5 Least Picked Supports in Professional League of Legends

5 Least Picked Supports in Professional League of Legends

The Support role is very versatile, and you’ll generally see three types of Supports being played there. Mages, Tanks and Utility champions who heal and shield are the three most dominant Supports in Solo Queue. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all good in pro play.

Funny enough, some of the best Supports in Solo Queue are rarely ever picked in pro play. If you want to solo carry games as a Support in Solo Queue, you should pick a damage dealer. However, you’ll find in pro play that carry damage-dealing Supports are some of the least picked champions.

If you wish to learn how to play any of the Supports in our article, then we would highly recommend checking out their Mobalytics champion page which has tons of additional tips, builds, stats and much more.

There are many champions that may have been played in alternative roles in professional League of Legends. Because of this, we will only include traditional laners in our least picked articles. All of the stats are taken from GOL.GG and the filters we are using are for all seasons and worldwide.

5 Least Picked Supports in Pro League of Legends

1. Swain
2. Xerath
3. Vel’Koz
4. Veigar
5. Brand

1. Swain

The first champion on our list is Swain. Swain has a lot to offer his team in pro play. Lots of vision with his W, a strong AOE Ultimate, and a little pick potential with his E. But with all these strengths, Swain just isn’t picked up in professional League of Legends.

In pro play, Swain doesn’t handle too well. Firstly, pros love to roam and are usually picking hard engage champions to do so. These hard engage champions counter Swain as he is weak versus all-in. Secondly, he needs to have good synergy with the rest of his team. You cannot pick Swain in many team compositions and matchups.

I wouldn’t necessarily suggest you play Swain if you want to climb ELO as he is somewhat hit or miss. I would suggest any of the other champions on our list if you want to play an AP champion as a Support.

Quick Tips

• Reactivate your E after landing it on a target to pull them closer to you.
• Swain’s root will only trigger on the closest enemies hit on its return. Take aim and try to use it so it leaves little room for the enemy to react and dodge it.
• Activate your Ultimate as soon as a fight occurs to increase your chances of coming out ahead and surviving the fight.

2. Xerath

Xerath is the next champion on our list. Xerath’s main strength is that he has tons of poke and damage. He can bully and harass the enemy down an awful lot and force them to take an early recall.

While Xerath does have a lot of poke and damage, pros don’t play him because he is squishy and immobile. Supports need to move around the map fast, and while his Ultimate is long-ranged and can impact fights in the mid lane, he gets outclassed by the meta Supports.

I think Xerath is a decent Support if you’re looking to climb. However, he is very skill-shot reliant, and you need to be good at landing them abilities. If you’re not, then you will struggle on him.

Quick Tips

• Stand as far back as possible and use your range advantage to harass and poke the enemy laners down. Use your Q and W from far away so they cannot trade back with you.
• Delay a team fight for as long as possible while you aim to poke the enemy with your abilities. Look to fight when the enemy is low.
• Make use of your Passive by auto-attacking enemy champions or minions in lane to top your mana back up. This will allow you to continue harassing the enemy with your abilities.

3. Vel’Koz

We’re halfway through our list and at number 3 we have Vel’Koz. Vel’Koz is incredibly similar to Xerath as they both have a lot of poke. Vel’Koz can constantly bully the enemy down and then all in them with his Ultimate.

Vel’Koz is immobile and easy to kill. Once his Flash is down, the enemy pros will just all in him over and over again. The enemy Jungler will also sit bot lane to kill them frequently when they over-extend.

I would recommend Vel’Koz to anyone who wants a flexible pick that can be played in both the Mid and Support roles. He is very good at carrying and works with most ADCs.

Quick Tips

• Use your Q to poke the enemy laner down as much as possible and then push the wave with your W. Bonus points if you can push and poke the enemy at the same time.
• Try to delay a team fight for as long as possible while you poke the enemy down with your Q and W.
• Your Ultimate is a channel which leaves you vulnerable. Try to use your Ultimate from a distance and in a safe position to avoid dying.

4. Veigar

Veigar is a champion with good pick potential and lots of damage. His E can help him get picks while his Ultimate can be used to execute squishy champions who are too far forward or caught out of position.

While Veigar one-shots people in the late game, his late game in the Support role isn’t too hot. He will not pick up free CS like he would in Solo Queue. Due to this, he is somewhat ineffective in pro play.

I think there are certain situations where Veigar is a good pick. Although I do believe that some of the other champions on our list do a better job than he does. However, his pick potential with his E is pretty good.

Quick Tips

• Wait for the enemy Support to walk forward to harass before using your E. It will make it harder for them to escape the cage if you use it this way.
• Use your Q to secure stacks on your Supporting item. This will give you some extra AP throughout the early game.
• Use your Primordial Burst on squishy targets to execute them at the start of the fight to make the game easier. You can ambush the enemy Support when they go to ward in the mid-game.

5. Brand

The last champion on our list is Brand. Brand has a lot of damage and lots of poke. Brand is really good at poking the enemy down with his W and E. He also has good pick potential with his Q. However, his Q is not easy to land.

Brand’s very easy to kill as he is immobile. This makes him a prime target for hard engage Supports to bash him in over and over again. Furthermore, most Brands will constantly push the minion wave, which pro players can capitalise on with perfect wave management and frequent ganks.

I think Brand is a fantastic Solo Queue champion. I would recommend anyone to play him if you want easy ELO. He is easy, a good solo carry and can deal a lot of damage as he is AP.

Quick Tips

• Try and poke as often as you can with your W, but make sure to keep an eye on your mana pool.
• In team fights, try to cast your Ultimate when the enemy is bunched together so it can bounce between multiple champions and deal more damage.
• If you’re struggling to lane against a champion with a hook or engage tool, the best time to harass them with your W is when their CC ability is down.

Final Thoughts

That brings this series of guides to an end. What did you think of it? Are you surprised by any champions on the list, or could you see why they’re not played at all in pro play. Let us know your thoughts. Learn how to play all the champions on today’s list with the Mobalytics App.