5 Most Picked Supports in Professional League of Legends

5 Most Picked Supports in Professional League of Legends

The Support meta shifts frequently in League of Legends. One minute, healing Supports are the best. Next, it’s the damage dealers, and then it quickly changes to tanks. The meta frequently shifts in Solo Queue, and while that is somewhat true for pro play, you will usually find the same champions being picked.

In pro play, you will find teams constantly picking hard-engage and roam dominant champions. The reason for this is that these champions can move around the map fast and help their team. Roaming and team coordination are easier in professional play as they’re all on coms.

In this Mobalytics article, we will list the five most popular Supports in professional League of Legends. The champions are, unsurprisingly, all roaming champions. However, there was a period of time when utility and healing Supports were being picked over and over. But before we begin, if you’re interested in finding more information and stats for any of these champions, why not sign up for a free Mobalytics account!

All of the stats are taken from GOL.GG and the filters we are using are for all seasons and worldwide. Huge thanks to them for keeping track of professional League of Legends!

5 Most Picked Supports in Pro League of Legends

1. Braum
2. Thresh
3. Nautilus
4. Alistar
5. Leona

1. Braum

Braum is the first champion on our list. He is a strong tank who has lots of CC. Post 6, his pick potential is pretty high with his Q and his Ultimate. He can catch out enemies who are mispositioned.

Roaming Supports are very good in pro play. Braum is a good counter to lots of roaming and hard engage champions. He has good pick potential with his Ultimate which he can use to start fights on the ADC when the Support is gone. Also, Braum is a counter to hard engage champions because he can CC them when they go in.

I don’t think it is worth playing Braum in Solo Queue for the most part. There are some champions that are way stronger than him and who rely less on their team than he does. I think he is good in flex or clash though.

Quick Tips

• Braum doesn’t need to play aggressive 24/7. Wait for the enemy to engage and then turn the exchange around.
• Always stick with your team, in particular, the ADC so you can protect and peel them with your E.
• Don’t use your E to block damage in small trades. It’s best to save it for extended or long trades only so you do not run out of mana. Also, keeping your E off cooldown will help you if the enemy decides to commit to a full trade.

2. Thresh

Thresh is a strong champion in both Solo Queue and pro play. Thresh can provide his team with a variety of tools. His Q can pick players out of position, while his W can save his allies. His E can prevent all-ins, while his Ultimate can slow down the enemies and allow his team to follow up or disengage.

Some of the reasons we suggested are why he is picked in pro play, but he also offers his team a lot of extra benefits. For instance, he has good synergy with a lot of the meta AD Carries. He is also a fantastic roaming champion which means he can help his allies.

I would recommend playing Thresh if you want to climb. Although, it is important to note that he is quite hard to master and is very hit or miss.

Quick Tips

• Thresh has very good roaming potential once he has Boots of Mobility. Look to roam often once you’ve purchased these Boots to get a lead.
• Bait out dashes or abilities that can be used to dodge your Q to make landing abilities much easier.
• Place vision around objectives to try and get picks before sieging or taking an objective. One good Death Sentence on a target can turn the game around.

3. Nautilus

We’re coming to the end of this series of guides, and the third champion on our list is Nautilus. Nautilus is a really strong Support that loves to fight and make plays. He is fantastic in both Solo Queue and pro play.

Nautilus is really popular in pro play because of the tools he brings to the table. He has the most CC in the game which helps him get picks and lock down enemies. Post 6, his Ultimate is point and click and he will always knockup the target he chooses.

I think Nautilus is a good Support for anyone who wants to learn Support. My advice would be to check the position of your allies before going in for a Q so you know they can follow up.

Quick Tips

• Hold on to your Q until the enemy has miss positioned or used their escape ability. Using your Q and missing it will leave you vulnerable to damage and poke.
• When the enemy is sieging one of your Towers or is trying to poke, use your Q to catch out them out of position while they’re overextended. Picking someone off is a good way of winning a fight or preventing the enemy from taking an objective.
• While Nautilus is quite slow, you do have really good roaming potential as you have a lot of CC. Look to roam after recalling before heading back to the bottom lane.

4. Alistar

The next champion is Alistar. He is a strong early game Support that loves to make plays to get an early lead. He has insane die potential and can look to dive post 6. With these things in mind, it’s easy to see why he is picked a lot in pro play.

In pro play, Alistar is quite a good champion thanks to his lane pressure and gank setup. He can set up his Jungler by using his W on a minion or using it in conjunction with Flash to close the gap and lock down a target. After he gets Boots, he can start roaming with or without his Jungler to help other lanes.

I think Alistar is good, but there are other champions like Nautilus and Leona that are easier to play and are tankier. His Ultimate is also only really good at diving, whereas their Ultimates are good at getting picks.

Quick Tips

• During the laning phase, stand close to your ADC at all times. With good positioning, you can threaten an engage onto the enemy even if you don’t intend to engage. Stand next to or slightly in front of them at all times.
• Look to set up death bushes before a major objective like the Dragon or Baron spawns. Sit inside a bush and ambush the enemy when they walk past with your W Q combo. Once an enemy is dead, take the objective.
• Once you’ve engaged in a team fight, retreat and protect your ADC. Do not leave them hanging alone against the enemy frontline. Your goal is to engage and then fall back to help them.

5. Leona

Leona is the final champion on our list. If you’re a Support main, you probably have a love-hate relationship with Leona. Eona is an extremely obnoxious, lane dominant Support that is great at roaming and getting picks for her team.

She is good in pro play because of her ability to get picks with her allies. She has good gank setup after level 2 and an even stronger setup after level 6. Once she has completed Boots, she can roam around and take down the enemy. In pro play, teams group close together, which can allow her to get a multi-person Ultimate off. Her E, Q and R can be used to peel for her backline.

Leona is really good in Solo Queue as well. She can constantly look for plays and get picks with her team. In Solo Queue, you need to make the plays for your team to win, and I feel that Leona does that job well.

Quick Tips

• You can use your AA Q AA combo to quickly destroy wards to deny vision.
• Try to keep the minion wave even or closer to your side of the map as it will be very hard for you to engage in the early game if your lane is constantly pushing.
• If you’re unable to get kills in the bottom lane post 6, don’t be afraid to roam and help other lanes. As your Ultimate is a very good tool that can help you snowball, whenever it’s up, try to roam and help your mid lane.

Final Thoughts

That sums up our list on the most picked champions. I’m honestly surprised that there are no utility Supports on the list, but I understand why they’re not as popular as the other champions on the list. Let us know what guide you’d like to see next. If you’re looking for extra tips and tricks to improve as a Support, make sure you head over to Mobalytics.