When it comes to playing support in League of Legends, there’s a lot to keep track of. The best support for each patch can change based on the meta, the type of support you play, and even the patch updates.
Supports can be divided into three categories: Enchanters, engagers, and poke supports. Some champions cross over into multiple categories, so it’s a pretty safe golden triangle to follow. But there are supports in Patch 14.13 you should pick that fall into these categories.
Understanding the different support categories, their purpose in the bot lane, and their strengths and weaknesses is key to choosing the best champions for your team, your playstyle, and against enemy compositions. You can learn more about these categories further in the article. But for now, these are the five best League supports in Patch 14.13.
Best LoL support champions in Patch 14.13
The best support champions in LoL Patch 14.13 are:
- Leona
- Janna
- Rell
- Lulu
- Poppy
Leona
Leona remains unchanged for years. That’s a result of arguably the most unique and rewarding kit among League champions. If you play her right, your bottom lane matchup is bound to go your way.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Aggressive kit. – Great lane poke. – Perfect at binding multiple champions. |
– Long cooldowns. – Lacks versatility. – Must land skill shots. |
As Leona, you want to pair up with an aggressive AD carry. With your kit and a champion that can follow up pretty easily, you will create a deadly duo. The support champion has a perfect kit to go in as early as level two, and if you win your early-game skirmishes, you will become unstoppable.
But there’s a catch. Casual Leona players often overestimate their strength and go for unfavorable trades. If you do that and fall behind early, there’s a huge chance you won’t be able to come back to the game. In the end, Leona is a champion who relies on one specific, offensive way of playing, and it’s pretty impossible to do if you’re on the back foot.
| Areas of Interest | Best options for Leona |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Resolve – Aftershock – Font of Life – Second Wind – Overgrowth Rune tree two: Precision |
| Best items | – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Celestial Opposition – Warmog’s Armor From here, your items will be situational. For more support build, go for Knight’s Vow and Locket of the Iron Solari. However, if you just want to bulk up, especially against an AD-heavy composition, Thornmail and Frozen Heart are also sensible options. If none of them fits your game, you can also go for Zeke’s Convergence. For AP and move speed, choose Stormsurge for ability haste and more mana, choose Malignance; or for ability power and armor, choose Zhonya’s Hourglass. |
| Best summoner spells | – Flash – Ignite |
| Best skill order | – Shield of Daybreak (Q) – Zenith Blade (E) – Eclipse (W). Once you’ve unlocked these three, max R, W, E, and Q, in that order. |
| Best ADCs to pair with Leona | – Ashe – Brand – Twitch – Ezreal – Jinx – Kai’Sa |
| Toughest support matchups for Leona | – Pyke – Senna – Tahm Kench – Zyra – Braum |
Janna
Janna swings back to the list of best supports in Patch 14.13. With her versatile kit, she’s one of the few champions that can be picked into almost any team composition. However, by being a jack of all trades, she is a master of none, and with the lack of natural survivability, it’s easy to feed on her early on. Still, if you play it safe, you can become the game changer.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Protective of her ADC – Versatile kit |
– Tricky to use in certain situations – Squishy and not that mobile |
As Janna, you will be looking to poke enemies with your abilities, while also boosting your allies with your ultimate and E. Either way, you’re going to be using your abilities a lot, and they’re quite expensive in terms of mana. Therefore, getting runes that boost these areas of gameplay, like Summon Aery and Manaflow Band is what makes the Sorcery tree the smartest choice for Janna players.
| Ares of Interest | Best options for Janna |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Sorcery – Summon Aery – Manaflow Band – Celerity – Gathering Storm Rune tree two: Resolve |
| Best items | – Dream Maker – Boots of Swiftness – Echoes of Helia With these three core items under your belt, you can pursue others that depend on how the game is going. If you’re really smashing the opponents, you may as well purchase something like Dawncore or Mejai’s Soulstealer. But, in most cases, Moonstone Renewer, Locket of the Iron Solari, Shurelya’s Battlesong, and Redemption are fair picks as well. |
| Best summoner spells | – Flash – Heal |
| Best build path | – Zephyr (W) – Howling Gale (Q) – Eye of the Storm (E) Once you’ve unlocked all three, max out your hook W, E, R, and Q. |
| Best ADCs to pair with Janna | – Kog’Maw – Corki – Jhin – Jinx – Zeri |
| Toughest support matchups for Janna | – Sona – Nami – Bard – Lulu – Nautilus – Taric – Maokai |
Rell
While the game plan for Janna assumes a few different scenarios, when you pick someone like Rell, the case is more straightforward. With her aggressive kit and one of the best engages in League, Rell fits perfectly into a fighting, scaling team that creates opportunities themselves instead of patiently waiting for them.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Great engage – Immense sustain – Fairly mobile |
– Difficult to navigate if you’re behind – Not that great in the laning phase – Requires some learning first |
While playing as Rell can easily boost your win rate significantly, it’s no easy feat. Her abilities require proper positioning and vision. You’ll often be in the middle of a teamfight, so picking the Resolve tree to bolster your defensive stats is unmatched when playing as Rell. On top of that, Flashtraption also does wonders, especially when you’re trying to flank the enemy team.
| Areas of Interest | Best options for Rell |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Resolve – Aftershock – Font of Life – Bone Plating – Overgrowth Rune tree two: Inspiration |
| Best items | – Celestial Opposition – Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Warmog’s Armor Contrary to Janna or other squishy support on this list, when you’re playing as Rell, you want to get as beefy as possible. Therefore, you will have to rush defensive items like Knight’s Vow, Zeke’s Convergence, Locket of the Iron Solari, Frozen Heart, Spirit Visage, or even Thornmail after completing your core items. |
| Best summoner spells | – Flash – Ignite |
| Best build path | – Ferromancy: Crash Down – Shattering Strike – Full Tilt Once you’ve unlocked all three, max your bind W, E, R, and Q. |
| Best ADCs to pair with Rell | – Kog’Maw – Tristana – Twitch – Nilah – Kai’Sa |
| Toughest support matchups for Rell | – Janna – Maokai – Bard – Vel’Koz – Alistar |
Lulu
Despite her yordle size, Lulu, the Fae Sorceress, is one of the best buffing and assisting supports in League. Her kit revolves around supporting her teammates. While she doesn’t have much in the way of damaging abilities and is quite squishy, her pros sometimes outweigh the cons.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Great at poking. – Offers crowd control. – Excellent assist and buff support. – Low cooldowns. – Lots of utility. |
– Barely any damage. – Her kit isn’t for fighting. – She relies heavily on her teammates. – Mana management. – Squishy. |
Because Lulu is quite squishy, she’s an easy target, and with her little legs, she often can’t get away fast enough. But with specific runes, items, and summoner spells, she has a little more survivability, and when paired with the best ADCs that mesh well with her kit, she can buff them so much that they become a damage-dealing God.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Lulu |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Sorcery – Summon Aery – Manaflow Band – Transcendence – Scorch Rune tree two (option one): Resolve (Survivability) Rune tree two (option two): Inspiration (Haste) |
| Best items | – Dream Maker – Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Ardent Censer After this, two of the best items to get are Moonstone Renewer (ability power, ability haste, mana, and mana regeneration) and Staff of Flowing Water (ability power, ability haste, heal and shield power, and mana regeneration). Redemption or Mikael’s Blessing are good healing and shielding options if you need a sixth item. |
| Best summoner spells | – Flash. – Ignite. |
| Best build path | – Help, Pix! (E). – Glitterlance (Q). – Whimsy (W). Once you’ve unlocked all three, max out your E, W, R, and Q. |
| Best ADCs to pair with Lulu | – Kog’Maw – Ashe – Jinx – Twitch – Vayne |
| Toughest support matchups for Lulu | – Zyra – Leona – Sona – Braum – Taric |
Poppy
Poppy isn’t a traditional support, since she’s still often picked in the jungle, and occasionally in the top lane. However, when it comes to the bottom lane role, she brings unmatched, perilous gameplay that’s also immensely fun and satisfying.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Unique gameplay – High damage for a support – Tough to counter |
– Tricky to master – Requires a lot of vision and decisive approach |
Support champions rarely go for the Domination tree due to the lack of runes that would suit them from there. However, the case is different when it comes to Poppy support. With Hail of Blades and Poppy’s explosive mix of basic abilities, she becomes a little Yordle killer in the blink of an eye. When aided by a strong ADC, destroying your abilities early on is often a piece of cake.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Poppy |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Hail of Blades – Sudden Impact – Zombie Ward – Relentless Hunter Rune tree two: Inspiration |
| Best items | – Bloodsong – Boots of Swiftness – Dead Man’s Plate Like most tanky and all-in supports, Poppy relies on tanky items. Therefore, the best picks to round up your build are Warmog’s Armor, Locket of the Iron Solari, Knight’s Vow, Force of Nature, Thornmail, or Force of Nature. It all depends on the kind of team you are facing in specific games. |
| Best summoner spells | – Flash – Ignite |
| Best build path | – Heroic Charge (E) – Hammer Shock (Q) – Steadfast Presence (W) Once you’ve unlocked all three, you’ll want to max your Q, E, R, and W. |
| Best ADCs to pair with Poppy | – Twitch – Miss Fortune – Kog’Maw – Jinx – Kai’Sa |
| Toughest support matchups for Poppy | – Sona – Taric – Leona – Nautilus – Nami |
Support categories and their roles in the bot lane
Enchanter supports
Enchanter supports, like Soraka or Nami, focus on keeping the bot lane carry alive through the laning phase with heals and shields. Enchanter supports usually go well into poke supports because they can out-sustain the poke but struggle into engagers due to a lack of mobility and relative squishiness.
Engage supports
Engage supports, like Alistar or Leona, look to all-in the enemy bot lane during the laning phase with crowd control and significant early-game damage. Because of their lack of poke, they can capitalize on enchanters during the laning phase but can’t deal effectively with poke supports since they whittle down your health before you can even consider engaging.
Poke supports
Poke supports, like Zyra or Brand, succeed by annoying the enemy laners as much as possible with long-range abilities, forcing them to waste their potions or heals. If an enemy gets greedy, they also have a fair amount of burst in their kits to delete them from Summoner’s Rift. Because of this, they can deal with engage supports. But enchanters can usually out-sustain a poke support’s mana pool, rendering their poke ineffective.
If you’re having trouble picking a support champion for you or your team or simply want to know which supports are crushing it in the meta, these are the five best supports in Patch 14.13.
