The Best Support Tier List for 2020 For League of Legends
From enchanters to tanks, supports have different ranges of playstyles, but which ones do we have at the top of the list?
Whether you prefer enchanters or tanks, it is good to keep in mind which supports have the most optimal tool kits. This list is used gathering stats from the entire year, so keep in mind some champions may have jumped from list to list depending on the patch, and some champions have different stats at different elos.
Top Tier Champions
At the top of our list we have champions who are almost always the best first pick and are great counter picks for a majority of supports. These champions perform the best overall out of others, and generally have an easier learning curve across all elos. Out of the tankier supports, who engage and peel for their carry, we have Blitzcrank, Thresh, and Leona. Blitzcrank is at this tier because of his quick grab that defies obstacles and walls. Once you get grabbed, Blitzcrank can then knock you up, leaving you crowd-controlled (CC'd) for a decent length of time. His ultimate is just as important as his grab, as it will disable his enemies and leave them Silenced, as well as do some moderate damage. Besides CC, Blitzcrank is very tanky, giving his carry plenty of peel throughout the laning phase and in team fights.
Next up we have Thresh, another tanky champion who uses a hook to grab his enemies and keep them shut down. Thresh has a longer wind up than Blitzcrank when it comes to his grab/hook, but he can reactivate it to pull himself to his target and use his second CC ability, his Flay, to drag them backwards or push them forward, depending on his positioning. Along with these two abilities, he can use his ultimate to further slow down his enemies and keep them away from his carry, or to trap them in the range of his teammates so they can shut them down. When it comes to defensives, Thresh can toss out his Lantern to shield his allies, and they can grab onto the lantern to be pulled to safety. Thresh has a relatively large burst when he auto attacks enemies for the first time every few seconds, giving his carry plenty of opportunities to move to the enemy and damage them down.
For the last of our tanky, top tier champions, we have Leona. Leona can throw out her sword and bring herself to her targets; once doing so, she can follow up with a melee-ranged stun to keep her target close and unmoving. She can activate her W to increase her tankiness and let out a small burst of damage to those in melee range. Her ultimate lets out a blast from above that stuns enemies in the direct center and slows enemies in the outer circle, which is a great tool for engaging and disengaging. Leona can keep her targets shut down for a very long time, and has the ability to keep up with them from a decently long range. With her immense CC and tankiness, her carry can work on shutting down the target or escaping from them if they cannot survive the fight. Concluding these tanky champions, we can tell that they keep their carry well protected and can allow their team mates to engage with ease. Knowing how to play at least one of these champions will greatly benefit your chances in ranked que, as they are great first picks, and can even be great counter picks to each other.
Another champion in this tier is Pantheon, though he is not quite a tank and definitely is not an enchanter. Pantheon has great burst damage with his spear as well as great engage capabilities between his leap and stun, as well as his ultimate. However, keep in mind that Pantheon can easily be shut down by tanks who can engage on him, so he is best played against characters he can easily jump on and shut down.
Aside from tanks we have enchanters who use their abilities to shield their allies and have ways to CC their enemies from afar. The enchanters at this tier are Lulu, Janna, Soraka, Morgana, and Lux. Lulu is a great overall champion since she has plenty of poke capabilities as well as multiple ways of shielding her carry from incoming damage. Lulu can toss out her Q to slow and damage enemies and keep them contained with her Polymorph which will prevent them from casting abilities. If her allies get into trouble, her ultimate will empower them with a boost to maximum health which will also knock up any nearby enemies. With this, Lulu keeps her allies very safe and protected, all the while being able to poke her enemies and keep them away.
Next up we have Janna, who can blast her enemies away with tornados and boost her allies with the power of the wind. Janna's Q is her tornado, which will knock enemies up and do some moderate damage. Her W can be used to poke down her enemies and does decent damage, especially when paired with Arcane Comet. Her E is a windy shield that can be used on allies as well as turrets, and when used on allies it gives them a boost to their attack damage as well as keeping them shielded from incoming damage. Janna's ultimate can be used to heal her allies as well as blast enemies away from them. Janna is not a good choice when you have an AP (ability power) carry, instead of the usual ADCs, since they will not benefit from Janna's attack damage boost. Janna is a great choice against the other characters above, as she can keep them away from her ADC very easily between her shield, tornado, as well as her passive movement speed boost.
Next on this list we have Soraka, an enchantress who calls upon the stars for healing magic at the expense of her own health. Soraka can also blast enemies with her Q from afar, granting her health whenever she lands it on an enemy champion. Her E is a circle of magic that will silence enemies who stand in at, and after a few moments, will trap any enemies still inside the circle. Soraka is a great choice against tanks since she can poke them afar, silence them when they engage, and heal her carry if they still manage to get hurt.
Morgana and Lux are quite similar in their toolkits, but are each better in certain situations. Morgana is one of the best first picks, as she can prevent any incoming CC with her Black Shield, and thus counters the hooks and grabs of enemy supports. Lux is better at being offensive than defensive, since she cannot prevent incoming CC, but she can still use her Q, like Morgana, to root enemies in place. Lux's shield is stronger than Morgana and can be used on multiple targets since she throws it out like a projectile, shielding anyone who gets touched by it. Lux has great poke damage like Morgana, though her ultimate is a powerful blast of damage, unlike the shadowy chains of Morgana's ultimate. Both champions are great and can be used in almost any situation and can both be used as a great first pick.
Secondary Tier Champions
These champions are not "bad" champions, and can definitely be great in multiple situations, though they may lack the ability to first pick safely or counter pick multiple champions. The champions on this list include both tanks, enchanters, and mages. As far as tank characters go, the champions in this tier include Rakan, Alistar, Taric, Nautilus, and Maokai. Rakan is a great champion who offers engage, disengage, and plenty of CC and protection, though is less tanky than the other tank champions in this list. He can be a good first pick but can be countered easily by champions like Leona and Thresh, since they can shut down his quick movements. He has less overall CC than the S tier supports, only getting his second form of CC once he hits level 6, though he is able to offer a small shield and heal to his allies.
Alistar offers plenty of great CC, though he has quite a bit of a learning curve when it comes to comboing his CC and positioning it properly. He is not able to get to enemies as quickly as the tank champions in the S tier and can miss out on a lot of engages. Taric has a rather short range of CC as well and can use up a lot of mana to keep his enemies away from his carry. He also misses out on a lot of CC if his carry is not paying attention to his actions. Nautilus is great at engaging since he can hook his enemies from afar but his hook can be interrupted by walls and he does not much other methods of CC'ing if he can not land his hook. Maokai has a lot of CC potential but does not match up with the power that the champions of the S tier have and does not do much damage for his carry to play off of.
Aside from tank champions, we also have enchanters in this tier, which includes Nami, Yuumi, and Sona. Nami is a great support and has a lot of utility, but can usually be replaced with Soraka when it comes to a healer, and has a higher learning curve when landing her CC. However, Nami is a great option if you happen to have an AP carry, as her E will boost their abilities. Yuumi has been a powerful support for most of the time she has been out but loses out on the S tier since she has quite the learning curve in low elo. She has a much higher mana cost these days as well and can easily be shut down when transferring to different allies. Sona offers a lot of great support to her allies but is much better later in the game than early on, not to mention her very low health pool, which makes her extremely vulnerable if caught.
As far as mages go, we have Swain, Zilean, Brand, and Zyra. These champions all offer great CC and damage, but offer much less "support" capabilities than other champions played in this role. They can not keep their carry from extreme danger and can still be very vulnerable if engaged on, usually making them better mid laners than supports. Mages have a higher learning curve than enchanters since they need to land their skill shots to be of any use to their carry. The other champions in this tier are not mages, tanks, or enchanters, as their tool kits are pretty unique, but they still can be great supports. These champions include Pyke, Senna, and Bard; Pyke is an assassin-type champion who can hook his enemies and execute them down, Senna is a marksman-type champion who can poke her enemies and heal her allies, and Bard is a ranged champion who utilizes CC, burst damage, and a bit of healing. These champions are all great, though they have a higher learning curve and can be virtually useless if they fall behind or fail to assist their carries.
Bottom Tier Champions
Though these champions are at the bottom of the list, they are in no way "bad" champions, they just have less utility than the ones above, and are optimal in less situations. These champions include Xerath, Vel'Koz, Karma, Shaco, Galio, Shen, Braum, and Sett. These champions are better in mid lane, top lane, or even jungle roles (except Braum), as they offer less supportive functions than other champions in the list. They have higher learning curves and it can be very punishing to misplay them; they are also countered by many different champions and are not great first picks.
To Summarize
In conclusion, a "good" support is weighted by how easy they are to play, how many champions they can play against, and how much support they truly offer to their team. These supports can be better in different situations and any support can be great if they match your play style and / or your carry's play style. All in all, it is a great idea to learn multiple champions and get a feel for which ones are the best for you.
