When it comes to autofill, most League of Legends players dread the day they get put into the support role. Be it because they find it boring or simply because they don’t know how to play support champions, it benefits no one when a player gets their off role. However, few people would be willing to swap with them, meaning that these players are stuck in support for the next thirty minutes. However, what if it didn’t have to be that hard?

There are so many supports that, just like any other role, there is a champion for everyone! If you are a top laner and looking for a support that plays aggro and make big players, there are champions for that! Or maybe you want to scale up into the late game and sweep away the enemies with one big ability, well, there is a champion for that too! But what champions are the best to play and learn quickly when players are under the gun for a good pick in champion select?

Well, this article will go over just that. Here, we will discuss the classes of supports, AD, AP, Tank, and Enchantress as well as three champions for each role that not only have a good skill level to start at and will get you the win, but are guaranteed to make you love playing support as well.

Attack Damage (AD) Support Champions

When it comes to AD champions, there aren’t as many champions set to the role, so finding dedicated AD supports can be difficult. Still, players can certainly stretch that barrier and make some interesting picks. But keep in mind that the more players stick to the powerhouses, the easier it will be to squeeze in a win. So for those looking for easy AD champions that work well almost anywhere, here are three great ones:

Pyke

Pyke is the classic go-to for most weary players who were autofilled in support, and for good reason. Pyke is a champion that is very forgiving in lane and can easily help his ADC, and team, snowball into a big lead. The reason he is so forgiving is because of his passive, Gift of the Drowned Ones, which allows him to regenerate a certain amount of health when out of combat. This means that even if he overextends and takes a chunk of damage, he can pull back and recover easily.

Not only that, but the rest of his kit is fairly easy to learn and can be very punishing to enemies who don’t know how to play around him. Pyke’s signature combo allows him to use his Q ability, Bone Skewer, and his E ability, Phantom Undertow to lock down an enemy enough to pick up a kill. Once Pyke lands his Q and pulls his opponent in, he quickly uses his E to crowd control them. This combo really makes it hard for enemy laners to recover because, with Pyke and his ADC in tow, it is very hard to escape alive from, practically guaranteeing a kill.

But if all else fails, Pyke’s ultimate is a great way to get himself and his team ahead. This ability, called Death from Below, allows Pyke to execute an enemy below a set amount of health. Not only that, but, upon killing an enemy, he shares the gold earned with each teammate that participated in the kill. This is great because it lets Pyke’s team get a lead off of his own lead, making him a great support champion for any player new to the role.

Senna

Similar to Pyke, Senna is a signature support champion that many players rely on because of her versatility. Through the use of her Q ability, she can easily heal her allies and poke out enemies with its long range. She can also use her W to lock down an unsuspecting opponent that steps up too far, allowing her ADC to easily pick up a kill. Senna is already sounding like a pretty good champion, she has everything a good support needs, but her usefulness goes deeper than just this

Senna is a good pick for any new player because she has a low skill floor but a sizable ceiling, meaning that she is great for new players to pick up and try and, if they like her, players can keep playing her to unlock even more power. So, what exactly is it that makes Senna so good?

Senna offers an odd array of abilities that don’t necessarily pair together often. For example, her Q ability, Piercing Darkness, allows her to heal herself and allies that are in range of the ability as well as dealing damage to opponents or enemy minions in its long path. This means that Senna can easily poke out enemies from a distance as well as heal her ADC in lane, making it difficult to kill either Senna or her laner.

Senna’s support skills don’t just end there, her W ability, Last Embrace, allows her to crowd control opponents that are caught in the ability’s path and can catch multiple opponents at once. This means that Senna’s enemies have to be careful not to stack on top of each other in fear of getting hit with this ability. However, the further the two stay apart, the easier it is for Senna’s ADC to pick off the more threatening enemy.

With all of this in mind, it is important to see Senna’s support potential over that of another role she can play. As a support she can deal damage to help her ADC pick up kills, but she can just as easily play more passive and allow Senna’s prey to come to her, making for an easy lane.

Pantheon

Pantheon is a fairly new addition to the support roster. Normally, he works best when he has the space to farm up and work on his own lane. However, he has enough to offer as a support that he is a perfectly viable champion in this role. Not only does he have a lot of damage to give to a kill lane, but he has enough crowd control that he can make good plays that his ADC can safely and effectively follow up on.

Pantheon is best played with an ADC like Lucian or Ezreal because they have a dash and strong burst damage, meaning that if Pantheon uses his W (Shield Vault) on an enemy that is out of position, they can easily follow up and grab a kill. However, if Pantheon happens to get a kill with his ADC out of range, it isn’t a huge issue, because even if the kill ends up on Pantheon, he can easily turn that kill into a huge lead for his laner.

Pantheon works well with ADCs like these because not only are they strong early game, but they want to have a poke lane. This means that the more Pantheon can poke out the enemy, the more likelihood there is that his ADC will be able to make an easy pick and scale into the mid game, where they can hopefully look for an early win before his team gets outscaled.

So, for players looking to make the most of an early game and dominate lane with sheer aggro and AD power, Pantheon is a great pick to try out in your next game.

Ability Power (AP) Support Champions

When it comes to picking a support, maybe AD isn’t really your speed. There are plenty of players whose playstyle simply doesn’t fall into that category. AP champions, while they have a similar goal of an AD champion, have a much different playstyle. While both champions want to aggro out the enemy laners, AP champions provide much more crowd control and set up, allowing their ADC to really shine. Here are a few AP champions that a new player may like to pick up:

Brand

One of Brand’s strong suits is his range. Since he can so easily poke out enemies from afar, he doesn’t have to worry about stepping up and getting caught out. However, it is important to stay beside the ADC so that they don’t get caught out either. By staying next to the ADC and poking out enemies, Brand and his ADC can dominate the lane and have enough room to step up and make some good plays.

With Brand’s crowd control and high damage oriented kit, he can easily get himself and his ADC a lead. Similar to AD support champions, even if Brand gets a few kills it doesn’t quite matter, because Brand alone can be a hyper-carry for the team and get an easy win. Brand’s ultimate, in particular, is a real heavy-hitter. By casting his R ability, Pyroclasm, in a teamfight, Brand can set up his team for an easy fight if the enemy tries to group up. The more the enemy groups, the easier it is for Brand to get a lead. The issue here is obvious, if the enemy team can’t group with Brand around, then how can they win any teamfights?

By strategically keeping enough mana open for his ultimate ability or his crowd control slew, Brand can easily turn the tide of any teamfight, or even to keep the lead he and his team already had.

Lux

Lux is a classic AP champion in the support role. While not as versatile as Senna, her kit offers a similar theme of abilities. For example, Lux’s Q, Light Binding, allows her to lock down a stray opponent that overextended or is too far away from their team. Her W, Prismatic Barrier, lets her cast a massive shield on her allies, meaning that as long as their team sticks together, the group shield can help them win a teamfight that may have started off not too well.

However, Lux differs wildly from Senna when it comes to damage. Yes, Senna does a lot of damage, but 3 of Lux’s abilities and her passive are all damage oriented. This means that a kill lane is great for Lux because she can easily get her and her ADC a lead. Once an enemy gets locked down by any form of crowd control Lux can easily use her ultimate ability to clear away anyone that was caught out and move in for an easy 4v5 teamfight.

Zyra

Zyra is another stellar AP champion that has a lot to offer her team. Zyra isn’t as damage oriented as the previous two, but has a lot of crowd control to offer. By using her W and R abilities in conjunction with each other, she can easily set up a combo for her ADC to swoop in for a kill.

That being said, Zyra can still pack a punch when it comes to damage. Her passive allows her to use any ability she wants to create plants that can easily dominate a lane. By simply keeping up a barrier of these plants she can scare her enemy laners away and keep them back while her ADC can easily farm up and dominate the lane.

Zyra may be a bit weaker in damage early on, but after building items like Liandry’s Torment or Rabadon’s Deathcap, she can easily take control of the game and dominate in a teamfight. Because she is easy to learn and can get such a formidable lead, she is a great champion to pick up for players not knowing what support to take.

Tank Support Champions

Not everyone likes to play tank supports, however, for that ranked match where no other player wants to pick a tank, it may be up to the support to fill that role. A good tank support usually has a strong form of engage as well as enough health to them that they can easily survive a rough teamfight. When it comes to tank supports, the real power lies in strength, not power. When choosing a tank champion, players need to be prepared to make risky plays and support their team even when things look choppy. However, the picks players take can make a huge difference, so here are three (fairly) easy to learn tank supports:

Braum

Braum is a solid frontline and is a counter to plenty of champions that would otherwise run rampant against his team. Champions like Seraphine or Caitlyn could potentially spell death for a teammate with their long range and lethal ultimate abilities. However, by using Braum’s E ability, Unbreakable, he can stop those abilities dead in their tracks and allow his team to either escape a bad fight or push forward and take out the enemies that just failed in killing Braum’s allies.

Braum’s ultimate ability, Glacial Fissure, is another great tool in his kit. However, it is important to use it at the right time to get its maximum potential. By using it on one champion, it could leave his team open to attack and would otherwise have trouble starting a good fight or leaving a bad one. However, by using his R in a teamfight at close range, Braum can easily get up a great fight for his team and crowd control then enemy long enough for his team to pick up a win.

Braum’s abilities take a short while to learn for a new player, but experienced players of any role will have no problem controlling his abilities. Braum is also a formidable frontline, with his high health and bevy of buffs, he is hard to take down, making him a real issue for the enemy team in large fights.

Thresh

Thresh is known for being a bit more complicated than other supports. If you have experience with complex champions or just overall game experience, Thresh would still be a good pick. With such a high skill ceiling, there is so much that Thresh can do that other support champions cannot.

For example, Thresh has a great engage with his Q ability, Death Sentence, and can easily make plays early on in the game. He also has his W ability, Dark Passage, which allows him to make players even when allies aren’t directly in range. By simply taking the lantern, allies can engage with Thresh and make huge plays.

Then, for when Thresh does make those big plays, he can drop down his ultimate ability and easily trap opponents inside it and allow his allies to clean up and take control of the game.

Thresh is all about the set-up. He doesn’t need to concern himself with too much other than peeling for his carries and initiating his combo enough for him to be useful. By using his Q into E combo he can crowd control a squishy opponent long enough for his team to follow up on his initiation and take them out, guaranteeing a much easier fight.

Alistar

Alistar is a great support champion for unfamiliar players to try out. Not only is he very tanky, making him very forgivable in bad engages or rough teamfights, but he can easily sit in bushes all lane and continuously use his Q into W combo and scare his opponents to the point where they refuse to even step out from under their tower range.

His passive, Triumphant Roar, also allows for Alistar and his allies to get a small, but easy to achieve, heal so that his teammates can easily get their health up in lane so that they can continue fighting or save them from returning to base at an inopportune time. His ultimate, Unbreakable Will, is also amazing for teamfights. As soon as Alistar engages in a teamfight, he can easily use this ability to soak up all the damage for his team. He can even use his Q/W combo to crowd control carries out of a fight so that his team can easily clean up and take the win.

Alistar pairs best with aggro ADCs or a cheese lane, so someone like Yasuo or Lucian would be an ideal match for him. However, if your ADC wants to pick a scaling champion, Alistar will have trouble being as effective in lane. It is important to have this in mind prior to the game starting so that you can prepare to play a scaling game instead of being aggressive early on.

Enchanter Support Champions

This category of support is really the more typical idea when the word support comes to mind. Shielding and healing are what these champions do best and, instead of being offensive and making big plays, they play more defensive. By standing back and supporting allies with helpful abilities, these supports shine best when they have a good team beside them. It is important to pick these champions for the right game, because if you choose an enchanter support into a team with no engage or tank, things can be difficult. However, in a team with a dedicated tank and good engage, an enchanter's skill set can far surpass any of the other categories on this list. To showcase the power of some of these supports, here are three that really shine in these conditions:

Nami

Out of the three in this category, Nami is certainly the most skill-intensive. She can be a bit hard to manage at first learning to appropriately make trades with her short range can be complicated, but the payoff is worth learning her.

When it comes to Nami, trading early with abilities can be difficult because they require a lot of mana. It is key to only step up when Nami’s lane has lane priority and to trade using auto attacks. However, if any allies or Nami are low, trading with a W ability (Ebb and Flow) is great because it does lots of damage and can bounce, healing and damaging multiple targets with one ability.

Nami’s crowd control kit is what really makes her shine, a great combo to use for an all-in is with her Q, Aqua Prison, and her ultimate ability, Tidal Wave. While this combo doesn’t do much alone, with the help of a fed ADC or a good gank, this chain can easily lock down an entire enemy team and allow a teammate to get a massive kill lead. Although, if things are looking grim, the same combo is excellent to use to get Nami and her allies to safety.

Karma

Karma rides the barrier between AP and Enchantress, but she certainly still belongs in this category. Karma is an excellent lane partner for someone who wants early priority like Lucian or Ezreal. With her long range she can easily trade with opponents from a safe distance and lower her enemies’ health to the point where her ADC can easily scoop up an easy kill.

Karma, unlike Nami, doesn’t have as much crowd control, but by properly using her ultimate ability, she can still lock down opponents. By casting R, Manta, and her Q, Inner Flame, Karma can slow enemies enough that she can use her W, Focused Resolve, and stop an opponent dead in their tracks so that an ally can pick up an easy kill.

Karma can also use her R ability and her E, Inspire, which will cast a shield around all of her allies and grant them a burst of movement speed. This is excellent in teamfights because not only does it give protection, but it can also give enough movement speed to help with a good engage, escape from a risky fight, or reposition after being caught out.

Similar to Alistar, it is important to know what the gameplan is prior to starting the match. Karma can very easily be very aggressive or very passive, so deciding the playstyle depends on what her ADC picks.

Janna

Now, when it comes to typical supports that no one likes to play, Janna is usually one of the few that come to mind. Unlike Karma and Nami, Janna has much less crowd control and lacks in helping engage in fights. However, unlike the previous two, Janna excels at protecting her team and disengaging in bad fights.

Janna, Q ability, Howling Gale, sends forward a tornado that knocks up enemies in its path. This means that if an opponent like Garen or Master Yi are chasing Janna or an ally, she can easily use this ability to get allies away from them unscathed. She can also use her ultimate, Monsoon, to push away enemies and heal teammates. This is a great ability because, not only does it heal, but it can help reposition opponents into a more favorable spot and divide their team. Then, by being thrown into disarray, Janna’s team can focus down the backline and clear up a fight for an easy win.

Janna is by far one of the easier champions on this list and is also one of the most versatile. The real skill comes from timing her shields correctly, but once that is locked down those that play her can try new moves that can push her limits. Janna can easily mold to any team that her allies pick. So if her ADC wants to play aggressive, Janna can stand further up and offer shielding and peel so that her ADC can pick up kills. But if the name of the game is to scale, Janna can easily meet that expectation as well.

As you can see, even if you are new to support or don’t play much of the role, there are plenty of champions that are great picks for when players are in a bind. There is never a shortage of what support champions there are to play. However, if you feel like these supports aren’t really your playstyle, then there are plenty of other options to choose from, it just takes a little trial and error! So get out there and try as many support champions as you can handle!