Although Aphelios isn’t on the number spot in the marksman tier list, he is still a pretty powerful champion in League of Legends. His win rate has been steady in season 14, and he has a couple of favorable matchups that allow him to excel.
Aphelios’s damage output isn’t bad either because his “200 years” ability kit is highly adaptable to situations at hand. However, Aphelios now needs a good support more than ever. So let’s check the top 7 best supports for Aphelios in LoL and see how they work in duo!
1. Nautilus
In reality, Aphelios is a very squishy champion. He lacks defensiveness, and he lacks mobility, which makes him the perfect target for the enemy. And that’s why you should always consider pairing Aphelios with a strong support pick, such as Nautilus.
Whenever Nautilus is in the bot lane, he is the one controlling the pace of the matchup. His Q is one of the deadliest spells in the game, and players usually respect it. As a result, they’re more likely to leave Aphelios alone to farming and scaling, which should always be the goal.
Aside from his apparent cons, Aphelios also has no way of crowd controlling the enemies aside from his snare. But because that depends on his weapon usage, it’s not the most reliable source of CC. On the other hand, Nautilus is a literal God when it comes to locking enemies down, especially one target. His potential to peel and kite for Aphelios is unmatched, so we highly recommend you to give them a try.
Additionally, you can always count on Nautilus’s R to isolate a player so Aphelios can kill him. This ultimate can also be used to knock up multiple opponents up and to give Aphelios as much free time as possible.
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2. Leona
Leona is another bully in the bot lane that you can use to boost Aphelios’s power. With Leona, Aphelios gets more wombo-combo potential than with Nautilus. Plus, Leona’s commanding playstyle in the bot lane can also give Aphelios free time to farm minions and scale for the mid-game.
The most significant advantage you get by pairing Aphelios with Leona is the AoE stun after level 6. Solar Flare creates the ideal opportunity for Aphelios to use his Moonlight Vigil and obliterate multiple opponents at the same time. And this is great for both team fights and 2v2 skirmishes in the bot lane.
During the laning phase, Aphelios and Leona can either play aggressively or defensively. As Aphelios, you should really pay attention to your support and only attack after the enemies are crowd controlled. But as Leona, you’re the one that should create the plays and engage first. The abilities of both Leona and Aphelios work well together if timed correctly, so you shouldn’t be afraid to look for fights!
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3. Braum
Braum is a fantastic support pick for Aphelios. For starters, Braum can protect Aphelios like no one else. His Unbreakable wall blocks all the incoming projectiles, including some direct abilities. This ability is exceptionally effective when playing against champions such as Ezreal, Caitlyn, Jinx, and Varus. Blocking some of their spells usually means an outplay since they rely on these spells to deal damage.
Additionally, Braum is also great at crowd control. His passive is a reliable stun effect that he and Aphelios can put on their target. It works well with Aphelios’s kit, especially when he gets the extra attack speed.
Braum’s R, Glacial Fissure, is a very useful tool for both engaging and disengaging. Since Aphelios has no way of stalling his opponents, Braum can use his ultimate to keep the enemies away. And this is very handy when running away from a jungler’s gank, for example.
Keep in mind that these 7 supports are very close performance-wise when paired with Aphelios. You can also go for champions like Soraka or Lulu if enchanter is your preferred playstyle. However, Aphelios requires a lot of babysitting, so be prepared for that.
4. Alistar
Aphelios has basically no escape tools whatsoever, he only has Gravitum at best to slow or root pursuers, and that’s only if he even has it available at the time. Alistar’s W is excellent to cover up this weakness, as he can simply knock the enemy back. Alistar’s passive also provides a healing effect that combines with his Severum for a decent amount of sustain.
Alistar can W Q an opponent for a knockup and set up a favorable trade going on the offensive. Aphelios, depending on his current primary and off-hand weapon, can deal heavy amounts of damage and, if he can stay out of his opponent’s range and let Alistar tank the engagement, the outcome may well be a kill or two.
5. Maokai
Maokai and Aphelios in the bot lane are like peanut butter and jelly – they just click. Maokai is a tanky support who’s all about that crowd control and frontline beefiness. His saplings are a nightmare in the bush, giving insane vision control and poke damage, which perfectly complements Aphelios, our boy with five weapons.
Aphelios’s versatility means he can adapt to any situation. Maokai’s root with his Twisted Advance sets up kills on a silver platter, and with Aphelios’ Crescendum or Calibrum, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Maokai keeps them locked down, and Aphelios mows them down.
Maokai’s passive, Sap Magic, keeps him sustainably tanky, allowing him to shrug off poke and stay in the mix. And let’s not forget the power of his Ultimate, Nature’s Grasp, in team fights – it’s like a red carpet rolled out for Aphelios to strut his stuff. Aphelios, with his Severum, can sustain through skirmishes while dishing out consistent DPS. The synergy is unreal.
Also read: Best Supports For Xayah
6. Lulu
This enchanter is absolutely monstrous when it comes to supporting Aphelios. Her W and E have different effects on ally and enemy, essentially having a kit of 5 abilities plus her ultimate, which she can use depending on the need, be it offense or defense.
Once Aphelios completes two or three items, that’s where Lulu really shines, allowing Aphelios to survive long enough, as well as deal more damage to be impactful in teamfights and skirmishes.
7. Senna
Now, this is probably not the strongest duo you can think of for the early stages of the match, even if Senna has a pretty annoying range to begin with, but oh boy, do they scale HARD into the mid and late game. Aphelios and Senna can easily wipe an entire squad on their own once they hit some item spikes.
Senna’s responsibility during this matchup would be summarized in keeping Aphelios healthy, poking the enemy whenever possible to get gold from the support item, and gaining passive stacks.
And those are the best supports for Aphelios in LoL season 14!
