The Support Role in League of Legends is likely the most difficult to play. Rivaled only perhaps by the Jungle, Supports take a lot of time, effort, and skill to learn and master. And even then, you never know what may happen as synergy between you and your fellow ADC is also paramount.
To help you ease yourself into the Role or make things easier overall if you’re already vested in the Support world, we’ve decided to compile a list of Champions that strive in the Laning Phase.
The Laning Phase is extremely important and probably the most important part of the game. It serves as a setup for the things to come. A team that dominates the Laning Phase severely will, in all likelihood, emerge victorious from the game. Though there are exceptions to this rule, it is a widespread occurrence that must not be overlooked.
These Champions are not only viable for the Laning Phase; all of them have their utility outside of the Lane as well, which we will go over when we get to the list.
Not to drag too much, let us begin with the 5 Best Laning Phase Supports in League of Legends! (This list is in no particular order.)
1. Thresh
Thresh is one of the most challenging Support Champions, as indicated in our Hardest Supports list that you should definitely check out.
This difficulty stems from his heavy reliance on accurate skill shots. Hitting these skill shots, however, will yield all the benefits you can think of. They are handy during the early Laning Phase, and here’s why.
Thresh can apply a lot of pressure on the opposing duo and represents a constant threat of engagement whenever he gets even the slightest opening. The enemy will persistently try to hide behind minions and cower in fear not to get hooked. Landing hooks is lethal and has a high chance of getting a kill, especially when followed by Thresh’s E.
These two spells alone are great early game CC that, when combined with the right Champions, will allow you to get kills and a lot of farm while denying minions to the enemy.
Though difficult, he’s a fantastic pick for both the Laning Phase and late-game encounters. He can close the gap quickly and allow your team to focus on a single valuable target, eliminating them efficiently. He’s often a Tank, so he’ll have no issue engaging opponents, and mastering his combos will only increase his impact on your games.
2. Leona
Leona is one of the heaviest Supports in the game. I say this due to just how much CC she has. She feels like a heavy Champion that, when she attaches herself to you, she obliterates you on the spot.
She’s not too difficult to play, though not as easy either. She’s heavily reliant on skill shots – her E and Ultimate are some of the most valuable spells to have on a team, and they need to be accurately used.
Leona has some of the most robust CC in her kit, allowing her to stun opponents for ages. The cooldowns are not too bad either, making her a constant threat within the Lane. Her E goes through minions, meaning that hiding behind them isn’t an option against this Champion.
This gives Leona a lot of zoning power, and a good Leona player will use her intimidating nature to keep the enemy away from the farm as much as possible. Overextension is an issue with noob Leona players that think she’s omnipotent, and you should be aware of that.
A good combination with Leona would be Lucian whose high DPS in the early game can capitalize on her abundant CC. She’s always been an excellent Support pick, and whenever I included her in a list – I gave her a strong recommendation, and this one is no exception.
Also read: Best ADCs To Pair With Bard in League of Legends
3. Pantheon
Pantheon is usually a Champion that you’d see on the Top Lane. Lately, though, he’s found his way into the Support Role. And he’s doing pretty good at it, with solid win rates in high and low Elo rankings.
Due to his Fighter nature and his Top Lane design, Pantheon is exceptionally aggressive. He can engage and take very little damage using his W and E, allowing for some profitable trades. If he happens to get zoned back, he can use his long-range Q to poke the enemy for solid damage safely. Pantheon can do a ton of damage, something that only gets better as the game progresses.
Near the end of the Laning Phase, he’s already one great, engaging Champion that can start fights and isolate crucial targets. As I’ve said, he also possesses excellent range, allowing for some nice starting damage to get the chances in your favor before the fight even begins.
He’s super easy to play, though his Q does take a bit of getting used to. Once you master this otherwise amazing Bruiser, you’ve got a great Champion on your hands that can do many great things.
4. Karma
Karma is undoubtedly my favorite Support to play. As a Top Lane main, I don’t verse myself into the Support Role that often (or ever, honestly.) But sometimes, that pesky auto-fill finds its way to me and sends me on the path of Supporting – and Karma is always my choice.
She is one of the strongest Laning Phase Champions damage-wise in the entire game. At level 1, she can already use her Ultimate to amplify her Q and deal massive Magic damage, setting the enemy at an immediate disadvantage.
This continues throughout the Laning Phase, and she’ll poke and harass a lot with her extraordinary range and damage. If the enemy retaliates, she has tools against that, too. Using her W, she can put a solid CC onto an enemy. Though not as effective as Leona’s stuns, this root acts as a solid disable to help Karma and her laner retreat to safety.
Her E is a great shield that only gets better with her Ultimate. It can have an AOE effect, shielding and boosting the movement speed of both Karma and her ally. All of this is possible from level 3 and above, as Karma has her Ultimate unlocked from the get-go.
She’s a potent Enchanter that I believe superior over the likes of Lux and Seraphine. Her damage is just too severe, and her mobility isn’t lacking in the slightest. I genuinely recommend this Champion for any skill level, as she doesn’t take that much to get used to or learn.
Also read: How Does Armor Work in League of Legends?
5. Amumu
Amumu has been an S+ tier Jungler since his kit was updated. Though it was a minor update per se, it severely changed how good Amumu can be, and that is not only true for the Jungle but his other viable Roles as well. One of those Roles is, of course, the Support.
Like Leona, Amumu can apply heavy pressure and scare the enemies into submission with his constant circling around the minions. He’s a tank right off the bat and can only get tankier from there. This allows him to engage without too much fear, and his primary tool of attack will be his two charge Q. If both charges are hit, they will amount to a 2s stun, well enough time to kill just about any target in the game, let alone an ADC or Support.
I’d say he synergizes best with the same Champions Leona does – Lucian, Tristana, and other high DPS Champions that don’t take too long to do damage even in the Laning Phase.
He’s straightforward and powerful both on the Lane and outside of it. His team fighting potential is notorious, and that Ultimate speaks for itself. If he hits level 6 quickly on the Lane – it’s pretty much game over for the opposing side, and they will not be able to win a single fight after that. Although I’d watch out for overextending and pick my fights, isolating is always better than going head-on into a group.
Conclusion
As I’ve claimed at the beginning, the Laning Phase is an essential part of the game. Having the right Champions picked for this phase can decide matches in the Champion Select.
Don’t get me wrong, some Champions may be weak in the Laning Phase but dominate the game later on.
An excellent example of this is Kai’Sa, a hyper carry with a notoriously weak Laning Phase and perhaps the best Late Game ADC. At any rate, doing well early on is a critical factor for the game’s eventual outcome.
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