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Supports Are Stealing the Spotlight at Worlds 2017
Don't underestimate the power of supports! Playmakers and enchanters are stealing the show
When we think of the best moments from Worlds, the humble support rarely makes the cut. We all remember the mid laner who wins the game, a la the infamous xPeke backdoor, or the jungler who audaciously steals Baron and then mops up the enemy team. This Worlds, the support is poised to make a bigger splash than ever. There are two kinds of supports that crop up, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and both of them are able to dynamically contribute to change the course of a game. Meet the playmakers and enchanters that are occupying bottom lane, and here’s why viewers should keep an eye on them during the course of this year’s Worlds.
Support synergy
Worlds is the arena for the best of the best, and we’re going to see bot lanes who are very well synced with each other. In the press conference after the TSM victory that qualified them for Worlds, Doublelift shared his thoughts on what makes a bot lane duo so deadly. “Always talking to each other is the most important thing. Even if you’re a great player, if you can’t communicate, you’re not going to be able to show it.
While everyone is looking at individual players, strong duos have a huge opportunity to shine. In the press conference, Biofrost brought up Altec and Adrian. Even though they weren’t ranked highly solo on lists, they’re a strong duo together due to their communication and synergy. Meanwhile, a mechanically strong ADC like Piglet is scary in lane, but can’t impact the game beyond that early pressure.
Everything is starting to come down to team fights. Even in matches like the North American finals, where Immortals faced off against Team SoloMid, Biofrost shone in the support role. Even when TSM were thousands of gold down, and the match seemed over, all it took was the right initiation, and they could take one fight ... and then another ... and then the game.
Biofrost turned a losing game around via Rakan
© Riot Games Flickr
Playmaking perfection
The playmaking supports are characters who are able to grab the game, usually with a hook or a mighty hand. Thresh, Bard, Blitzcrank, Braum and Alistar are all powerful supports who have tools to start (and finish) fights. Thresh and Blitzcrank both have hooks that can catch out a key target, Bard has his stun and stasis ultimate, and Alistar charges into the fray. What’s important is that these characters are reliable if played correctly. These characters shine over picks like Leona because they are able to start fights at any stage of the game, and often at a much lower cost.
With global objectives being so important and granting so much power, we’re going to see a lot of brawls break out around Dragon and Baron. Here’s where playmaking supports can shine, by either catching out one individual who left his team or helping to eliminate a carry. Even if one team is behind, it’s very difficult to lose a 4v5 in the mid to late game, especially while damage heavy AD carries like Xayah and Kog’maw getting picked.
In the first match of Worlds, between Lyon and WE, we saw the perfect example of a playmaker’s power. Even though Lyon were behind, Braum (combined with some absolutely deadly Kog’maw play), was able to lock down WE long enough for Lyon to shred them. If you add in a heavy duty tank with additional lockdown like Maokai, a teamfight can be over before you know it.
Thresh is a versatile playmaker
© Riot Games
Enchanting excellence
This brings us to the enchanters. Enchanters are utility based supports who can’t dish out the same amount of damage or start fights in the same way, but once the brawl begins, they’re able to dish out huge amounts of utility. Here’s where you’ll find most of the “traditional” supports: Lulu, Karma, Taric, Soraka and Janna all count as enchanters. It’s important to note that even though a lot of these characters are squishy magey-types, they shouldn’t be sorted in with Zyra or Brand or other damage-heavy mage picks.
That’s because enchanters pack in shields, speed boosts, heals and other things that enhance the carries on their team, allowing them to survive longer and dish out more damage. These characters are further enhanced by the powerful support item Ardent Censer, which gives them a ton of good stats and buffs their healing and shielding. Add in Redemption, which allows them to influence a teamfight and further buff up their support stats, and enchanters are not to be underestimated.
Biofrost shared his thoughts on the playmaker versus enchanter binary in the post-finals press conference: “If you play safe in the early game with an Ardent Censer support you’re going to outscale the playmakers.” Once you reach that late game power spike, the team needs to play accordingly. If they can take advantage of that powerful asset on their team, even a seemingly lost match can be turned around.
Sure enough, despite Lyon picking up crucial mid game kills, WE managed to pull out the win. It’s great to have a massively fed Kog’maw, but that Kog’maw’s gotta kill people, and Janna is very good at making sure that doesn’t happen.
Specific enchanters can also hard counter specific playmakers. Take, for instance, the Fae Sorceress. “I know in Korea they’re playing Lulu into Blitzcrank — and if Lulu survives early game she outscales really hard with Ardent Censer.” Biofrost shared. “It’d be really obnoxious for Blitzcrank to make anything happen.”
Lulu's able to cancel out a big play. Hugify!
© Riot Games
Best of both worlds
Biofrost chalks up the difference in support preference between regions to unique styles and preferences. Every support has their own signature pick, after all. Biofrost notes that Olleh is known for his Bard and Thresh, Aphromoo has played a ton of Morgana, and so on. Playmakers are perfect for teams who want to go for the throat and force an early victory, and this is especially potent in the play-ins and group stages where victory lies on the edge of a Best of 1 series. As anyone who’s watched Worlds before knows, even a wildcard can upset a titan
At Worlds, we’re going to see those styles clash as teams fight for dominance in the play-ins and group stages. The carries get all the acclaim, but supports might end up being the most valuable role of all when it comes down to the fight for number one.
There’s one support who may end up being one of the most contested picks at Worlds: Rakan.
Rakan, the Charmer, is interesting because he’s an enchanter on paper. He has a heal, mobility, and he doesn’t have the same brawn as Thresh or Blitzcrank. He does have powerful and reliable initiation tools on his kit. Grand Entrance allows him to disrupt a clustered enemy team, and The Quickness lets him chain charm and further shut his enemies down.
Biofrost described Rakan as a black hole of balance who warps the pick and ban phase around him. “I think in other regions they have different picks and bans where Rakan isn’t up, and Rakan is a really essential part of the draft, where if he’s up, then you have to play around him because he’s such a strong pick. If he’s down and some other champions are down then it goes to the Ardent Censer supports because they’re the next best thing.”
In Cloud9’s match against oNe, an interesting trade played out in the middle lane. Jensen swooped into pick up first blood from Brucer, and then both top laners teleported in. Gnar and Nidalee picked up a kill on Jensen’s LeBlanc, and Impact’s Jensen nearly went down. As Rek’sai came in, Gnar chased down Impact’s Galio, and it seemed to be a certain kill ... until Smoothie’s Rakan swept into shut that down. Rakan’s able to disrupt offensively, but he’s also solid at protecting his carries. Add in the fact that Xayah is an extremely strong ADC pick, and it’s easy to see why he’s such a priority pick.
Who will carry the carries?
As we enter Worlds, there’s going to be tons of attention paid to the mid laners and marksmen as they pick up stylish kills and push down inhibitors with ease. While the carries get to enjoy those big, flashy plays, they aren’t the workhorse of the team. Worlds 2017 is going to be defined by the support picks, with one flashy bird in particular. There’s only one question left: Which supports will end up muscling their way onto the top tier along with Rakan, and how will that influence the ultimate victor to heft the trophy high?
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