@SpellsyLoL

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Introduction
Pg. 3

Building a support
Pg. 4
Runes

Masteries

Pg. 5

Summoners

Opening
Item Builds

Complete
Item Builds

Pg. 18

Pg. 21

Pg. 22

Pg. 12

Warding

Laning
Pg. 30

Pg. 35

Teamfighting
Pg. 37

Gold Generation:
Since your teammates are greedy
smut and take EVERYTHING from
you, supports need an alternative
way to get gold in order to not fall
supremely behind.
Cooldown Reduction:
Most of a supports usefulness comes
from the utility of their abilities; however,
but AP or AD rarely increases this utility.
Instead, cooldown reduction allows you
to cast more spells = more utility!

Survivability:
Supports get less XP, which leaves them
relatively squishy. So, itemizing for survivability
is a very important thing for supports so they
do not become a gold-feed machine for the
enemies. It also can be an important tool to be
more impactful as a tanky support.
Utility Items:
Since your goal is to support/elevate
your team, utility items are great ways to
influence your team outside of your core
champion kit, and even can synergize
with your kit to create an even more
powerful support!

9x Flat Armor Marks

4x Flat Armor Seals

5x Mana Regen
Per Level Seals
6x Flat Magic Resist
(MR) Glyphs
3x Mana Regen
Per Level Glyphs

Note: This rune pages assembly is a bit awkward because

it gives slightly more stats than the previous iteration, which
was MR marks / armor seals / mana regen glyphs. That
simpler page can work too. The concept is that its a mix of
MR + (13) Armor + Mana regen per level + gold.

3x Gold/10 Quints

9x Flat Magic
Penetration Marks
9x Flat Armor Seals
9x Mana Regen
Per Level Glyphs

3x Gold/10 Quints

Mana Regen - Flat vs. Per Level:

I choose Mana Regen per level runes over
flat because their equalizing level is pretty
low (6) and Mana remains a problem on
these champions throughout the game.

9x Flat AD Marks
9x Flat Armor Seals
9x Flat MR Glyphs

3x Gold/10 Quints

AD vs. Armor Penn: Flat AD works better for

supports because they have generally low
base AD, you arent going deep into offensive
masteries, and no spells to benefit from the
Armor Penn.
Math: Assuming 50 base AD and 30 armor:
Attack with AD Marks (+8.5 AD): 45 dmg
Attack with ArP Marks (+12 ArP): 42.37 dmg

9x Flat Armor Marks

9x Gold per 10 Seals
9x Mana Regen
Per Level Glyphs

3x Gold/10 Quints
Glyph options: Mana Regen vs MR vs CDR

I have 3 gold pages for myself which have only

different glyphs, which I use for different champions.
CDR: I use this on passive-Soraka, she doesnt need
the mana, just cdr for more heals
MR: I use this on Zyra/Alistar. They dont need the
mana and the MR is good vs. harass.
Mana Reg: Janna/Taric/Nunu need the mana regen
to spam shield/heal/bloodboil.

9x Flat Armor Marks

9x Flat Armor Seals

9x Flat MR Glyphs

3x Gold/10 Quints

MR Flat vs. Scaling: Using flat or per level

MR is a toss up, and even sometimes we see a
split. The equalizing level is moderate (9). Also,
most of the dmg in bot lane is AD, so this
would lead people to scaling. However,
supports also gain levels slower and less,
making it a toss up or based on lane. I would
say go with whatever you have bought.

9x Flat MR Marks
9x Flat Armor Seals
9x Flat CDR Glyphs

3x Gold/10 Quints

Flat CDR vs Per level CDR: This page is

designed around the lane phase for Fid and
Blitz, with the right masteries + this rune page
they start with ~16% cdr, thats -3.2 sec off
Blitz rank 1 hook (aka its like starting with the
cd of the rank 4 ability). Scaling cdr also has a
high equalizing level (lvl 13).

This is the core of this

page, it gives +10%
cdr at level 1, the utility
mastery gives +6%
and the offense
mastery gives +4%.
This is GREAT for
most ranged supports
who rely on snappy
timing for their spells
and constant casts.
Also, because of going
4 into offense and at
least 19 into utility
means we cant dive
past the 1st tier of
defense, making any
points in there wasted.

This point is because primarily

with this mastery page I run heal.
You can move it to offensive
summoners if you are running
exhaust.

This is one of my favorite new masteries in s3,

the cooldown reduction on items. This is
GREAT with all the new items that were
introduced. You will often end the game with 25 activatable items, this mastery is well worth it.

These masteries are

the core of this page. It
gives you -2 damage
from all champions,
and a total of -5
damage from
champion AA. This
combined with the
armor and health
make any support
tanky. I love this +
doran shield it
makes you almost
invincible cause you
take so little damage
from attacks.

I change this point to

pickpocket if Im
aggressive ranged
support. The extra
defense lets you
pickpocket easy!

Because we are only putting 16 points in utility we have to cut

some things we had previously. First we cut scout because
its only a luxury, the item cd is a must and the cdr on
summoners helps our offensive playstyle with exhaust. I also
prefer improved TP over the 1 point in mana regen because
the tp can save your life! You can get the move speed if you
are playing a less mana-intensive support.

Here in this clip is

an example of
using the explorer
ward to
invade/harass their
blue while on blue
side.
We start the invade
at about 1:35 and
drop the ward at
about 1:40 while
they are doing
wolves. Then we
invade shortly after
the blue spawns at
1:55.
This forces Udyr to
use flash and smite
and get severely
low hp! A success!

Be sure to watch when they use their spells, and go in

after that. This assures it is safer. Also, be careful doing
this strategy against someone like Blitz or if you have a
weak lane yourselves.

Vs

Heal:

Vs

Exhaust:

Why get this? It gives great saving

power, does not need to be close to the
opponent to be used, and now is great
on supports opposed to carries cause it
heals for 100% on all targets.
When do I get this? I typically get this
summoner on ranged supports. It is
more utility/defensive and can pull off
some sick saves late game with your
CC. I also really like getting this when I
know the other champion isnt going to
have ignite (vs. Cait, Vayne, Kog, etc.).

Why get this? This got nerfed a bit in s3 but

still gives good slow, gives decent damage
reduction and can just add a nice finishing CC
on an aggressive lane.
When do I get this? I like going this with
most melee supports, aggressive lanes, or
against certain AD carries who get up in your
face like Ezreal, Draven, Trist and MF. Also if
Im playing a character with only 1 CC (Fid,
Sona) I like to get exhaust against the all-in
cleansers (Vayne, Ez) so if they cleanse my
fear they cant turn around and own me hard,
theres that backup disable.

Clairvoyance:
This got a buff in s3 and now can kinda work, I personally dont use it much but I see
some viability there. I would use it if Im in a particularly passive lane and combo it
with Eliseas Miracle and the masteries to be a CV-bot.

Using Flash Effectively:

Flash vs. Using Heal+Exh.
There are some situations where
Ive seen supports (ex-orbit
support LemonNation used this a
lot) skip flash and get a combo
like heal + exhaust or cv + heal or
something. I think that in the right
situation and playstyle it can work,
in s3 changes this heal+exh
playstyle was actually nerfed a bit
because heal is now more AoE
rather than single target.
However, since flash was nerfed
too it somewhat balances out.
Overall I think it can be decent, if
you arent against some heavy
assassin or bursty comp it can
work in your favor, especially if
you can snowball early.

When possible, always try to flash over a wall

rather than just backwards, this creates much
more room and possibility for escape.
If slowed, try to wait for it to be off before
flashing, especially when being chased by
someone like Nunu or Skarner.
When being ganked it is better to flash earlier
rather than later, this way you can avoid CC
and damage that comes if they catch you.
When flashing to initiate, be wary of where
your team is, if you flash + max range Leona
ult the team may be too far away to follow-up.
On beefy/tanky supports often times you can
run in a teamfight and be obnoxious then
simply flash out if you save it for the right time!

Option 1: Standard

Purpose:

Leads into:

This gives all around great

bang for buck, good hp +
mana regen, decent ward
coverage, and counter-ward
potential. If I dont know what
to do I get this.

This is great for leading into a

sightstone first build (compared
to faeriephilo). Sightstone
first is good against tough,
bursty dual lanes (like Leona).
It is also flexible though.

Option 2: Heavy Ward Purpose:

This is a heavy ward opening
that is great at giving early
coverage and against tough
junglers or laners. This has
fallen a bit out of popularity but
is still good in right situation

Option 3: Easy Lane Purpose:

This is a greedy opening which
puts you almost at philo. This is
for if their lane + jungler are both
weak, or if you are planning to
play really passive in lane. You
use biscuit as your only regen!

Leads into:
This leads to a philo build start. You
can still get sightstone if necessary,
of course, but the extra wards at the
start can usually give you enough
wards to hold you over while you get
philo first. Can also mix it up w/ pink.

Leads into:
This obviously leads into a philo rush,
it only costs 340g so you should get it
on your first back. You just have to
make sure to play passive enough to
get that first back without losing lane
advantage or something.

Early Game
Build:

Justification: This is your core first item set by the end of early game. We get
double gp10 because we can afford to be greedy (since we are in back of fights)
and we are looking to build more utility which the kage upgraded items bring. We
also get philo because not only is the regen GREAT on ranged supports in lane (as
most of them burn through tons of mana, which philo is heavy on mana regen), but
also we are looking to build probably a shurelias later as well.
Order of progression: Most people know to get these items, but mistake which to
get first etc. It does matter somewhat on your initial opening items, as we said in
last slide, but in general we want to get sightstone before or right after your first
gp10. This depends on how many wards you have left over from your initial buy,
and how threatening the jungler/lane is. Next I typically get the philo stone this
gives you good regen which is great for extended combat such as lane phase.
Lastly we pick up the kage pick and the boots.
Alternatives: You can skip philo and go an early chalice if you know you are going
to be building a crucible. Also Ive had some positive experimentation with a tear
instead of philo, it is same gold but tear can give you +1000 mana!! (I just leave it at
tear). But only really like this on really heavy mana users like Sona, Lulu, and Nami.

Core Mid Game

Build

Okay, so for the mid game build on the ranged supports we are prioritizing Utility
while using our ranged positioning to avoid damage and thus somewhat skimping
on survivability. This means we look for CDR and good active abilities!

or

Because of this, we first rush the Kage Pick upgrade. Both of these give lots of CC,
which usually ties in greatly for the common ranged support. Its so great to play a
Janna and combo your tornado, zephyr and ult with this shard of true ice it makes
you a cc monster.
Then we get CDR boots, these are best and typically great early on spell-focused
supports. Also, since the change to cdr on most support items + addition of new noncdr support items, the cdr boots have been thrust into a good place as no longer will
you auto-hit the cdr cap just by building standard support items.
Next, there is the Ruby Sightstone, this is a must for mid game / teamfighting phase.
Basically, once I leave bot lane I grab this. This not only gives you hp, but also gives
you more wards to put down. This is essential for blanketing the map and dropping
wards in fights
Lastly, there is the Kindlegem, this adds some hp but also CDR and by near the end
of mid game you should be about to finish your 2nd big item, whether it be shurelias,
locket, or zekes kindlegem is good start point. With this + cdr boots +
masterys/runes, you should be about capped on cdr.

Ice shard vs Twin Shadows: I typically like to get ice shard when Im on an AoE
support, Janna/Zyra/Sona. When I have catch potential I like twin shadows, for
example on Nami, Blitz even. I also primarily like to go Ice shard if I know Im
going to go Shurelias 2nd, this means I will always have 1 gp10 ticking. But if Im
getting locket or something else 2nd, I can get twin shadows and keep Philo.

Generally good buys:

Shurelias reverie:
As lame as it is, seeing as everyone
wants to make crazy new builds with the
new items, I think on ranged supports this
is one of the most solid item choices
simply because it can help your team
follow up after your CC, or disengage.

Locket of the Iron Solari:

This is the next big item that got changed /
buffed. This provides a ton of survivability,
but also is great anti-AoE. I get this if I need
some more tank or if Im against a heavy AoE
or Assassin-y team.

Mikaels Crucible:
I like this item a lot in s3, even though it is
pretty tough to use it is very rewarding when
used right. I get this often as a later 4th or 5th
item, as later the game goes the more
important CC/your carry becomes. It is also
great mana choice on someone like Sona.

Situational/Later Item Choices:

Zekes Herald:
This is a situational buy for the ranged support. It
got a considerable nerf/change in s3 so now it is
basically an aura vamp scepter. It is still a decent
pick up with an AD heavy team, and works
better with AD assassins than it would last
season.

Runic Bulwark:
This is a decent support item late game it is very
expensive, but on ranged supports I would not go
aegis early. I have sometimes got this as a 5th or 6th
item against a heavy AoE team, to complement
locket of iron solari. But, in general, save this item
for junglers or melee support.

Ice Shard / Twin Shadows (the one you didnt buy):

This is a bit of a toss up/weird choice, cause it feels
really awkward to have 2 kage picks at one point, but it
can be a decent pick up if you need the utility of the
actives, and are already CDR capped.

Early Game
Build:

Justification: This is your core first item set by the end of early game. This is
optimized for a tanky build with the 1/13/16 mastery build, so the doran shield +
defensive tree makes you tank SO HARD. We pick up the philo stone because it
gives great regen for our aggressive playstyle and also we keep it as gp10 for most of
the game to get us our next items. Lastly, we get emblem of valor for the armor +
more hp regen for more trading and we start our build into Aegis of the Legion. There
is a total of 19 hp regen per 5 in this set of items! (thats like half a health pot)
Order of progression: The progression of these items are a bit up in the air. It
depends a lot on what you start and how much gold you have when you back.
However, in general I go sightstone > philo > doran shield > boots > emblem of valor.
I go sightstone first so I can ward aggressively, cause one of the most important items
when playing aggressively is wards it allows you the safe coverage so you wont get
ganked. Also it gives you the bush vision to keep bush pressure. If you are feelin
doran or philo first back it can work fine, depends on gold.
Alternatives: Some alternatives for this build is you can skip the doran, I really like it
when playing aggressive, I definitely recommend experimenting with it, but if you
arent playing aggressive or against an aggressive lane it can be wasted. Also, you
can go kage pick instead of philo in certain situations, twin shadows is really good on
melee supports mostly, but in general philo is safer and gives you more relevant stats

Core Mid
Game Build

For the mid game build on these melee/ tank supports we are prioritizing Survivability. We
make the most out of our abilities and utility by gaining survivability to make our move set
more effective, also adding a sense of utility by becoming a damage soak/distraction.

So, the first thing we finish is the Aegis of the Legion. This is a pretty expensive item in
s3, and is often good on junglers, but Ive found it gives a ton of tankyness to your melee
supports, and in pubs if you dont see your jungler getting it, it should be a good pickup. It
gives you great survivability and just adds to your presence by just being there.
The next thing we pick up is the Ruby Sightstone. This is the same as the ranged
support, pick this up when you start leaving bot lane. Also gives great hp for our build!
Now is the time for upgrading boots (after first big item usually), for these supports whos
goal is to get into the fray and the action, Mercurys Treads are the great choice, even if
you arent always going to be the target of every spell, you will get ccd and its a great
MR choice.
One downside of this build so far though is that you have no CDR, so I recommend for
the next big item you build something with CDR. So, I typically pick up a Kindlegem, to
put in to either a Locket or Shurelias or something. This adds more to your survivability
and gives you some CDR which you most likely are aching for.

Why not immediately rush Runic Bulwark?: This is something I see some random
supports do, rush Runic Bulwark first item, I disagree with it most of the time. Runic bulwark
is very expensive and the upgrade from Aegis gives you exclusively MR, which is great, but
not usually that early in the game. Most of the time the extra MR aura is better later game
when the big AoE mosters are hitting their strides. In small fights leaving it at an Aegis is
often fine. However, once the big teamfights start kicking, Bulwark!

Generally good buys:

Locket of the Iron Solari:
I put this as top choice because I think it
fits really well with this build. It gives you
the cdr you lack, and huge tankyness, and
an active which is great for your in-thefight playstyle.

Situational/Later Item Choices:

Twin Shadows:
This is a great choice for tank-supports if you
find yourself in the role of an initiator (or your
team lacks initiation). The move speed + active
are great at catching people. However, most
tank-supports dont really need the AP that
comes with this item, making it not a must-buy.

Upgrading to Runic Bulwark:

We talked about this a bit on the last slide,
but I like upgrading sometime at least.
Usually I grab it when we start to do big 5
man teamfights. It is very good anti-AoE
strat, so can rush earlier if needed.

Randuins Omen:
This can be a great purchase for a tanky support as
a 5th or 6th item. It is very expensive but if you can
use the active it can be great because the stats it
gives you are also very useful. I rarely get this
because I rarely get to this stage, but since the
change it can be good on a Taric late game.

Shurelias Reverie
Shurelias is really good on the tanky types
because they are most often the kind of
support who will try to initiate. This helps a lot
with being able to catch people and just adds
to your tanky/slipperiness.

Note: With this build you get on average

less items than the other build. This is
because these items are more expensive
as well as you typically get less assists /
less gp10 / more deaths.

or

Mikaels Crucible or Zekes Herald:

These two items are a good choice again for late late game. You
are less protecting the carry than normal so its not always the first
go-to items but if it reaches the point where you see a use for
these items they can be worth the purchase

Along with the typical builds, there are some very specialized choices that I think are
worth mentioning, as well as some choices I see some supports go which I think are a
trap / bad. As always its worth some experimentation/ reflection on some of these.
Situational Items
Banner of This is the item that replaced promote in
Command pre-S3. I think if its worth it on anyone, it

would be support. It gives decent, albeit

awkward, stats for a ranged support, AP
and armor. Can be worth it if you need
some extra oomph in your pushes.
We see this build "support as ap" more often
Building
Supp as AP with some of the unorthodox supports. I think it
s ok, it can work sometimes. However, I prefer
a more utility-build or if I am going AP a utilityAP hybrid with things like twin shadows and
Sorc shoes, THEN deathcap as like 3rd item.
Dont skip sightstone with this build though!!!

This item is almost never bought, and

Ohmwrecker while it is mostly good for brusiers I think
it has an OK place on tanky support as a
5th or 6th item. It is decent after you max
cdr. Basically, if you are m5 vs Clg.eu
and they have Anivia, buy 5 of this item!

Bad (not worth it) Items

Eleisas I feel like this item was designed for support, due
Miracle to the heal/clairvoyance cdr, but this item is not
worth it at all on supports. The hp/mana reg
becomes not significant so you are paying 1100g
for just cdr on heal/cv. Much better to put this
towards a utility item or keep it as philo. It might
be ok if you became cv-bot but thats not meta.
Raw tank
items:

Avarice
Blade

It is not worth it to get these raw tank items

because you dont have enough threat to
justify them. It is better to get tank/utility hybrid
items like Bulwark, Frozen heart, Randiuns,
Locket, Ohmwrecker, or Spirit Visage. These
items have some synergy or team presence
which makes you more of a threat.

I dont see people get this very often, but

its still worth mentioning as some may
lump it into gp10 item. This is not worth
it because the stat it gives is bad (10%
crit) and the gold has now been changed
to go off minion kill (which you dont get).

Tier 3 Boots:

Boots of Lucidity:
I think this boot
works with the
caster-support
Teamfight role.
Basically, if you are
focusing on CC and
need that CDR
ASAP this is the
best boot. I also like
to get it early on
people like Fiddle,
Soraka.

Boots of Mobility
(aka Banana
Shoes):
This boot works for
the Protect-theCarry style. This is
when you stand far
back in the teamfight
and focus more on
ward control in the
game. This allows
you to position better
and stay safe.

Mercury Treads and Ninja Tabi:

These boots work for the DiveSupport style, where you get into
the center of the fight and tank.
These simply add to your
survivability with their raw stats and
even amplify your other survivability
with their unique passives. Which?
If its early or they are really heavy
AD you can get Ninja Tabi, but I
most often get Merc Treads cause
I often need MR more than armor
and the passive fits well.

When to buy T2 Boots? I often see people get t2 boots (like Merc Treads) while
they are still in lane and Im like WhyyY? I mostly get them after your first or
second item. Only when I start to roam and engage in fights are they worth it.

These upgrades are something I get

in about 35% of my games. Out of
the most Ive liked Homeguard.
These let me run back to fights and
refresh Sightstone etc. all faster.
However, it wasnt anything special.
Other options Ive seen is Alacrity.
This is ~okay~, it is expensive and
doesnt do much for supports. It can
be decent with MS runes on Taric or
something.
Lastly, there is Captain. This is
expensive too, but can be worth it on
an initiator / tank support. Not bad.
Something I would get if we are
teamfighting a lot and I'm like Leona.

Warding Blue Side

Ward spots labeled by #

If pushing: I use ward #1 for certain, and

#4 if mid is not warded on the right side
and they have ganky/mobile jungler.
If lane is even: I ward #1 if I can get out
there cause it gives drag vision too, if not
then I just use #3, and #5
If pinned at tower: I ward at spot #3 if
they are just barely pushed in or #4 if we
have been pinned at tower for ages, and
#6 to watch for lane ganks + bush control.

Warding Purple Side

If pushing & Aggressive: I like to ward
both #4 and #1 because when you are
playing forward it leaves you very
vulnerable.
If pushing but not aggressive: Ward #3
will give you enough vision.
If lane is even: I use ward #3 and ward
#6. This is very safe but no drag vision.
If pinned at tower: I ward #2 over the wall
and use ward #5 to watch for lane ganks.

4
5
6

Lastly for wards, I should point out some of the hard

to click ward over wall parts that we have all missed
before :P. The one on the right is esp. good when
pinned under tower and want to safe ward !

Click the wing/tip of the arrow

Click the root of the 3rd tree

Here is a clip of us
doing golems. It is
not very precise,
you dont HAVE to
start on small
HAVE to go left et
cetera. However,
we did find it better
when we both
stayed on the
same side.
We finished this
well before the
creeps came, and
didnt have to
waste a health pot
or flask charge or
even biscuit.
The biggest impact
the s3 had on the
golems is that now
you cant do it with
everyone and
usually supports
dont get the XP.

You cant do golems with every dual lane.

While I showed an example of us doing it this is
a strong duo for golems as both are great at
level 1, it is tougher if you have a worse ranged
and if you are melee you will probably have to
either use a health pot or flask charge.

Using the Golem Advantage:

When you get double golems you
should try to exploit it by pushing the
lane slightly so you hit 2 before them,
and then being aggressive! This is
best on someone like Blitz, but also
can work with people like Lulu.