Stuck in ELO hell? Picking the wrong support can tank your climb before the game even starts. Climbing the ranked ladder requires more than just raw skill; it demands strategic champion selection tailored to the current meta. The support role is one of the most impactful roles in League of Legends, and selecting the best support for each game is essential.
At a glance:
- Discover the S-tier support champions dominating the current meta and why they excel.
- Learn which support archetypes (enchanters, engage, poke) are most effective for climbing.
- Understand how to pick supports based on your ADC's playstyle and the enemy team composition.
- Gain insights into specific support champions, including their strengths, weaknesses, and optimal playstyles.
Why Champion Choice Matters: A Support's Perspective
Your champion pick as support isn't just about personal preference. It’s about maximizing your team's potential and neutralizing the enemy's advantages. Are you enabling a hyper-carry ADC? Shutting down a fed assassin? Or providing much-needed engage? A well-chosen support can control the lane, dictate the pace of the game, and even carry the team to victory.
Selecting the right lol best support champions involves understanding the current meta, your ADC's champion pool and playstyle, and the enemy team composition. Blindly picking the same support every game may work sometimes, but adapting your champion choice is key to consistently climbing the ranked ladder.
Decoding the Current Meta: S-Tier Support Champions
Knowing the current meta is half the battle. These are the champions consistently outperforming others and offering the most bang for your buck:
- Enchanters (Lulu, Nami, Soraka): These supports excel at keeping their carries alive with shields, heals, and buffs. Soraka's global healing ultimate, "Wish", can turn team fights around. They generally pair well with ADCs who scale well into the late game.
- Engage Tanks (Nautilus, Thresh, Blitzcrank, Braum): These supports initiate fights, lock down enemies, and provide peel for their carries. Nautilus stands out for his strong engage and crowd control. Blitzcrank and Thresh offer game-changing hook abilities, while Braum protects allies with his shield.
- Poke Mages (Karma, Lux, Xerath, Zyra): These supports harass enemies in lane, creating pressure and opportunities for their ADC to farm safely or secure kills. Karma's poke damage can be overwhelming in the early game.
Understanding why these champions are strong is crucial. Enchanters thrive in sustain-heavy metas where prolonged fights are common. Engage tanks excel at punishing immobile carries and creating opportunities for their team. Poke mages dominate lane with their harass and wave clear.
Current Best LoL Supports constantly shift with patch updates, understanding these trends are important.
Tailoring Your Pick: ADC Synergy and Enemy Counter-Picks
The best support champion isn't always the highest-ranked one. It's the champion that synergizes best with your ADC and counters the enemy team's composition. Let's break this down:
ADC Synergy:
- Hyper-Carry (e.g., Jinx, Kog'Maw): These ADCs need protection and enabling. Enchanters like Lulu or Soraka are excellent choices. Consider Janna for disengage and scaling attack damage buffs.
- Example: Picking Lulu with a Kog'Maw creates a hyper-carry powerhouse, able to shred through enemies with sustained damage.
- Early-Game Aggressors (e.g., Draven, Lucian): These ADCs want to snowball early. Engage supports like Thresh or aggressive poke supports like Karma can help them secure early kills.
- Example: Lucian and Thresh create immense kill pressure early on, punishing any mistakes from the enemy bot lane.
- Scaling ADCs (e.g., Caitlyn, Ezreal): These ADCs benefit from safe laning and scaling into the mid-game. Nami and Braum provide great peel, protection, and utility.
- Example: Caitlyn benefits from Nami's sustain and poke in lane or Braum's ability to shut down divers allowing her to scale safely.
Enemy Counter-Picks: - Heavy Engage Comp: Pick disengage tools like Janna or peel supports like Braum, to deny their engages and protect your team.
- Example: Facing a Malphite and Vi? Janna's "Monsoon" can disrupt their engages and buy your team time.
- Poke-Heavy Comp: Enchanters like Soraka or sustain-focused supports such as Nami can mitigate the enemy poke and keep your team healthy.
- Example: Facing a Xerath/Caitlyn lane? Soraka’s healing will keep you in lane longer than they expect.
- Assassins: Pick champions with strong crowd control like Lulu (Polymorph) or engage champions like Nautilus to lock down the assassin.
- Example: Using Nautilus' ultimate, "Depth Charge", to lock down a fed Zed or Talon can completely shut them down in a fight.
Diving Deeper: Support Champion Spotlight
Let’s take a look at some popular and effective support champions and understand their strengths and weaknesses in the current meta:
Lulu:
- Strengths: Excellent peel with "Whimsy" (polymorph) and "Wild Growth" (knock-up and health buff). Strong in poke-heavy compositions.
- Weaknesses: Vulnerable to playmaking opponents. Less effective when behind.
- Playstyle: Focus on protecting your carry, disrupting enemy engages, and buffing your teammates.
- When to Pick: When your ADC is a hyper-carry or the enemy team has dive-heavy champions.
Nautilus: - Strengths: Strong engage with "Dredge Line" (hook) and "Depth Charge" (ultimate). Provides strong crowd control. Effective against AP-heavy compositions.
- Weaknesses: Can be kited if he misses his hook. Relies on follow-up from his team.
- Playstyle: Initiate fights, lock down key targets, and provide peel for your carries.
- When to Pick: When your team needs engage or the enemy team has immobile carries.
Nami: - Strengths: Strong sustain with "Ebb and Flow" (heal/damage bounce). Good engage with "Aqua Prison" (bubble). Regaining popularity due to her ability to protect ADCs.
- Weaknesses: Vulnerable to all-in compositions. Requires good positioning.
- Playstyle: Provide sustain in lane, poke enemies, and engage or disengage with her ultimate.
- When to Pick: When your ADC needs sustain or your team needs a versatile support.
Karma: - Strengths: Strong poke damage with "Inner Flame." Versatile with shields and movement speed buffs.
- Weaknesses: Can fall off in the late game if she doesn't get ahead early. Squishy and vulnerable to engage.
- Playstyle: Dominate the lane with poke, provide shields and speed boosts for your team, and transition into a utility support in the late game.
- When to Pick: If you're confident in your ability to snowball the early game or your team needs early game pressure.
Champions to Avoid (Contextual): - Yuumi: Yuumi has been heavily nerfed and no longer offers the same power and utility as higher-tier enchanters. Her healing and utility are significantly reduced, making her a less effective pick in most situations. The nerfs to her ultimate, "Final Chapter", have diminished its effectiveness.
- Zyra: Zyra is currently weak and not recommended for play.
A Practical Playbook: Picking Your Champion in Champion Select
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you make the right support champion choice:
- Consider Your ADC's Pick: What champion are they playing? What is their playstyle? Do they need protection, engage, or poke support?
- Analyze the Enemy Team Composition: What champions are they picking? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Do they have a dive-heavy comp, a poke comp, or a scaling comp?
- Think About Team Composition: What does your team need? Do you need engage, peel, or sustain? What type of damage do you need (AP or AD)?
- Consider Your Comfort Level: Pick a champion you are comfortable playing, even if it's not the absolute best in the meta. Mastery trumps tier lists. Comfort and experience on a champion are invaluable, especially in high-pressure situations.
- Adapt Your Strategy: Don't be afraid to change your pick based on the evolving champion select. If the enemy team reveals a counter-pick, adjust your strategy accordingly.
Example Scenario:
- Your ADC picks Jinx.
- The enemy team picks Malphite, Zed, and Caitlyn.
- Considerations: Jinx needs protection from the Malphite and Zed dives. The enemy Caitlyn will try to poke her out of lane.
- Optimal Pick: Lulu or Janna. Lulu provides strong peel with her polymorph and ultimate, while Janna offers disengage and shields.
Quick Answers: Addressing Common Questions and Misconceptions
Q: Do I always have to pick an S-tier champion to climb?
A: No! Champion mastery is often more important than meta. A well-played B-tier champion can be more effective than a poorly played S-tier champion. Focus on mastering a few champions that fit your playstyle.
Q: What if my ADC is autofilled and picks an off-meta ADC?
A: Adapt! Consider what your team composition really needs. Maybe you need to provide engage, or maybe you need to focus on enabling another carry on your team.
Q: How do I deal with getting counter-picked?
A: Play safe, focus on farming, and look for opportunities to roam and help other lanes. Don't try to force plays if you're at a disadvantage.
Q: What if I don't know which champion to pick?
A: Default to a versatile support like Nami or Braum. They offer a good balance of sustain, engage, and peel, making them suitable for most situations.
Climbing Starts Now: Your Support Champion Action Plan
Ready to climb? Here's your game plan:
- Identify Your Champion Pool: Pick 2-3 support champions that you enjoy playing and that fit different team compositions and playstyles.
- Master Your Champions: Practice your chosen champions in normals or flex queue. Learn their matchups, skill combos, and optimal item builds.
- Study the Meta: Stay up-to-date on the current meta and understand which supports are performing well and why.
- Adapt Your Pick: Use the champion select guide to choose the best support champion for each game based on your ADC's pick, the enemy team composition, and your team composition.
- Review Your Games: Watch replays of your games and identify areas where you can improve your champion selection and gameplay.
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to climbing the ranked ladder and becoming a better support player. Remember, choosing the lol best support champions is just one piece of the puzzle. Combining smart picks with strong game play is the key to consistent success.