Are you new to League of Legends and want to learn how to play support? In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started. From understanding the role of a support player to choosing the right champion, we’ll walk you through the basics of playing support in League of Legends.
Understanding the Role of a Support Player
Before we dive into the specifics of playing support, let’s first discuss the role of a support player. As a support, your primary responsibility is to help your team succeed by enabling your allies to secure kills, stay alive, and control objectives. You do this by providing vision, crowd control, and healing or shielding abilities.
Vision
As a support, you’re responsible for keeping the map lit up with vision. This means placing wards in strategic locations to track enemy movements and prevent surprise attacks. Vision control is key to winning games, so be sure to prioritize buying and placing wards throughout the game.
Crowd Control
Crowd control, or CC, refers to abilities that can disable or impair enemy champions. As a support, you’ll have access to a variety of CC abilities such as stuns, slows, and knock-ups. These abilities are crucial for setting up kills for your team and protecting your allies from enemy attacks.
Healing and Shielding
Many support champions have abilities that can heal or shield their allies. These abilities can keep your teammates alive in team fights and help them stay in lane longer. Healing and shielding are also great for sustaining your team’s push during the late game.
Choosing the Right Champion
When it comes to choosing a champion to play as a support, there are a few things to consider. First, you want to choose a champion that fits your playstyle. If you prefer to play aggressively, a champion with strong CC abilities may be the best choice. If you prefer to play passively and focus on keeping your allies alive, a champion with healing or shielding abilities may be a better fit.
You should also consider your team composition when choosing a champion. If your team is lacking in damage, a support with strong damage-dealing abilities may be a good choice. If your team already has plenty of damage, a support with strong CC and utility may be more beneficial.
Laning Phase
During the laning phase, your primary focus as a support is to help your ADC (attack damage carry) secure last hits on minions and prevent the enemy team from doing the same. You should also work to keep your ADC alive and healthy by using healing or shielding abilities when necessary.
Trading
Trading refers to exchanging damage with your opponent. As a support, you should look for opportunities to trade with the enemy support or ADC when they’re out of position or have used their abilities. This can help you establish lane dominance and give your ADC an advantage.
Roaming
During the laning phase, you should also look for opportunities to roam to other lanes and help your teammates secure kills. This can be especially effective if your lane is pushed up and you have the ability to move quickly to another lane.
Mid and Late Game
As the game progresses, your focus as a support will shift from laning to team fighting and objective control. Here are a few things to keep in mind during the mid and late game:
Team Fighting
During team fights, your primary focus should be to protect your allies and set up kills for your team. Use your CC abilities to disable enemy champions and prevent them from attacking your allies. Use healing and shielding abilities to keep your allies alive.
Objective Control
Objective control refers to securing objectives such as Dragon, Baron, and turrets. As a support, you can help your team secure objectives by providing vision, CC, and healing or shielding abilities. Be sure to prioritize buying control wards to clear enemy vision around objectives and place your own wards to provide vision for your team.
Roaming
In the mid and late game, you should also look for opportunities to roam and help your team secure kills or objectives. Roaming can be especially effective if your team is ahead and you have the ability to move quickly across the map.
Tips for Playing Support
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when playing support:
Communicate with Your Team
Communication is key in League of Legends, and this is especially true for support players. Be sure to communicate with your team to coordinate ganks, team fights, and objective control.
Buy Control Wards
Control wards are essential for vision control and objective control. Be sure to prioritize buying and placing control wards throughout the game.
Practice Last Hitting
While your primary focus as a support is to help your ADC secure last hits, you should also practice last hitting yourself. This can help you earn gold and level up faster.
Stay Alive
As a support, your survival is crucial to your team’s success. Be sure to position yourself safely in team fights and use your healing and shielding abilities to keep yourself alive.
Conclusion
Playing support in League of Legends can be a challenging but rewarding experience. By understanding the role of a support player, choosing the right champion, and mastering laning and team fighting, you can help your team secure victory. Remember to communicate with your team, buy control wards, and prioritize your own survival to ensure success.
FAQs
- What are some good support champions for beginners? A: Some good support champions for beginners include Sona, Soraka, and Janna.
- How do I know when to roam as a support? A: Look for opportunities when your lane is pushed up and you have the ability to move quickly to another lane.
- What are some essential items for support players? A: Essential items for support players include Sightstone (or its upgraded version, Warding Totem), Boots of Mobility, and Redemption.
- How do I improve my vision control as a support? A: Prioritize buying and placing wards throughout the game, especially control wards to clear enemy vision.
- How can I stay alive in team fights as a support? A: Position yourself safely, use your healing and shielding abilities to keep yourself and your allies alive, and communicate with your team to coordinate your actions.
