Welcome to the second episode of The Meta, where we will be talking about where the Support role and how it affects gameplay and decision making.

Support champions come in all shapes and sizes, and they range from those who are truly defined as supportive champions, to those who, when called supports, are often called so with some sarcasm and even possibly with air-quotes, a “support”. No matter what champion you play in the Support role, you have a definitive impact on the game, and this can be seen even more so with the Support champions who are currently in the Meta.

When we look at the Meta, the most common place to look is professional-level play. The teams who compete in the LCS, in NA and EU, as well as in the LCK, LPL, and around the world, have the best understanding and grip on the Meta as players and how the champions they pick will influence the game. Because no true support champion will end up doing the most damage in the game (unless something goes wrong or they're played somewhere other than Support), there must be other factors considered during champ select. When choosing a Support champion, teams must gauge three main things: lane sustain, engage and disengage potential, and tankiness. These often play out like a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, however, many supports come with two of the three options.

Lane Sustain

Sustain in lane is incredibly important because it allows the lane to play aggressively without too much punishment. This aggression, without interdiction from the Jungler, often gives one team an advantage over the other. Sustain in lane also allows for potential early invades into the enemy jungle without worrying about losing lane. Champions like Soraka, Nami, Bard, and Sona excel at early game sustain. Tanky Support champions, like Braum or Alistar, who buy Relic Shield as a first item also provide some minimal lane sustain. Most often, sustain oriented champions are ranged supports, and they tend to be very low health, trading tankiness for the ability to heal teammates. One of the best champions for sustain in both early and late game situations is Soraka. With her strong heal for allies on her W, Astral Infusion, and her Ultimate, Wish, she provides enough healing to often turn a losing fight into a winning one. Her ability to silence with E and deal some damage with Q makes her laning phase extremely strong.

Engage & Disengage

Engage and disengage are incredibly important for supports when teams lack it in other roles. Engage champions, like Braum, Karma, Thresh, Morgana, Bard, Sona, and Alistar provide a way for teams to begin fights or ganks (usually with an ultimate ability) and gain the upper hand in these situations. Many of these champions also provide disengage potential, and we can add Janna and Nami to the list for these champions as well. Disengage is crucial when a fight that a team does not want occurs, or when trying to survive being chased down by the enemy team. Good engage allows for teams with map awareness to surprise their enemy or pick a fight that the other team does not want. Because late-game teamfights can be so influential on the outcome of a game, a good engage or disengage support champion can often determine the result of these fights, and possibly the game. Braum is one of the best at both engage and disengage in the current Meta. His Q, Winter's Bite, slows an enemy and applies a stack of his passive, Concussive Blows, allowing his team to catch up to and possibly stun an enemy champion. Braum's E, Unbreakable, grants great protection from engage and can also provide disengage by blocking projectiles and skillshots that may start fights. Finally, Braum's Ultimate, Glacial Fissure, is one of the best tools for either engage or disengage, knocking up and then slowing enemies caught in it.

Tanks

Tankiness in a support can often be a deciding factor when it comes to picking one support over another. If a team has a tank as a Top laner, then a second tank as a support may not be necessary. If the Jungler is tanky as well as the Top laner, then a more sustain or engage focused Support may be a better option. Many supports fall into the tank role, and since tank champions do not usually provide any type of sustain, they are often some of the best engage focused champions as well. Braum, Alistar, Leona, and Thresh all fit into the tank/engage support category, providing front-line tank stats as well as some form of engage mechanic or crowd control.

Mid-Season Invitational Supports

Riot Games' Mid-Seasonal Invitational tournament say the play of 14 different Support champions. While only six Supports saw five or more games, the sheer diversity of supports shows that there aren't really any supremely dominant champions in this position. Braum, the mustachioed shield-bearing Support, saw play in 21 of 82 games, more than any other Support. While his win rate was only 47.6%, it shows his strengths, being able to slow, knock-up, and block for his team, are highly prized among professional players. Alistar had a much better record, going 8-1 in the games he was played in. His Headbutt/Pulverize combo allows him to get in range for crowd control, and his ultimate ability, Unbreakable Will, allows him to be incredibly tanky, taking up to 70% reduced damage. Not only does he provide great tank stats and excellent crowd control and engage potential, he also has some minor sustain, providing a small heal with his Triumphant Roar. This makes Alistar one of the most well-rounded Support champions in the game at the moment, and it showed at MSI with his excellent win-rate.

"Supports"

"Supports" are those champions that get played in the Support role, but who are not normally labeled as Support champions. These are the Brand, Annie, and Vel'koz Supports, who may or may not build a Sightstone on their way to a full damage Mage build. These champions mainly provide poke and harass in lane, allowing their lane partner to farm and get ahead. They fall into the "Support" category because they have some form of crowd control, such as Brand and Annie having stun mechanics, and Vel'koz having slows and a knock-up. They do not provide sustain, or get tanky because they essentially become a second Mid laner for their team.

Whether you like to play sustain, engage, tank, or full damage, Support is a crucial role in every game. A good support will carry their team to victory, and choosing the right support for your team is important. Do you need to keep your lane partner alive early so they can carry late? Pick a sustain champion. Do you need engage or disengage for your team? Pick the right Support for the job. The right support will allow you to play the way you want and still have fun.

As the NA LCS Support player Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black says, "When you're doing well bottom lane, you just liberate everyone's fears in the other lanes."

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