The Support's Guide to Success in League of Legends

Embarking on the role of support in the popular game League of Legends presents a learning opportunity filled with excitement and minimal stress. Without the pressure of farming and with some leeway for mistakes, this position is ideal for newcomers eager to understand the game’s dynamics. Even so, the role of support has its intricacies. Here is a collection of beginner-friendly advice for those ready to take on the challenge of supporting their team.

Harness the Early Level 2 Advantage

Achieving a level 2 before your opponents in the bot lane can grant a significant early advantage, as it doubles the number of abilities at your disposal. Ensuring that you reach this milestone promptly requires efficiently sharing experience. The first wave of minions, coupled with the three melee minions of the second wave, will suffice. Utilize items like Relic Shield or Steel Shoulderguards to execute the last two melee minions for a sudden leap in power, setting the stage for a potentially aggressive move.

Maximize Your Support Item

Every support begins its journey by purchasing a support-specific item, which acts as a gold source and forever eliminates the need to farm. This item evolves after you accumulate 500g and again at 1000g through your quest, enhancing your statistics. The vital function of the item reveals itself after the initial evolution, granting you three wards on each return to base, pivotal for gaining vision and safeguarding lane dominance. The quicker you amass 500g, the sooner you benefit from these wards, and reaching 1000g even adds a fourth ward, transforming your support item into a Legendary one that synergizes with your Mythic Item.

Accelerating Your Support Item Quest Completion

Understanding the nuances of the four distinct support items can hasten the completion of their respective quests. Melee supports gravitation towards the Relic Shield or Steel Shoulderguards, which enable minion execution and gold distribution to your ally. High-value minions such as canons and melees should take precedence due to their greater gold contribution. Conversely, ranged supports benefit from Spectral Sickle and Spellthief's Edge as these items reward gold upon champion hits, motivating purposeful trading. The presence of an ally is a prerequisite to fully utilizing their potential. However, in difficult matchups where poking is hazardous, ranged supports might consider the melee alternatives as a safer bet.

Harness the Power of Denial

A support strategy should extend beyond mere lane sustenance and securing objectives. A key tactic is to thwart enemy bot laners from acquiring minions, whether it’s through calculated skill shots from ranged supports or the daunting presence of melee champions. Even simply positioning oneself as a threat can discourage opponents from farming efficiently. Ambushing from unwarded bushes amplifies this intimidation, especially when advantage is on your side.

Understand your Bot Lane Partner

The synchronicity within the bot lane duo is essential. Supports benefit from understanding the ambitions and playstyle of their bot lane partners, something that can be gained by taking turns in playing as a bot laner. First-hand experience with the intricacies of the role, coupled with observations of other support players, will equip aspiring supporters with insights into commendable and avoidable behaviors. Furthermore, studying the behavior of high-ranking bot laners and the feedback they provide to support can offer crucial learning resources.

Embrace Swift Mobility

For support players, swift movement around the battleground is crucial. By acquiring boots at the earliest convenience—ideally during the initial return to base—supports can appear where they are needed most, decisively influencing skirmishes with their powerful abilities. Even a simple pair of basic boots can make a notable difference for a role that operates on a tighter budget.

Stand by Your Team

There is a frequent misunderstanding that the role of support is solely to assist the bot lane marksman. While that is an important aspect, a support's duty extends to the entire team. Success in League of Legends is measured by the destruction of the opposing team's Nexus, so it's sensible to support any teammate if it contributes to this ultimate goal. Contributing to team success might mean roaming to place wards, assisting in securing an objective, or rallying around a particularly dominant teammate later in the game.

Grasp Vision Fundamentals

Understanding vision control is intricate, but beginning supports should at least master the essentials. Following the completion of their support item quest, supports have the highest ward capacity, which enables them to transition their warding trinket into a sweeper. Since their item builds are not as critical, supports have the capacity to invest more in Control Wards. The primary goal is to keep laying downwards in strategic locations like bushes or pathway entrances and neutralize enemy wards around upcoming objectives or potential jungle ambushes.

Choosing Between Protection and Initiation

In the midst of battle, supporters have two pivotal decisions: to initiate conflicts or to safeguard their teammates. Sometimes, the nature of the support champion dictates the role, with protectors such as Janna and Lulu specializing in safekeeping or initiators like Leona being more inclined to confront. Yet, champions like Thresh and Rakan have the versatility to choose based on the scenario. Determining whether to protect or engage should be informed by the win conditions and dynamics of each team, such as neutralizing key opponents or ensuring the safety of a crucial carry.

Embrace the Heroism of Sacrifice

One of the most glorious roles a support can play is the noble sacrificial figure. Given their lower priority for gold and experience, supports are often in the best position to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Ensuring that significant abilities are used and trying to take down as many opponents in the process is the key focus. Acting as a human shield or creating a diversion allows more valuable teammates to escape. If such a sacrifice can potentially lead to a victory, it's a worthy course of action.

By following these tips and paying heed to the unique responsibilities that come with the support role, newcomers to League of Legends can evolve into pivotal team members, steering their allies toward victory.