Unusual Supports Made Viable by S3 Item Changes! (Ryze?!)

The introduction of Sightstone and the Crystalline Flask made "Regular" supports like Taric and Blitzcrank stronger than ever before. Instead of spending money on pots and wards all the time, they can focus in on larger (and sexier) items like Aegis.

But what about some more obscure supports?

Ryze
Ryze works surprisingly well with champions that deal magic damage, such as Corki and Tristana. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him on the professional turf sometime in the near future. Remember, you heard it here first folks!

• His snare makes enemy champions an easy target for your offensive spells, and as an instant, makes it much more difficult to fly away from (compared to Taric's stun)
• Maxing his spell flux has amazing synergy with heroes that stack magic pen items such as the popular Sorc boots + Haunting Guise start into a later Abyssal Scepter build.
• For Reference: Magic Resist Reduction: 12 / 15 / 18 / 21 / 24
• Although most people will complain and likely dodge if you select Ryze as a support, I honestly think that he's extremely powerful in the position, and would definitely stay in a game with a Ryze support, just to see how it plays out.

Jarvan IV
I still say Jarvan's ALWAYS been a viable support and will always be under-appreciated for the the abilities he brings to the table. His skillset is similar to Leona, so more people will probably be willing to let you try it out.

• His late game CC is monstrous, especially if you manage to keep track of your flag and hit two AOE knockups in the same fight.
• At Level 1 he brings +10 flat armor and the ability to check bushes/provide sight to the team, which is absolutely amazing for a level 1 start (even without the fact that it deals AOE damage.)
• His W makes him innately very tanky, and he can easily perform the role of a peeler or initiator without any issues.

Nidalee
With the newfound ability to purchase AP-based items rather than continuously sinking money into wards, Nidalee has found new life as a support. Surprisingly, more people are quietly accepting Nidalee as a support and more often than not, nobody will complain!

• Support Nidalee can build up her AP so that she can poke the enemy team down without relying on an Aegis at all. If your team has strong initiation, every spear you throw also tends to cluster the enemy team to one side or another of the lane, leaving them easy clumps for any AOE CCs you might have.
• Her heal also provides a powerful attack speed steroid, and with the ASPD nerfs on items this makes her very powerful, much like Nunu.
• Her percentage based armor + mr reduction on her W works EXTREMELY well with the current strategy of stacking penetration items on heroes, and the duration on them also allows you to pinpoint chokepoints where the enemy jungler generally walks through, giving your team sight of his path and reducing his armor along the way. This makes it more difficult for him to gank both on a positioning and health perspective.

Gangplank
He's always been a more item reliant type of support, and the S3 changes benefit him in largely the same ways as Nidalee. You'll still hear a lot of complaining when you pick GP support, but...

• Instead of building Aegis, he can build black cleaver along-side the AD carry, resulting in some very fast stacks of arpen for the entire team. Naturally, building Aegis also works by making him tankier in a more traditional support role.
• With the boots nerf and removal of FoN, Gangplank's Raise Morale received an indirect buff.
• Flask allows him to spam his Qs more often, and reduces his reliance on leveling Remove Scurvy for HP regeneration.

Zilean
The new Tear of Goddess along with Flask and Sightstone may also usher in the return of Zilean! A lot of people have also been complaining that the new jungle changes seem to make them under leveled compared to before, and Zilean can definitely aid in your troubles. Not only that, but:

• His movespeed buffs are made indirectly stronger with the boots nerf and removal of FoN.
• The new items make it easier for him to pick up items like Tear without repercussions, and additional support items such as Twin Shadows synergize very well with his kit. (Even adding in a gold generating component)

Support or I feed...on your brains.

Got any more ideas for uncommon support champions? Post below!