A Guide to Blitzcrank Support with DIG IgNar
Optimize your play with maximum destruction to Rocket Grab some LP!
We are approaching the halfway mark in the 2023 League of Legends Season and if you haven’t gotten back to your previous rank, Blitzcrank support might be the pick for you!
At the time of writing this guide, Blitzcrank is a solid S Tier pick with a 51% win rate across all regions in Platinum and above, firmly in the top 10! Not to mention that it doesn’t take long to learn the ropes of this Champion as the 51% win rate goes up to 54% in as little as 10 games of mastery!
So, we know it doesn’t take long to pick up the Champion, but let’s make sure we get started on the right foot. We brought in a superstar Blitzcrank player who happens to also be Dignitas’ support, Lee ‘IgNar’ Dong-geun, to help us out!
IgNar sports a 54.2% win rate in his professional career across 24 games with an average K/D/A of 0.67/2.13/6.58 (3.41)!
When is the Right Time to Pick Blitzcrank?
As we all know, League of Legends is not as simple as just locking in your favourite Champion (unless of course you’re a one-trick… in which case, why are you reading this?). Fortunately, Blitzcrank is one of the few Champions in solo queue that blind picking is actually not terrible, especially right now!
His straightforward method of initiation and low-risk/high-reward pick potential is what makes him your enemies’ solo queue nightmare! Not to mention his ability to provide early pressure by roaming around the map and ganking a lane makes you not being seen incredibly daunting to your enemies.
Right now, I think Blitzcrank is one of the strongest Supports so you can honestly just blind pick it. But his weakness is obviously when the enemy picks Ezreal or Sivir, but in this meta right now, I don’t think it’s happening that much, because your ADC must be on really strong picks like Jinx, Aphelios, Kai’Sa… things like that.
On a similar note, obviously your support matchup plays a role in how strong Blitzcrank will be as a pick. The most notable of these Champions is Rakan. Rakan is really strong right now as well, which does not make it any easier! Rakan is as good of a roamer as Blitz (if not better when he reaches Level 6), and he can tank the Rocket Grab in lane with little punishment because he can Battle Dance back to his teammate!
Teammate Synergies
In terms of building a team around Blitzcrank, there are a few things to consider.
- Crowd Control - You need crowd control on your team other than Blitzcrank’s because of how dependent it is on landing a single skill shot.
- Engage - Initiating a teamfight is difficult with Blitzcrank unless simply landing Rocket Grab on one enemy is enough for the fight to start. It’s better to have a more reliable and consistent ‘go button’ to start things off right.
- Burst Damage - Being able to get a pick on an enemy is great, but capitalizing on that Rocket Grab landing by killing the enemy is even better. It’s far too common for a Blitzcrank to land the perfect Rocket Grab only for the enemy to manage to escape with only a few scratches and bruises!
If there is a lot of CC on your team, it’s really easy to play Blitzcrank. You don’t need to rely on random hooks. Not just to lock down an enemy after Blitzcrank lands a hook, but to lock them down from a distance so Blitzcrank can easily land the hook, too!
Runes
Because of how reliant Blitzcrank is on landing his Rocket Grab, making sure to lock down the enemy afterward is key to ensuring Blitzcrank can secure the kill with some follow up crowd control, assisted with Runes. For Blitzcrank, Glacial Augment makes the world of a difference!
To add some versatility, running Hexflash will provide more options for roaming plays and avoiding enemy vision without burning Flash. Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight are great options to round out the Inspiration tree. For secondaries, Bone Plating and Unflinching help Blitzcrank absorb more damage in lane and survive more burst when aggressively positioning for a Rocket Grab. Taking Ability Haste and double defensive runes (Armor or Magic Resist) add to Blitzcrank’s defenses making him that much harder to kill if he’s caught out fishing!
I think you can use Glacial Augment in 90% of laning phases. It’s one of the best. If your team doesn’t have a way to go in on teamfights, then taking Aftershock can be good to go in, take damage, and start a fight
Summoner Spells and Ability Orders
When selecting your Summoner Spells on Blitzcrank, Flash and Ignite should be the top priority. Alternatively, Flash and Exhaust can be used.
In terms of leveling abilities, Blitzcrank’s Rocket Grab (Q) is a must at level 1. Whether it’s for a cheesy Level 1 invade, stacking to counter an invade, or simply having a better Level 1 bot lane matchup, Rocket Grab has far too much potential to miss out on at Level 1. At Level 2, you’ll want to take Power Fist (E). This boosts Blitzcrank’s damage by providing follow-up crowd control after the Rocket Grab in the form of a point-and-click knock-up, and a basic attack reset. If the opportunity presents itself, you can run up to your target, (E) and, while knocked up, you can guarantee the (Q) lands. At level 3, you’ll take Overdrive (W) which provides the much needed movement speed boost to capitalize on poorly positioned enemies and to enhance your roaming capabilities.
In terms of maxing your abilities, you’ll prioritize Rocket Grab, then Power Fist, then Overdrive - taking a point in Static Field (R) whenever possible.
Core Build Options
Blitzcrank’s main gig in any match is to wait for an opportunity to capitalize on a mispositioning enemy. Of course, many League of Legends players are aware of this and will at least position far enough away to respect the Rocket Grab. However, many fail to consider how easily Blitzcrank can close the gap with Overdrive. Not to mention when Blitzcrank also finishes his most popular Mythic Item, Shurelya’s Battlesong! This can be made up for in the early game, before your Mythic Item is complete, by finishing your level two boots early! That way you can roam early and often with Blitzcrank. Many would consider Mobility Boots to be the ideal pickup because of the out of combat movement speed boost. However, remember that Blitzcrank isn’t the tankiest of Supports and, once in combat, might suffer without the added move speed!
I think if you’re a new player, or not that good at Blitzcrank, it’s better to pick Boots of Swiftness instead of Mobility Boots. Blitzcrank is one of the Champions that, when CC’ed you die really easily. Many newer players mis-position when on Blitzcrank, so having Boots of Swiftness is easier to play.
After your Mythic Item and boot choice, a great pickup to round out your core build is to buy Zeke’s Convergence. With these items complete, not only do you have a solid foundation for utility, but you can start building up your defenses with health, and armor. To round out your core, the Watchful Wardstone is a great choice.
From this point, the remaining two items are situational and dependent on the matchup. A great item to build early on Blitzcrank against a heavy attack damage team is Frozen Heart. Other great situational items against particularly strong enemies are Anathema’s Chains, or to help keep your carry alive, Knight’s Vow or Redemption!
The Early Game
In the early game as Blitzcrank, it’s important not to get ‘trigger happy’ and try to pull anything and everything! Especially early on in the game, when Rocket Grab uses the majority of your mana! Missing that hook means a massive opportunity for your enemies to initiate on you! Fortunately, Blitzcrank has a lot of good matchups right now, but it’s important to respect the tough ones because they will make your Rocket Grab essentially worthless. Since that’s the key ability of Blitzcrank’s kit, that’s obviously a problem. The tough matchups, like previously mentioned, are enemies like Ezreal and Tristana who can use their escape ability to buffer your pull, completely negating its impact.
I think Blitzcrank has rhythm. At Level 1 and 2, you need to be really serious with using your hook. If you can hook first, it needs to be almost a guarantee. If you miss, you can’t do much. Instead, you fight first until the chance is better to hook. Once you can get a lead in the early game, the game gets easier and easier
Roaming
The best way to extend your lead from your lane and translate that lead into a victory is to start influencing other lanes as soon as possible. For the most part, all you’ll need to roam is your non-ultimate abilities and Boots of Speed (ideally). That’s the easy part. The hard part is the execution.
Just like any other Support, you’ll want to make sure you have the right timing to influence another lane without negatively impacting your lane as a result of your absence. When the window is available, roam! Using Control Wards and/or your red trinket, you should be able to find a path into the lane without the enemy knowing and use your movement speed to gap close and fish for the Rocket Grab!
You have to watch the bot wave first. If you have free time, in my opinion, you should roam. If your jungle and mid have good Champions with set-up, it’s really easy to go mid and sit there. If you have good mid-bot side control, you can easily go back and forth with no follow from the enemy Support.
Maintain Early Pressure and Push to the Victory
With a few successful roams, the mid game should be wide open! Especially when your bot lane and mid lane have advantages, your jungler can easily convert the lane priorities into Dragon stacking, and even a Rift Herald or two!
The main benefit to this priority advantage is to establish vision control in the enemy jungle to establish pick potential against rotating enemies. Combining this with denying enemy vision so they don’t know where Blitzcrank is can produce insurmountable pressure and force the enemies to back off turrets for easy seizing!
Quick Tips and Tricks
A cheesy trick to Blitzcrank that players can take advantage of is to take attack speed in the Runes to minimize the chance of enemies Flashing away after the Rocket Grab and before the follow up with Power Fist.
An alternative option to this once you hit Level 6 is to use your ultimate right before they finish being pulled by the Rocket Grab and before being knocked up with the Power Fist.
The most important tip in terms of gameplay is to hold your Rocket Grab - meaning, don’t use it! Well, of course you should use it, just know that the pressure you apply to enemies by having it ready, can sometimes be just as powerful as using it!
Finally, taking the appropriate Runes depending on the enemy team can actually make the world of a difference in the laning phase. Don’t just set a Rune page and not modify it from game to game. Consider where their damage is coming from, and whether you need more utility in Ability Haste, or even taking the more aggressive approach of Attack Speed.
I recommend people use double armor or armor and magic resist in their Runes, or even taking Ability Haste. You feel much tankier and it can make a big difference on Blitzcrank.
Conclusion
Blitzcrank is a fantastic Champion to pick up in the Support position, and honestly a great choice for players autofilled into the role! It’s absolutely a pick that you should have ready to use when the right opportunity presents itself. His mid game power comes from his incredible pick potential so always keep an eye out and ensure wards are on the map to take advantage of your enemies!
We’d like to thank IgNar for taking the time to sit down with us and create a Blitzcrank support guide! You can keep up with IgNar throughout the season on:
