ADC to carry.
- Tanks: Tank supports are the frontline of the team, absorbing damage and disrupting enemy formations with crowd control. They're durable and can initiate fights effectively. Examples include Braum, Leona, and Alistar. A well-timed engage can turn the tide of a teamfight.
- Mages: These supports prioritize damage output, using their abilities to poke enemies in lane and burst them down in teamfights. They often lack the sustain of enchanters but can apply immense pressure. Examples include Lux, Zyra, and Xerath. A mage support can often carry a lane even with a less-than-stellar ADC.
- Engage Supports: A Sub-set of tanks, these supports excel at initiating fights and locking down key targets with hard CC, such as stuns and knock-ups.
- Disruptive Supports: These supports are not strictly bound to a single archetypes, bringing a unique set of abilities that focus on disrupting the enemy team's plan, often by catching out enemies or applying unique crowd control.
The Current Top Support Champions showcase a diverse range of these archetypes, reflecting the current meta's flexibility.
Riding the Meta Wave: Adapting Your Champion Pool
The League of Legends meta is constantly evolving, influenced by patch changes, item updates, and emerging player strategies. Staying flexible and adapting your champion pool is crucial for consistent success.
How to Adapt:
- Stay Informed: Regularly check patch notes and follow high-elo players and analysts for tier lists and strategy updates.
- Master Multiple Archetypes: Don't limit yourself to one type of support. Having champions from different archetypes allows you to adapt to different team compositions and matchups.
- Focus on Fundamentals: While meta picks are important, strong fundamentals like warding, positioning, and roaming are always valuable regardless of the champion you play.
- Practice Consistently: Regularly practice your core champions to maintain your mechanics and knowledge of their limits.
Example: Imagine the meta shifts to favor aggressive, early-game ADCs. Enchanters might become less effective against burst damage. In this scenario, picking a tank support like Leona or Nautilus can provide the necessary engage and protection to counter the enemy's aggression.
Dominating Lane: Laning Phase Best Practices
The laning phase is where support champions can have the biggest impact. Here's how to make the most of it:
- Vision Control: Warding is paramount. Deny enemy vision and secure key objectives like the river and tri-bush.
- Pro Tip: Use control wards strategically to deny vision and bait enemies into unfavorable engagements.
- Trading Stance: Understand your champion's trading patterns and cooldowns. Coordinate with your ADC to punish enemy mistakes.
- Roam Wisely: Look for opportunities to roam and assist your mid laner or jungler, but only if your ADC is safe.
- Track Cooldowns: Knowing when enemy abilities are on cooldown allows you to make aggressive plays and secure kills.
Case Snippet: A Nami support consistently tracks the enemy Lucian's E (Relentless Pursuit) cooldown. After Lucian uses E to dash aggressively, Nami immediately bubbles him, allowing her ADC to secure a kill due to Lucian's lack of mobility.
Teamfight Impact: Positioning and Target Selection
Teamfights are chaotic, but a well-positioned support can make all the difference.
- Protect Your Carry: Your primary goal is to keep your ADC alive. Position yourself to peel for them and provide shields, heals, or crowd control.
- Disrupt the Enemy: Use your abilities to disrupt the enemy team's backline, focusing on high-value targets like assassins or mages.
- Control Vision: Maintain vision around objectives and choke points to give your team an advantage.
- Adapt to the Situation: Be prepared to adjust your positioning and strategy based on the flow of the fight.
Example: A Braum support positions himself between his ADC and an incoming Zed. He uses his E (Unbreakable) to block Zed's shurikens and then uses his Q (Winter's Bite) to slow Zed, allowing his ADC to kite and survive.
League Support Champs: Building the Right Items
Itemization is crucial for maximizing your champion's effectiveness. While specific builds vary depending on the champion and game state, here's a general guide:
- Mythic Items: Choose a mythic item that complements your champion's playstyle and the team's needs.
- Enchanters: Moonstone Renewer, Shurelya's Battlesong.
- Tanks: Locket of the Iron Solari, Evenshroud.
- Mages: Liandry's Anguish, Luden's Companion.
- Support Items: Prioritize support items that provide utility, such as Ardent Censer, Staff of Flowing Water, or Mikael's Blessing.
- Defensive Items: Build defensive items like Redemption or Knight's Vow to increase your survivability and protect your allies.
- Vision Items: Always prioritize completing your support quest item, which provides essential vision control.
Quick Start Guide:
- Early Game: Focus on completing your support item and buying control wards.
- Mid Game: Build your mythic item and adapt your build based on the enemy team's composition.
- Late Game: Prioritize defensive items and utility items to maximize your impact in teamfights.
League Support Champs: Common Questions Answered
- Q: Is it okay to play an off-meta support champion?
- A: Absolutely! While meta champions are generally strong, skill and game knowledge are more important. Mastering an off-meta pick can catch opponents off guard and provide a unique advantage. However, consider your team's needs and ensure your pick complements the overall strategy.
- Q: How important is it to counter-pick in the support role?
- A: Counter-picking can be beneficial but is not always necessary. Focus on playing champions you're comfortable with and understanding how to play against different matchups.
- Q: What's the best way to climb the ranks as a support player?
- A: Focus on improving your fundamentals, mastering a few key champions, and consistently communicating with your team. Vision control, objective control, and smart decision-making are crucial for climbing.
- Q: Should I always prioritize protecting my ADC?
- A: While protecting your ADC is important, don't neglect the rest of your team. Look for opportunities to assist other lanes or secure objectives. A well-timed roam or gank can have a huge impact on the game.
- Q: I can't aim skillshots. What are some good support picks for me?
- A: Sona remains one of LoL’s strongest supports, thanks to her beginner-friendly, well-rounded kit. Blitzcrank and Braum are also good choices as they relay on point-and-click abilities or have abilities that provide utility without needing pinpoint accuracy.
Actionable Takeaways: Dominate Your Next Game
Here's a quick decision tree to guide your support champion selection:
- Assess Your Team Composition: What does your team need? Damage? Sustain? Engage?
- Consider the Enemy Team: What are their strengths and weaknesses? Are they vulnerable to poke? Burst? Crowd control?
- Choose Your Champion: Select a champion that complements your team's needs and counters the enemy team's strengths.
- Master Your Fundamentals: Focus on vision control, trading, and positioning.
- Communicate Effectively: Coordinate with your team and make informed decisions together.
Stop relying on luck and start climbing the ranks. Understand your role, master your champions, and lead your team to victory.