The Power Of Support: Warding During The Lane Phase

Welcome to the next instalment of the Power of Support; a guide that endeavours to break down the stigma involved with supporting in League of Legends. Open the text books, because today we are going to take a look at warding during the laning phase. My previous article; ‘Solid Support Picks’ can be viewed here.

Why do we ward?
Placing wards creates map awareness; the key to attaining victory on the fields of justice. Placing a ward creates a break within the fog of war, granting vision for three minutes.

Support yourself!
The lane phase is primarily focused on gaining gold and experience whilst trading against your lane opponent(s). Unless you’re the AD carry chances of seeing the support are slim, explaining why warding falls upon your shoulders.

I recommend purchasing a minimum of 1 ward each time you recall and placing it on neutral ground (the river bed), mid lane players will naturally spend more on guarding both sides. A vision ward will set you back a mere 75G, but will protect your life (maximum value 600G) for the next three minutes.

Junglers are not exempt from buying wards either. If your jungle is being stolen, ward the entrance and monitor traffic in/out. Aggressive players should drop wards within the enemy jungle, allowing you to smite-steal buffs and keep a watchful eye on your opponents. Don’t be afraid to donate a ward to a forgetful lane, chances are it will make the game easier for you in the long run.

Wards can also be targeted by the summoner spell Teleport, increasing map mobility by presenting numerous ganking/counter-ganking or split pushing possibilities. These wards can also be used to bring reinforcements to team fights or objectives.

Make your wards useful
If you don’t look at the map, buying wards is pointless!

Practice taking a quick glance at the map whilst your attack animation plays out or if there is nothing to last hit. If you spot an enemy, drop a ping to alert your team, drawing attention to the threat.

Recognise the threat, understand what to do with it
If the enemy jungler passes a ward close to you, prepare to be ganked. If you know an enemy is camping within the brush, you don’t need to launch an attack to scare them off. You can stall them, keeping them away from their jungle allows the other lanes to push freely or counter jungle.

Changing Priorities
Towers provide constant vision but lack the invisibility of their younger brothers; in exchange they will defend themselves when necessary. If your lane is lost and the tower has fallen, then you need to ward defensively.

Ward the entrance to your jungle and if the enemy frequently invade then another ward at a mid-point should suffice. If your lane opponents push too far, your team can collapse onto them; punish them for overextending!

Final Thoughts
There you have it folks, that’s the second ‘Power of Support’ article all wrapped up, grab your reading spectacles because next time the supports are back and sticking with the lane phase as we observe what they do to help the carry win the lane.