What Makes a Good Support?

Introduction

As the fields of justice become ripe with unorthodox supports, sometimes I wonder to what extent we can stretch the definition of a "support" champion. 

Classically, "support" champions mean the champion bottom lane that operates well with little to no farm, and typically also provides map control for the team. 

However, with new gold items and sightstone, support champions of all sorts have cropped up, and so I think it's a good time to revisit the basics. What makes a good support?

What A Support Does

Outside of the obvious map control (which any champion can provide), what does a support actually do in lane? I think you can break it down into three distinct roles:

1. Soak Damage
2. Provide Utility
3. Deal Burst/Poke Damage

1. Soak Damage

The first role is the easiest one for a support player to do, and also one of the hardest to successfully synchronize with your marksman.

Technique"

• Supports pull away or bait out dangerous ADC killing spells such as Alistar pulverize, Leona zenith, etc.
• To successfully do this, they need highly defensive runes and masteries. Not only melee champions can do this, and with the right runes and masteries any champion can become super tanky. However, many supports have built in tankiness (eg Leona).

Benefit:

• When supports are soaking damage and dangerous spells, this is an ideal time for the marksman to start unloading some of their damage. This results in good trades and lane advantage.

Points to Consider:

• If you try and soak damage while your marksman isn't close enough to you, then you're not soaking, you're just taking free damage.
• If your marksman is TOO close to you, then you both may end up getting hit by the same spells, which isn't productive.
• If you have the wrong runes/masteries, you will get out-traded (or flat out die before anyone can react.)

Personally, I find this to be the ideal support tactic in solo queue as it gives the most margin of error. Most of the time, your AD carry tends to be very squishy, which means that the more dangerous spells you can pull away from them, the more likely they will survive through laning phase. 

The only difficulty is staying alive. Watch out for those Blitz pulls! 

2. Provide Utility

This is the "I hold, you hit" type of champion or the "I keep you alive" type of champion. Typically, this is the type of champion that everyone (including Riot) had in mind when they say "support champion".

These are your typical healers, shielders, stunners, etc.

Since there are so many different types I won't go into high detail, but I can say that for the most part a lot of them do very well with smart cast enabled. 

CDR is also a key stat for most of them, and if you can provide the utility from a long range and/or soak damage while you do it, then it makes for an excellent support champion. (Eg. Morgana).

Most champions have a CC to some extent, so certain unorthodox supports may include champions like Jarvan IV in the future as a mainstream picks.

3. Deal Burst/Poke Damage

The majority of the "new" support type champions fall into this category including champions like Vel'koz, Annie, Morgana, etc.

Ideally, most mages deal very rapid "safe" burst, where they can release the majority of their damage during the duration of their CC and then walk away or from long range. This means that champions such as Brand may be viable, whereas more sustained damage dealers such as Ryze are less viable (especially since Riot has changed many magic damage spells on ADCs to physical damage).

Engagement Methods:

• Wait for ADC to get poked/engaged on, then go all-in on the enemy ADC; or
• Attempt to land a CC move and then burst whoever is hit.

Difficulties:

• Tend to be squishier champions, and may die too quickly for allied ADC to deal enough damage and make the enemy team back off.
• Needs to be in position to be aggressive without placing themselves in danger.
• Generally lacking sustain (all-or-nothing type play).

Conclusion

As you can see, there's more than one way to skin a Yordle, and while Riot has split the masteries into 3 select groups, most supports will fall into more than one tree.

Right now I think that the defensive tree is by far the strongest at the moment, but others may disagree. 

What do you think? Do you have a favorite support style? Are there any unorthodox supports you think should become mainstream? Comment below!