League of Legends: League of Lessons

Hello again, guys. So far, we have covered the broad strokes of what a Support is and how you play them. In this section, I will be recommending two types of Support: the Loving Mother type, and the Big Daddy type.

The Loving Mother type of Support sways more to the side of sustaining the Carry that you are partnered with, while dealing minimal disruption during the lane phase. The Big Daddy Support is the type that charges head on (or makes the enemy "charge") into the enemy, and hopes that his Attack Damage (AD) Carry is smart enough to assist him whenever he does that. Without further ado, here are my Support recommendations.

The Loving Mothers

Soraka, the Starchild

Soraka

Soraka is right now said to be the strongest Support champion in the game. Although her auto-attack looks like bananas, that humour is made up for by her incredible healing capabilities. She currently has the best burst heals, and also very sustainable lane management. Infuse doubles as a silence if cast on an opponent, or is a very nice mana-restoration device for your allies.

Considered a fully defensive type of Support, her heals can burst up a Carry from critical to full health, with a combination of her two healing spells, which, at level 18, and without any ability power items, heals for a whopping 800 health! Her weakness is that her offensive capabilities in the team are comparable to using a daisy as a weapon. So, if you do decide to try her out, make sure that you stand out of enemy fire, and just try to keep your team alive with all of the regenerative spells that you possess.

I recommend building cool-down reduction items on her, as her heal has a rather long cool-down period. It is a wonderful healing spell, which provides armour on her target, so the more times you can cast it, the better.

Sona, Maven of the Strings

Soraka

Sona is extremely squishy, but what she lacks in defensive stats, she makes up for in team utility. She is the Queen of Auras; all of her three basic spells have an active effect and a persistent aura that have their own form of beneficial stats to improve the combat capabilities of her allies. She can choose between three types of auras, and change them around to adapt to the situation: Offensive Aura, Defensive Aura, and Mobility Aura.

Her ultimate attack is also extremely useful and cute to boot; it is an AOE stun that forces opponents hit by it to start dancing. A good use of her ultimate attack can easily turn the tides of an engage in your favour. So, if you're feeling lazy and want to minimise the use of your mouse, then Sona is the champion for you.

Taric, the Gem Knight

Soraka

"Sparkling Man" is the name of this guy's game; he sparkles brightly and is proud of it. He is actually midway between a Loving Mother and a Big Daddy, but I have decided to put him in the Loving Mother section, as his skills are targeted more towards the defensive side. Of course, they can be used offensively, as well. Taric is the only Support champion with a consistent stun.

The stun is superbly useful in helping your AD Carry land his skill shot, and the stun also greatly increases the odds of your jungler being able to pull off a successful gank. At the early stages of the game, he enjoys having picnics in the brush, and throwing diamonds at his enemies, which stuns them if they wander around his vicinity.

Towards the later parts of the game, you can build him on the tankier side, so that he can be a front-liner. His ability to do so is why he does contain elements of the "Big Daddy" Support champions. While he cannot be a superb tank, he is able to soak up quite a bit of damage. His natural armour is rather high. Don't forget that his heals on his allies also heal himself.