Supporting: Do's and Don't's

I'm here because, like a lot of us out there who feel stuck or unmoving in our respective ranks, I have some insight on what can work to help you climb out, and what can hurt those chances. As a former Bronze V, who worked his way up the ranks, I'll tell you what I improved to get out, and what I need to improve to move forward as a support. I do not main a role in league, so this can also apply to most other roles in some respects also.

 

DO'S

Champion Picks

So one of the big things about the lower elos, is that everyone sticks to what the pros do like its the bible. While they are in fact pro and know what they are doing, it's most certainly a different story for us. What works in the competitive meta hardly ever works for bronze and silver. People in these leagues explode any time a Thresh or Blitzcrank is picked, though, while Blitzcrank has fallen out of favor at this time, he is a legitimate pick for competition and solo queue alike. The point is to play what you're comfortable as, as long as it isn't trolling. I know, for example, that I can play a better support Swain or Nidalee, than I can a Leona or any other traditional support. Sometimes this brings negativity toward you, but you have to shrug it off and show what you can do is better than following a meta meant for higher tier people.

Wards

Everyone knew this one was coming! However, getting wards isn't just a suggestion, it's a must if you want to carry your carry and everyone else. You need to place them strategically, and if that fails buy twice as many and put them anywhere and everywhere. Wards save lives, and while everyone should be buying wards, nobody ever does in our elo, and the team with the most vision usually wins. This includes pink wards and Oracle's and Sightstone now that they havee been changed to be more cost effective for supports. Map vision gives you information, information wins wars, and league is a battlefield. If you aren't familiar with warding, there are guides literally everywhere on the subject, complete with maps and everything!

Item Builds

A support's job is just that, to support. Now I know supports in the current meta generally have a cookie cutter build, but you need to think outside of it to get the full effect. This is something that comes with experience. As items for supports can be more flexible than a lot of people give them credit for, depending on lane mate, team comp, enemy team comp, and enemy lane opponents, no one set of items can cover all of that, guaranteed...at least not since they fixed Warmog's!

 

DON'TS

Toxicity

What do I mean by toxicity? I mean rage, troll, afk, and anything else that can get you reported. Nobody on earth plays better when they're on a tilt, and when you play that way, you make others in your game play worse also. You can't argue all game and expect to win when you spend more time furiously typing than actually playing. It's a problem I used to have, that I still try to fight! Being toxic only serves to help the enemy win; if you begin to feel agitated take a break. Always try and be calm when you play and you'll have an easier time in general, and if someone is being toxic use the ignore button Riot installed to shut them up. It makes the game tons more fun and a lot less ragey!

Surrender

Every game is a learning opportunity, if you're down in your game don't surrender, practice getting back ahead or concentrate on a point you need to work on until the game ends one way or another. I'm not saying that you'll win if you stick it out, but it's not only a higher chance of win, but a practice opportunity as well as gives you time to reflect on what you could have done differently and what you need to do differently in the future. Who knows, the enemy might also even throw or put themselves on tilt and lose the game themselves! I've had sure wins in the bag fall to that very thing.

Blame

I didn't put this under toxicity because it's something that everyone does, regardless of how good you are. If you want to get better you must concentrate on only you. Mud slinging amd blaming others for your loss only means you weren't looking hard enough at yourself. It's something I used to do a lot, so much so that my friends didn't even want to play with me, and I had to change my attitude and it helped me raise up out of the very bottom of the ladder. If you spend more time concentrating solely on how you can get better and not how bad everyone else around you is, you'll see improvement in elo.

In closing, I'm not perfect and I have a long, LONG way to go before I ever see the top of the ladder, and I hope this article opens a few peoples eyes to more possibilities within the support role. This article is not a be all, end all guide to doing better, as everyone plays differently, but this is my account of how I rose up and how I will continue to rise up when I support.