Supports: the ever changing meta, and how to pick the right one

With Riot implementing the autofill feature into dynamic queue, players will have to prepare for the reality that they may have to play support anyways. Unless you’re a support main (15 second queue time master race!), you’re probably not very familiar with the support meta and what champion you should pick, don’t worry, it’s not your fault. The support meta is constantly changing as it’s affected by various factors such as the meta in other roles, champion balancing, and changes to various items. Because of this players usually don’t know what champions they should play. Hopefully at the end of this article you’ll be able to have an easier time of determining which supports you should play based on a few factors like the meta.

 The meta, simplified

The champions during any support meta will usually fall into one of three main categories, sustain, tank, or poke/pick. While most supports can fall into multiple categories, they usually have a main category (as shown in the mini graph provided). For example, the main champions during the current support meta, Karma, Bard, and Braum all fall into the category of poke/pick. Based on this concept, a player should be able to receive a basic understanding of which champions they can play during any meta. But for those that still aren’t sure which champions they should learn, an explanation on each category and which champions fall under these categories should help as well

 Sustain

Champions in this category usually focus on healing and shielding their team. Champions that fall under this category are often in the back during the team fight to make sure their carries stay healthy. While most champions that fall under this category excels in another category ,there are still some examples of champions that do fall mainly under this category, which are Janna and Soraka.  These champions usually excel when the meta calls for more protection for the backline as these champions usually have good peeling as well.

 

Poke/Peel

These types of champions focus on damaging and harassing the enemy ADC during the early game in lane. But as the game advances these champions usually transition into their secondary category of either sustain or tank. Due to the flexibility of these champs, the support meta usually involves a majority of these champions. Some champions that fall mainly under this category are Morgana, Lulu, and Bard. Like previously mentioned, due to the flexibility of these champions, they will excel in a number of metas and are usually a must pick during these metas.

 

Tank

Champions that fall under this category has a pretty simple job, they act as a part of the front line that attempts to block out damage. Some champions that fall mainly under this category are Alistar, Braum, and Tahm Kench. These champs usually don’t have a set meta, but some of these champions will fit into other metas, such as Braum in the current meta.

Team vs lane

Now that you understand how to determine the viability of champions based on what category they fall under during any meta, you have to decide if you’re going to pick a support for your lane or for the team. For example, when you’re going to be laning with a Draven, you’ll most likely pick a more aggressive early game support like Sona or Karma in order to allow the Draven to snowball and carry the game. But in the case that you’re picking a support for a siege composition and your ADC is a self sustaining ADC, you’ll most likely pick a support that works better with the entire team. Of course the best case scenario is to pick a champion that benefits both your team composition and your lane, but sometimes it’s just not possible to get the best of both worlds, in this case you need to make this decision. While this may seem like a small aspect of picking your support, it’s actually a very important part of perfecting a team composition.

The solo queue factor

While the meta champions are usually the best choice for your team, there are a few champions that can be played in any meta when you’re solo queuing. These champions are, Thresh, Blitzcrank, Soraka, and Janna. These 4 champions can win your lane even if you lack communication with your ADC. Because of the small amount of communication needed for these champions, you’re able to play these champions and still contribute a large amount to the team.

Conclusion

Through this article, I hope you’re now able to play the right support for the greater good of your team. While you may feel like the support has a minor role in a team, you have to understand that while the support may not be providing the damage in team fights, it’s often the stuff that they do before and after a fight that makes them one of the most important members of a team. They’re providing vision, ensuring the carries stay alive, and ensure the team can escape, often sacrificing their own life for it. So instead of hating the support role when you get forced into it by autofill (or having fill as a pick for one of your roles), learn to embrace it as you will notice that you’re easily one of the most important members of a team. WIth that, get out there, play support, and carry the team.

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