Don't let anyone lie to you, Supports run Bot Lane. The Marksmen and Mages down there... PFFT. They ain't nothin'. So, for all you Supports out there that need a little guidance, I'm here to supply you with some Grade-A domination tips! These are just tips, though. To truly master and grasp the concepts, do your own research and follow the example of Pros that exemplify these excellent habits.

Tip #1 - Punish Last Hits

One of the best ways to dominate a lane, is to create an advantage by punishing mistakes. But, you can also create an advantage in completely neutral situations through well-timed aggression. And by that, I mean poking and utilizing range advantage, specifically when your opponent is looking to last hit. Support players are often locked in on the "Big Play", meaning, the Flash-Hook or Snare-Ult combo that one-hundred to zeros the enemy, leading to a kill and lane pressure. But, pressure can be acquired through smaller poke-patterns and one of the best windows of opportunity to look for when establishing a poke-pattern can come when the enemy AD or Support is looking to Last-Hit a Minion.

Get into the habit of watching the health of your Allied Minions. When they start dropping low, particularly Cannon Minions, you can bet that the enemy laners are going to look to secure that income. So, by being aggressive against their forward positioning, you can land an auto-attack, ability, or even zone off the enemy from securing the creep. And if anything, you'll acquire a bit of gold in the process which speeds along your Quest!

Punishing last hit creates incremental advantage against your opponent while also reducing risk to you, but naturally the ability to punish is very matchup dependent. Blitzcrank isn't going to be able to punish a Vayne like a Nami or Zyra would. There are entirely different patterns and intent by behind how these Champions are played. With that in mind, I have two Champions suggestions that are keenly driven to dominate Marksmen that greed for Minion kills. Should you pick these Champions up I believe you'll firmly adapt this tip to your Solo-Duo habits.

These Champions are Zyra and Swain. Both of these Champions possess long-range and hard CC abilities on their Es that are completely designed to punish a Champion's movement choices. Both abilities cut through and damage minions, both abilities lockdown enemy units, and both are vital to creating the "Big Play" as they allow for the bigger portions of their damage to come through. And yes, both are best utilized when an enemy goes to last hit. Pick up these Champions, watch for the enemy to greed for a Minion while your abilities are up, and then watch their life bars fall as they regret their choices.


Tip #2 - Roam the Map

Roaming is a key tactic within the Support playbook that often goes under-utilized. The community often views Supports as the players that have to hold the hand of the Carries to get them through the tough times before they come online, which requires them to be glued by their side through thick and thin. But, sometimes, your Carry isn't truly your Carry. Sometimes, you'll be winning through Mid or Jungle and they deserve your support more than your 0-5 Ezreal that doesn't know how to buffer Blitz Hooks.

It's up to you to decide when it's time to 'abandon' your carry to focus winning through another lane, and that takes experience and games played. But I'm not here to tell you when to abandon your carry, I'm here to tell you how to roam effectively to help yourself and your team. And there are key situations that occur every game that you can look to roam and make more of yourself across the map. These situations are:

When Your Carry Is Dead
When Your Lane is Frozen
When You're Coming Back From Base

In each of these situations, you as the Support are either alone or you've put your lane in a state to where your Carry should be safe when alone themselves. But again there are some Supports that utilize this tip better than others and I've got two picks, once again, that I believe will encourage and reward you for roaming and looking out for these moments. These picks are Bard and Pyke.


Bard and Pyke, in my eyes, are two sides of the same coin. Bard is an psuedo-Enchanter that is encouraged to roam thanks to his Meeps, tunnels, and long-range ultimate. Whereas Pyke is an Assassin designed to move quickly and stealthily across the map to create big plays through his hook, stun, and execute combo. And between the two of them, it's a matter of preference of who you'd like more. Enchanter or Mage players may gravitate towards Bard, while Carry and Hook players may gravitate towards Pyke. Either way, both reward players that roam during the appropriate windows and at worst can fulfill their Hook/Enchanter roles adequately if roaming is being prohibited.

Tip #3 - Position With Purpose

One of the best things about Champions like Alistar or Blitzcrank is that their kits don't need items to function. Yeah, getting health, armor, and magic resist is great and certainly helps make tower diving and soaking poke easier, but the fact of the matter is these Champions are designed to work off the threat of their abilities alone. Blitzcrank's hook and Alistar's headbutt and knockup aren't intended to be sources of damage. Their function is as a source of displacement, and the hard-CC nature of their kits makes positioning on these Champions ever important.

As Blitz, an Enchanter or Mage should rarely, if ever, hold priority over you in the lane as long as your hook is up. On the threat of your hook alone, they should be forced to play back and behind their minions while looking for chip damage. As Alistar, the threat of your ability may not be as long-reaching, but you should be constantly positioning to look for the quick opportunity for a combo to abuse a cooldown that's gone on CD or for a step that's a little too far forward.

Again your threat isn't from your damage, it's from the lockdown nature of your kit. So, if you position with intent and always threaten your presence and ability against your opponent, often you'll keep yourself and your carry safe from harm. Naturally, the Champions I suggest are Alistar and Blitz, but you can easily fulfill the "position with purpose" mindset with any Support. Mages, Enchanters, and Tanks all benefit from players that understand the threat of their abilities.

(Hint: These Champions also roam REALLY well. So, if you like them, adapt Tip #2 to their playstyles!)


Tip #4 - Actively Change Your Goals

Blitzcrank might be the hook Champion, Janna might be the defensive Support, Leona might be the engage Support, but each game is different. And depending on who is fed, and who is not, you may have to adjust what it is your Champion does from game to game. If the opponent has a Sejuani and Malphite, you might not want to be the Blitz that pulls them into your team. If your Carry doesn't have any items and is constantly getting caught, but your Mid Laner is thriving and winning hard, maybe your efforts as Janna should be to keep them alive longer instead of your AD. If you're Leona and the team has a lot of dive, maybe you should adapt and focus on peeling rather than looking to create the big engage.

It's on you as the Support player to constantly ask, "Who and what should be my focus." And it's when you ask yourself this question that you begin to adapt to each game and play in a fashion that'll secure you victory.

There have been many lanes in my past where as a Blitz, my goal has been to peel away a frisky Leona or Alistar, rather than look to hook and start a fight. Or, as a Janna, I've played more as a Mage and focused on poke rather than kicking back and playing passively. Each lane is different and regardless of what it is your Champion does, you should look to utilize their kit in the fashion that'll best serve the purpose you need it to serve.


Tip #5 - Stay Cool

I know. This one is cheesy. But keeping a level head is a big part of laning well. The moment that you take a little extra poke, or give up the first kill, or even fail a Flash isn't the end all be all. The end of every game, is the Nexus exploding. And until that happens, you're always able to win. From Iron to Diamond, games can swing at random. So, never count yourself out after one or two misplays, look to tighten up and climb back.

Focus on what your Champion does, what you need it to do at a given time, and make the best of it, without flaming or distracting your team and you'll find yourself winning more than losing!


I hope you've found these tips to be helpful, and I hope you can adapt them to your regular gameplay. These bits were short, sweet and to the point, but you can always do a deeper dive on each of these through your own individual research!