7 Tips for Support Players in League of Legends
Get expert advice on 7 tips for support players in League of Legends. Our long-form content provides in-depth strategies to boost your gameplay.7 Tips for Support Players in League of Legends: Becoming the Guardian Angel Your Team Needs
As a support player in League of Legends, your role is crucial to the success of your team. To improve your playstyle and become the guardian angel your team needs, here are seven tips that you can follow:
Firstly, understand the role of support players in a team. You are not just there to heal and shield your teammates; you are also responsible for vision control, objective control, and setting up kills for your allies.
Secondly, communication with your team and jungler is key. Make sure to communicate about enemy positions, summoner spell usage, and potential gank opportunities.
Thirdly, choose champions that complement your team's composition and playstyle. Some recommended champions include Thresh, Janna, and Lulu.
Fourthly, focus on improving your playstyle by practicing last hitting minions and learning how to position yourself during fights.
Fifthly, invest in items that benefit both you and your allies such as Redemption or Mikael's Crucible.
Sixthly, always keep an eye on the minimap to ensure that you have vision control over objectives like dragon or Baron Nashor.
Lastly, be patient with yourself and don't get discouraged if things don't go as planned. Remember that supporting isn't just about healing; it's about enabling your teammates to carry the game.
By following these tips for support players in League of Legends, you'll be able to elevate your gameplay and become an invaluable asset to any team.
Stick with the ADC: The Current Meta for Support Players
In League of Legends, support players are an integral part of the team. They play a crucial role in protecting and assisting their allies, particularly the Attack Damage Carry (ADC). In the current meta, sticking with the ADC is essential for support players to succeed.
Importance of Sticking with the ADC
The ADC relies heavily on the support to protect them during laning phase and secure kills. By staying close to their ADC, support players can provide them with necessary buffs, heals, and shields. They can help zone out enemies and prevent ganks by keeping vision control.
Roaming Too Much Can Be Detrimental
While roaming can be advantageous in certain situations, it's important for support players not to leave their ADC vulnerable. Roaming too much can hurt their farm and leave them at risk of being killed by enemy champions. It's crucial for supports to communicate effectively with their teammates about when it's appropriate to roam and when they need to stay in lane.
Communication is Key
Communication between the ADC and support player is vital for success in lane. Supports should let their ADC know what they plan on doing before making any moves so that they're not caught off guard. Similarly, AD carries should inform their supports if they want to make any aggressive plays or if they feel unsafe in lane.
Positioning is Key: Watch Your Positioning, Watch My Positioning
As a support player in League of Legends, your role is to protect and assist your team. One of the most important aspects of fulfilling this role successfully is mastering your positioning. Here are some tips on how to do just that:
Always Keep an Eye on Your Surroundings
In League of Legends, situation awareness is key. As a support player, you need to be aware of not only where you are but also where your teammates and enemies are at all times. This will help you assess the situation and make quick decisions when necessary.
Vision is Key to Securing Objectives and Trading Effectively
Wards are crucial for gaining vision around objectives such as Dragon or Baron Nashor. As a support player, it's essential to mind your ward placement and timing to gain valuable information about the enemy team's movements. This will allow you to secure objectives more effectively while making it harder for the enemy team to do so.
Note the Phase of the Game and Adjust Your Positioning Accordingly
The game goes through different phases: early game, mid-game, and late game. In each phase, your role as a support player changes slightly. For example, in the early game, you want to be more defensive and focus on protecting your ADC while farming safely. In contrast, during mid-game, you should start roaming with your jungler or mid-laner to secure objectives or catch enemies out of position.
Mind Your Wards Placement
Placing wards in strategic locations can provide valuable information about enemy movements that can help prevent ganks or set up opportunities for trading kills with opponents. Make sure you place wards in areas where they will provide maximum coverage without being destroyed easily by enemies.
Trade Efficiently by Watching Enemy Attacks
Trading efficiently means dealing damage without taking too much in return from the enemy laner(s). To achieve this, you need to watch for the enemy's attack patterns and know when to trade back. This requires good positioning and understanding of your champion's abilities.
Note the Problem with Your Positioning
If you find yourself getting caught out of position frequently, it may be time to re-evaluate your playstyle. Take note of times when you get caught out and try to figure out what went wrong. Were you too aggressive? Did you not have enough vision in the area? Once you identify the problem, adjust your positioning accordingly.
Shot Calling: Why Support Players are Often the Primary Shot Caller
Support players in League of Legends have a unique perspective of the game, which allows them to make informed decisions about when to engage or disengage. This is why they are often the primary shot caller for their team.
Quick Decision-Making Skills
Shot calling requires quick decision-making skills, which support players develop through their experience with skill shots. Skill shots are abilities that require precise timing and aim, and support players use them frequently to protect their carries and set up kills for their team.
Vision Control
Support players are often responsible for vision control, which is crucial for making informed shot calls. They place wards in strategic locations to give their team information about enemy movements and objectives. This allows them to make better decisions about when to fight or retreat.
Team Positioning and Cooldowns
Support players must also be aware of their team's positioning and cooldowns to make effective shot calls. They need to know when their teammates' abilities are available so they can coordinate engages and disengages accordingly. They also need to keep an eye on enemy positioning so they can react quickly if an opportunity arises.
Minion Management: Secure the Cannon Minion, Hold the Minion Wave
As a support player in League of Legends, one of your primary responsibilities is to manage the minion wave. This means securing cannon minions, holding the wave near your tower, and protecting melee minions.
Cannon minions are important to secure as they give more gold and experience than other minions.
Cannon minions spawn every third wave and are worth significantly more gold and experience than other minions. As a support player, it's your job to help secure these valuable resources for your team. Use your abilities to last-hit cannon minions or auto-attack them when they're low on health.
Holding the minion wave near your tower can deny the enemy carry from farming and make them vulnerable to ganks.
If you can hold the minion wave near your tower, you can deny the enemy carry from farming safely under their own tower. This makes them vulnerable to ganks from your jungler or mid laner. To hold the wave, let only one or two enemy minions die before killing one of yours. This will keep the wave close to your tower without letting it crash into it.
Melee minions deal more damage than caster minions, so prioritize protecting them.
Melee minions deal more damage than caster minions and are therefore more valuable targets for both teams. As a support player, prioritize protecting melee minions by using abilities or auto-attacking enemy champions who try to kill them. Keeping melee minions alive can also help push waves faster towards an enemy turret.
Completing the warding quest can help you keep track of enemy movements and prevent ganks on your carry.
Warding is crucial for any support player looking to control vision around objectives and prevent ganks on their carry. Completing the warding quest early in the game will provide you with additional wards that you can use to keep track of enemy movements in key areas such as river bushes or the enemy jungle.
Wave Control: Holding the Minion Wave and Helping the ADC Clear
Holding the minion wave near your tower is a crucial strategy for support players in League of Legends. It can protect your ADC from ganks and allow them to farm safely. Here are some tips on how to control the minion wave effectively:
Hold the Wave Near Your Tower
As a support player, you should try to keep the minion wave closer to your tower than your enemy's tower. This allows your ADC to farm more safely because they have less distance to travel before reaching safety. If the enemy laner tries to engage on your ADC, they will be under your tower's protection.
Use Summoner Spells
Summoner spells like Exhaust or Ignite can help you secure kills or protect your ADC from enemy harass. If an enemy laner is trying to kill your ADC, use Exhaust on them to reduce their damage output and slow them down. Alternatively, if you're trying to secure a kill for your team, use Ignite on an enemy champion who is low on health.
Warding and Sweeping Lenses
Warding is essential for any player in League of Legends, but it's especially important for support players. You should always have at least one ward placed in bot lane brush so that you can see incoming ganks or roams from mid lane. Using sweeping lenses can help you clear out any enemy wards that may be lurking in these brushes.
Help with Last Hitting
As a support player, you need to know when it's appropriate to help with last hitting minions and when it's not. If your ADC needs help pushing the wave into an enemy tower or clearing out a large group of minions quickly, then go ahead and help them out by attacking minions as well.
Harassing Enemy Laners
Harassing enemy laners can be an effective way of controlling the minion wave. By dealing damage to them, you can force them to back off and give your ADC more space to farm. However, be careful not to overextend and put yourself in danger of being ganked.
Pink Wards
Pink wards are another essential tool for support players. They allow you to clear out any enemy wards that may be lurking in bot lane brush or river bushes. They can provide vision of incoming ganks or roams from mid lane.
Tower Aggro and Low Health: How to Handle These Situations as a Support Player
As a support player in League of Legends, you are responsible for keeping your ADC alive and helping them get ahead in the game. However, there are times when you may find yourself under the enemy tower with low health or taking tower aggro unintentionally. In such situations, it is crucial to know how to handle them without dying or losing your ADC.
Avoid taking tower aggro by staying behind minions
The best way to avoid taking tower aggro is by staying behind your minions. The enemy tower will prioritize attacking your minions before targeting you or your ADC. Therefore, position yourself in a way that keeps the minions between you and the tower. This technique will not only keep you safe but also help you maintain control over the minion wave.
Use your abilities to heal or shield your ally when they are low health under the tower
If your ADC gets caught under the enemy's turret with low health, use all of your healing and shielding abilities on them immediately. These abilities can help mitigate some of the damage from the turret shots and give them enough time to retreat safely. Remember always to prioritize saving your ally over dealing damage to an enemy champion.
Keep an eye on the enemy jungler's location
When playing near an enemy turret, always be aware of where their jungler might be. If they are nearby, it is highly likely that they will try to gank you while you're vulnerable under their turret. Warding key areas around the lane can help prevent this situation from happening.
If you have to take tower aggro, make sure to use your abilities
Sometimes it may be necessary for you as a support player to take some hits from an enemy turret while trying to secure a kill or save an ally. In such cases, make sure that all of your abilities are available before engaging so that you can mitigate as much damage as possible. Use your abilities to heal yourself or shield your ally while under the tower, and then get out as soon as possible.
Tips from Your ADC: A Support's Guide to Success
As a support player, it's important to understand that your role in the game is just as crucial as your ADC's. Working together effectively can lead to a successful bot lane and ultimately, victory for your team. Here are some tips from your ADC on how you can improve your gameplay and become a good support:
Listen to Your ADC's Requests
Your ADC knows their champion inside and out, so it's important to listen to their requests during the laning phase. If they ask you to be more aggressive or defensive, take note of their playstyle and adjust accordingly. Good supports know how to help their ADC dominate the bot lane and secure kills.
Prioritize Vision Control
Experienced support mains understand the importance of vision control and denying enemy supports vision. Warding key areas such as river entrances, dragon pit, and tri-bush can prevent ganks and provide valuable information for your team. Don't forget about pink wards too - they're great for clearing out enemy vision.
Play Tanks as a Support
Playing tanks as a support can be a great way to protect your ADC and win team fights. Champions like Leona, Alistar, and Braum have strong engage tools that can set up kills for your ADC while also soaking up damage for your team.
Help Your Teammates
Supports aren't just responsible for protecting their ADC - they should also help other teammates when needed. Roaming mid or helping secure objectives like dragon or Rift Herald can give your team an advantage in the game.
Communicate with Your Team
Communication is key in League of Legends, especially when playing as a support. You should constantly communicate with your team about enemy movements, summoner spells used by opponents, or any potential gank attempts.
Build Items that Benefit Your Team
As a support main, it's important to build items that benefit your team rather than just yourself. Items like Redemption, Locket of the Iron Solari, and Mikael's Crucible can provide healing, shielding, and crowd control for your team.
Don't Forget About the Enemy Support
While it's important to prioritize protecting your ADC, don't forget about the enemy support. Denying vision, engaging on them in team fights, or focusing them down in skirmishes can give your team an advantage.
By following these tips and working together with your ADC and team, you can become a good support player in League of Legends. Remember to prioritize vision control, communicate effectively with your teammates, and build items that benefit the entire team.
Conclusion: Mastering These 7 Tips Will Make You a Better Support Player in League of Legends
Stick with your ADC, watch your positioning, and manage the minion waves. As a support player, these are just some of the key things you need to keep in mind if you want to succeed in League of Legends. Remember that you are also the primary shot caller and that communication with your team is essential.
To take your game to the next level, make sure to master tower aggro and low health situations, as well as listen to tips from your ADC. With these five tips under your belt, you'll be on your way to becoming a top-notch support player.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start practicing! Don't forget to communicate with your team and always keep an eye on the map. Good luck on the rift!
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