W Best start for Lane. The CC is nice if you choose to fight - the mobility is better. If the enemy gets level 2 first, it allows for a quick escape or to save your ally. If you get level 2 first, it allows for a clean all in fight. If this is a hook lane (as mentioned above), go Battle Dance first to minimize the damage from their engage.

E Best second start - the moblity lends it's to saving you in lane or securing kills. The shielding is very nice too. Once you have these 2 abilities available, you now get to start trading. The combo (illustrated above) is to Grand Entrance in, knockup, auto attack, then Battle Dance your way out.
If you went Battle Dance first, then level Grand Entrance here.

Q 3rd Level last, as it doesn't lend itself to engages, disengages, or mobility in lane. This ability is a mana sink - make sure you use it when your certain it will hit.

When it comes to starting support item, you have two options. You can go Relic Shield or Spellthief's Edge. The better option is Relic Shield - Rakan lacks in range and poke, meaning he won't be able to stack Spellthief's Edge as consistently as other supports. That being said, Spellthief's gives a nice bit of mana regen that feels very nice for Rakan in the early game. Consider only going Spellthief's Edge in melee matchups where you are able to auto attack frequently, or in dominating matchups where you will be fighting alot.

When in doubt, though, it's always safe and ok to go Relic Shield. Be sure to use relic stacks to manipulate the wave to your advantage - use it to get level 2 before your opponents.

Sapphire Crystal or Tear of the Goddess: A rather unknown trick that I operate with is on my first base buying one of these items. They provide a mana pool that is invaluable for Rakan early game, plus they are decently cheap. Sapphire Crystal builds into Zeke's Convergence which is a situational item for Rakan. If they have a beefy front line (lot of HP or resistences) and you have an attack speed based carry ( Jinx, Twitch, even Ezreal), odds are you will be going this item. If you aren't planning on going Zeke's Convergence, go Tear of the Goddess. This item provides a wonderful mana pool, plus is builds into Fimbulwinter - another situational item on Rakan.

Tip: Buy one of these items even if you aren't going to build them into anything. They have great resell value (meaning you won't lose too much gold for selling), and provide an enormous advantage in the early game.

Rakan gets a wide variety of boots to choose from with almost no wrong answer. It is best to rush tier 2 boots, regardless of which ones you pick. Early game stats are unequivocal, and the movement helps tremendously in your laning endeavors. Tier 1 boots are always a first buy must have.

If the majority of the damage on the enemy team is AD, go plated.
Define Majority Take a look at at their team. Count how many of them do damage - ignore the support if they are enchanter. Ignore Jungle and top if they are purely tank. Then count how many do AD, how many do AP. If it's a tie, go Plated Steelcaps if they don't have Crowd Control, and go Mercury's Treads if they do.

Against champions like Leona, these boots come in clutch. If there are 3 or more serious CCs on the other team, go Mercury's Treads. Even if they are heavy AP, but have no crowd control, Plated Steelcaps may still be the move. Don't go Mercury's Treads for the Magic Resist.

Only go if you have multiple front liners on your team - meaning you will not be the only one taking damage. Boots of Swiftness are great for gap closer, but don't provide you with any life saving resistences.

These are your go to boots on Rakan. If they don't have a team that is full of 1 damage type, it's not always worth to go Plated Steelcaps or Mercury's Treads. Rakan thrives off of cooldown reductions - having your summoner spells up and your The Quickness up will be the deciding factor in many team fights.

No. Going Mobi's will cost you every engage. Odds are you will take damage before getting to your opponents, which costs you so much movement that is CRUCIAL to Rakan.

HAHAHA

Rakan is great as a support because he can fill so many different roles depending on the game. Tank, Peel, Engage, CC, buffing, and debuffing As support, he synergizes amazingly with many defensive items.

When you are against an all AD team comp, itemization gets very straight forward - ARMOR ARMOR ARMOR.
Bramble Vest will be your first, most efficient purchase. Regardless if the other team has insane healing or not, getting this piece first is powerful. The stats are great for a 800g piece, for starters. Not only that, but Thornmail scales off of bonus Armor, meaning every purchase going forward is multiplied.

After buying this (and plated Plated Steelcaps) ask yourself - is my ADC (or APC) in danger of getting one shot? Are there assasins'? If so, start building your Locket of the Iron Solari (start with Kindlegem, HP is better at the start of game, plus CDR is nice). If the answer is no, there's no burst damage or assasins' to worry about, go Evenshroud.

After your mythic, finishing Thornmail is not a priority UNLESS they have big healing ( Soraka, Sona, Yuumi, etc.).

Am I the only front line? Am I the one who starts the fight, or has to stand in front of my whole team in a team fight? (i.e. there are no other tanks or front liners on your team, or just 1? If Yes, build Zeke's Convergence or Zhonya's Hourglass.

Am I on peel duty? Are there multiple assassins' or divers that will be fixated on focusing my carry? If yes, build Anathema's Chains or Zeke's Convergence.

Am I looking to make picks? If yes, Dead Man's Plate or Anathema's Chains.

Anathema's Chains - This is great when there is an assasin on the enemy team OR if there is one dedicated carry (such as a Vayne or Jinx) on the enemy team. Attach it to the biggest threat.
Zeke's Convergence - This item is great when pair with an ally who is attack speed based or spams abilities (such as Ziggs, Ezreal, Jinx, etc. there alot). It's great for burning through tanking front liners or helping to burst down an assasin in the back line.
Thornmail/ Bramble Vest - Is invaluable against all AD comps. Can't go wrong with going it first.
Zhonya's Hourglass - Good against Pyke and if you are the only front line. If you are the only front line, it helps to stall the fight after you engage to let your team help, make room for yourself, and allows for your cooldowns to return.
Dead Man's Plate - Always a great call when into full AD. The pick potential is great - be sure not to auto attack during team fights or you will lose the bonus movement speed.
Vigilant Wardstone - When level 13 hits, get the Vigilant Wardstone. It's unmatched in utility, and the stats aren't half bad. Don't get it before, though. Not worth the money. Only get if you have no high priority items to purchase.





First Buy: Mercury's Treads. Follow this up with a Negatron Cloak. Stacking early MR will make you an unkillable.

Your inventory should look like this - Mercury's Treads, Negatron Cloak, Pot/Refillable, Control Ward and a Tear of the Goddess.

Finish your Force of Nature here for your first tiem, even before your mythic - it's that powerful. Once stacked, you get 20% reduced Magic Damage plus movement speed that in VITAL in kiting and keeping up with the enemies.

Once you have this down, it's time to look at the game as a whole. Similar to the ALL AD team comp, ask yourself, is your carry dying fast? Multiple assassins' or divers or a Syndra who wants to outplay your carry? If so, go Locket of the Iron Solari. Keeping them alive is ideal. AP dealers typically rely on burst ( Evelynn Syndra Orianna Veigar, etc.). Building a Locket of the Iron Solari will help a lot.

Is your carry fine? If they aren't in danger of being one shot, go either Shurelya's Battlesong or Evenshroud.
Evenshroud - Go if they have a beefy front line, such as Zac, Ornn, or Galio.
Shurelya's Battlesong - If they don't have a big health pool on their champions, go this. It's a staple and standard for Rakan.

Chemtech Putrifier - If they have healing on their team, this is a must.
Mikael's Blessing - This is a great item as it gives magic resist, amplifies healing/shielding, and gives the cleasning effect. Go this if they have crowd control on their team - it's a must.
Staff of Flowing Water - Great item if you feel like you don't need to be tankier. If you deem that you don't need more magic resist, this is your go to item. It provides great cooldown reduction for you and your allies, gives mana regen which is needed, and provides AP.
Ardent Censer - Not my favorite item. Typically doesn't amount to much unless you have multiple AD carries on your team, such as Kindred Quinn Jinx, etc.
Fimbulwinter - Odds are with my guide you started with a Tear of the Goddess for early mana. At this stage in the game, you get to choose to keep the Tear and make it into a Fimbulwinter or to sell it for inventory space. Fimbulwinter is great if you are the only front line or the only one engaging. The health pool and shield passive it applies feels very nice. If you have other people soaking up damage, though, it may be best to sell the Tear of the Goddess and move to a different item.
Abyssal Mask - Consider this if you have 1 or more high AP damage dealers on your team. It's a WONDERFUL item that not only makes you more tanky (steals MR from enemies), but increases magic damage dealt against them.
Zeke's Convergence - Not worth it against all AP damage dealers. If you want the extra damage, you can get a similar effect with Evenshroud.






Say you are against a team that is all AP... and then they have a Jinx. Now what? Do you build an armor item? OF COURSE YOU DON'T!

Anathema's Chains - This lovely item will solve all your worries. Simply go this item after your mythic (stacking early game HP is very nice), attach it to the 1 AD or 1 AP damage dealer, then itemize according to the above ALL AP or ALL AD comp.





Unfortunately, not every game can be against all of 1 type of damage. When this is the case, Evenshroud Locket of the Iron Solari and Shurelya's Battlesong each become viable.

Shurelya's Battlesong - This is great if you have atleast 1 (or more) tanks or front liners on your team. This allows you to not worry about taking the brunt of damage so you can focus on the utility of it all. Additionally, if you have hard engage champions such as Hecarim or if they have high mobility champions that want to run you down, Shurelya's Battlesong comes in clutch.
Evenshroud - This is a great item if you need to amplify your teams damage. If they have a tanky team with a lot of health and resistences, this mythic comes in clutch. Additionally, if your team has primarily one type of damage (all AD or AP), this item helps tremndously as the other team has an easier time negating damage.
Locket of the Iron Solari - think about your carry(s). If they are in danger of dying to assasin or a Syndra one shot, go Locket. If you deem that your mission is to solely keep your carry alive, this is the item to go.

Remember - Buying an early Tear of the Goddess or Sapphire Crystal is still very helpful to Rakan in the early game, even if you don't plan on building Fimbulwinter or Zeke's Convergence.

Think through the next 10 minutes of the game - will you be stuck in lane the whole time, or do you see yourself running cross map or fighting in the jungle? What will your role be? Building Rakan is very dependent on what role you are assuming. Deciding on your role will help you itemize from here. Use the below outline to decide what role you are filling and how to itemize accordingly.








If you are the only tank or front line on the team, you must build a Evenshroud or Locket of the Iron Solari first item. If your carry is safe without you, go Evenshroud. If you need to help keep them alive, go Locket of the Iron Solari. Now ask yourself, do you need MR or Armor, who is/are their damage dealer(s)? Once you decide that, reference the above Item sets to determine what item to build. If you are the only front line, it's best to itemize tanky items as opposed to enchanter items (such as Staff of Flowing Water or Ardent Censer.



They have Assasin or a run-you-down comp or you have a hyper carry ( Aphelios, Vayne, Twitch, Jinx). Your job is to keep them alive. Go Locket of the Iron Solari. You can go Shurelya's Battlesong as a form of peeling - gives the movement speed to your carries can help outrun the enemies. This comes down to preference and feel of the game
Next, look into building an Anathema's Chains (to prolong the CC you put onto those killing your carry.
Chemtech Putrifier is a great item if they have healing. Since you aren't the front line, you don't need Thornmail for healing reduction.
Redemption is a great item here. Empowers your shielding/healing, and provides an active heal that can save your carry.
Abyssal Mask is good if your carry is AP based, or if you have multiple AP damage dealers on your team.



Here you go Shurelya's Battlesong. This item is core to Rakan and empowers him in the best way - mobility. Having Shurelya's Battlesong is crucial on Rakan when you can manage it. The only downside is that it make you squishy. You can confidently go this mythic when you have other damage soakers on your team.
Staff of Flowing Water
Redemption
Chemtech Putrifier
Mikael's Blessing






Abyssal Mask -
First build if you have an all AP team - the stats are great and the passive is unmatched. It empowers your whole team while giving you AMAZING stats and damage reduction.
Build it 2nd or 3rd if you have a 2 or 3 AP team members.
Not Worth if your team has 1 or less AP.


Anathema's Chains - Extends CC duration and reduces up to 30% damage from a designated target.
Never go wrong building this item.
Best into comps that have (1) damage dealer of AP or AD, while the rest of the team is the other.
Best into comps with 1 designated carry.
Best into (1) assassin comp - allows you to lockdown the assassin so that your carry can live and make distant.


Ardent Censer -
Best if you have attack speed based allies ( Kog'Maw, Jinx, Twitch).
Best if you are on peel/empower duty.
Bad if you are primary engage.
Compare it to Redemption, Staff of Flowing Water, Mikael's Blessing - these are the core enchanter items that you can build. Figure out which is best for your situation.


Banshee's Veil -
Only good into all AP comp - even then it's not great. Takes away a lot of power from your team and Rakan doesn't do anything special with the extra damage.
Can be good if they have a Leona or someone who can stop your engage with one ability ( Janna, Malzahar, Thresh).


Bramble Vest -
RUSH into all AD
RUSH into Soraka, Yuumi, Warwick, Sona, things of their nature IF you are taking on the front line/tank role. If you are peeling or are going in and out of fights, Chemtech Putrifier gets more value.
If they aren't majority AD damage, not worth.


Chemtech Putrifier - Healing Reduction is required if they have healing. As a support, it's your job to get this item or Thornmail.
Best if you are NOT the front line.
Best if you have designated carries.
Required if they have healing.
In most games, you will go this or Thornmail. Ask yourself - Am I taking damage, or am I trying to stop damage from being done? If you are the tank, go Thornmail, if you are empowering your allies, go Chemtech Putrifier.


Cosmic Drive -
Not worth going. You need to use 3 abiltiies to gain the movement speed/extra AP, and by that point you'e used your full combo, meaning the extra stats are worthless.
I don't have any good situations for this item.


Dead Man's Plate - My personal favorite, though it's not great, honestly.
Don't build into AD light comps.
BEST into multiple AD comps.
BEST if you DONT have to peel carry
BEST if you are roaming/moving around the map a lot
BEST if you are looking to make picks
Don't build if you are on peel duty, meaning there are plenty of assasins or backline divers.


Everfrost -
Situational - Only build if you are going Predator - if you are going Predator you have decided that you are on "pick" duty or damage duty. Pairs well with Ingenious Hunter - this is a selfish mythic item, meaning that you are mainly playing for yourself or for fun.


Force of Nature -
First build if their team is all AP or all but 1 AP
Go 2nd or 3rd if they only have 2 or less AP
BEST when you are primary engage/frontline.
Don't build if 1 or less AP threat.


Frozen Heart -
BEST into all AD comp, or 3+ AD
BEST if they have multiple AD carries (ADC, Graves, Kindred, Quinn, etc.) Attack speed based champ will suffer.
Don't build if on peel duty.
Don't build if you are the only engage/front line. Other items will be needed instead - the lack of HP pool will kill you.
Don't build if they have 1 or less AD threats.


Fimbulwinter -
Great if you bout an early Tear of the Goddess, which I highly recommend (that or Sapphire Crystal).
Great if you are on engage/tank duty.
Not ideal if youa re peeling - when you are peeling and empowering your allies, they are typically the target of the damage. You're better off going items that help them.
Tear start is great on Rakan even if you aren't planning on building this item. It has good resell value later into the game. Hold on to it until you need the inventory space.


Gargoyle Stoneplate -
Don't build. Ever.




Hextech Rocketbelt - Look, I am not a fan of this, but I understand in some elos this is a fine item to go.
When you go this item, you are choosing it in the same situation where you would go Shurelya's Battlesong. This is a selfish build that doesn't benefit your team, but is good if you are trying to solo carry. Pairs well with Predator and Ingenious Hunter.


Knight's Vow -
It's not super great on Rakan. Most of the time it gets you killed more then it saves your ally.
Consider if you have 1 win condition, meaning that if your carry dies, you lose the game.
Vayne Jinx or a carry jungler.


Locket of the Iron Solari -
Great Item.
Best in peel situations.
Not great when you are the only front line.


Mikael's Blessing -
Great into crowd control champions ( Lissandra, Leona, Sejuani, etc.]].
Great into AP heavy comps - it gives a decent amount of magic resist.
Bad if they have no crowd control.
Bad if they are all AD dealers.
Compare it to Redemption, Ardent Censer, Staff of Flowing Water - these are the core enchanter items that you can build. Figure out which is best for your situation.


Randuin's Omen -
Only build if into an all AD team. Build this instead of frozen heart for the extra HP
Best against Crit based champs - Yasuo, Yone, Jhin


Redemption -
Great in most any situation.
Great when peeling as it empowers your shields/heals and provides the active AOE heal.
Great when the enemy has a team comp that wants to run at you ( Hecarim, Jarvan IV, Galio).
Not great when you are the only front line. If you are taking all the damage, it would be better to go tank items.
Compare it to Staff of Flowing Water, Ardent Censer, Mikael's Blessing - these are the core enchanter items that you can build. Figure out which is best for your situation.


Spirit Visage -
Never go. It's not worth it. Rakan doesn't synergize with healing, making this item obtainable only for it's stats, which can be gain with abyssal mask and then some.


Staff of Flowing Water -
Best when you aren't the front line.
Best with AP damage allies and people who benefit from cooldown reduction.
Best when you are on peel duty.
Compare it to Redemption, Ardent Censer, Mikael's Blessing - these are the core enchanter items that you can build. Figure out which is best for your situation.


Thornmail - Healing Reduction is required if they have healing. As a support, it's your job to get this item or Chemtech Putrifier.
ALWAYS GO if they have 3+ AD damage dealers.
Consider going if they have healers (soraka, yuumi, etc.)
Consider going if you are the front line - the stats or wonderful and stack well with bonus AD.
Never go if they are all or mostly an AP comp.
In most games, you will go this or Chemtech Putrifier. Ask yourself - Am I taking damage, or am I trying to stop damage from being done? If you are the tank, go Thornmail, if you are empowering your allies, go Chemtech Putrifier.


Vigilant Wardstone -
Great in every game and every situation.
Do not buy before level 13 - not worth. It doesn't give you the full stats and effects until you are level 13.
Great into stealth champions such as Evelynn and Twitch (for the extra pink wards).


Zeke's Convergence -
Best paired with attack speed based allies like Jinx and Twitch.
Best against tankier enemies with big health pools.
Poor against assasins and other squishy carries.
Poor into majority AP dealing enemies.


Zhonya's Hourglass -
Best when you are the only front line/engager.
Best specifically into Pyke.
Good into all AD dealers.
Bad when your job is to peel.

For engage support enemies, it is vital that they make the first move. Whether its Leona or Alistar, you have to wait for their engage before you use your abiltiies. In general melee range engage matchups, the first one to pull the trigger typically loses the trade. It's very important to recognize that as Rakan, your abilities are easier to dodge than others, meaning you can not waste them and that they MUST be directed towards the correct target. If the enemy goes in on your lane partner, you MUST look at their carry, not their support. Don't ever use that Grand Entrance on Leona, but look to use it on their Jhin or Jinx and then Battle Dance your way out. Biggest goal in these matchups is to save your lane partner from the most damage possible.
Below are specifics on all matchups.

Alistar
Lane: Main thing is to make sure you are not standing on or next to your carry - if Alistar enagages on both of you, you will lose the trade. If only you or your lane partner get targeted, you are able to dash away or turn onto the enemy ADC and use Grand Entrance to mitigate the trade.

Team Fights: If Alistar is looking for an engage, your goal is to charm him with The Quickness after he uses his Headbutt, but before his Pulverize. It's not as difficult as it looks. Simply be his target or intercept him while Ulting when he Headbutt you or your ally. He will immediately be charmed for 1-2 seconds, giving your team time to kite his Pulverize.




Blitzcrank
Lane: Rakan is great in this matchup. Simply stand in front of your ally at all times. If Blitzcrank hooks, you take it and can simply dash out, or better yet, use that hook to then Grand Entrance to the enemy ADC and turn the fight. Be careful not to be knockuped up in the air - it will cancel your ability.

Teamfight: Similar as laning. If you can take the hooks for your team, Blitzcrank becomes useless.

Tip: If he hooks, press R The Quickness immediately. He grabs you, pulls you in, you charm him so he can't E, you get a burst of movement speed and are closer to his allies, and engage from there. I can it hijacking the hook.




Braum
Lane: Each lane. Always take the Winter's Bite for your ally. You are able to dash away, making him useless.

Team fight: The only thing you have to worry about is him is his Glacial Fissure. If the timing is good for Braum. he can knock you out of the air and cancel your Grand Entrance. Same with his passive, Concussive Blows. If the stun is about to hit you, don't use your dashes. If you get stunned mid air, you freeze in place and lose your cooldown.



Leona
Laning: Get Mercury's Treads. You can NOT use abiltiies in this lane first, otherwise you will lose the trade (unless you have a jungler to help you). Stay on the opposite side of lane as your lane partner. Whenever Leona goes in on you, you dash away. Whenever she goes in on your lane partner, you NEED to Battle Dance to your ally for the shield/ Guardian, then look to Grand Entrance to their CARRY. Do NOT Grand Entrance the Leona. Your job here is to crowd control the carry (the follow up damage), or zone them away from the fight. You then use second charge of Battle Dance to dash back to the ally and disengage. Leona auto attack stun will cancel your mid air engage or disengage and take away it's cooldown. It's a scary matchup.

Team fight: Use Leona to leap frog in fights - the combo detailed above. Whenever she engages, use The Quickness on her to get you the movement speed to reach their backline (counter engage). Additionally, this will charm her for 1-2 seconds, which allows your allies to kite away,.



Shen
Lane: Same as Leona, just not as scary. You should when this lane easy.

Team fight: For the most part, just ignore him. He doesn't provide much to team fights.



Maokai - GO Mercury's Treads
Lane: I know this sounds like a cop out, but it's the same thing as Leona, only Maokai ult is even worse for Rakan. You HAVE to play lane opposite of your lane partner, and you HAVE to wait for him to use his cooldowns before you can go in. His Bramble Smash can cancel your dashes, his Twisted Advance will stop you in his tracks, and his Nature's Grasp is a nightmare that stops whatever you are doing.

Team fight: After his Nature's Grasp is done, you are free to do whatever. He does not provide much after that, it's kind of just a wating game.



Nautilus
Lane: Make sure you are always behind minions. His auto attack will root you and cancel any dash you are currently in. His Dredge Line will do the same. It's best to play reactive, dodge skill shots, keep your distance, and engage when his abiltiies are on cooldown. You scale better, so just survive lane.

Teamfight: Wait for his engage before you go in, or make sure you can get to the enemy backline before he gets to you. He counters Rakan hard, but as long as you play around his abiltiies you will provide more than him.

Tip: Don't bring his Depth Charge into your team.




Poppy
Lane: Play reactive. Her Steadfast Presence blocks your whole mode of playing. If it's not on cooldown, don't dash. Play away from your carry - meaning if Poppy engages on your ADC, you'll have plenty of distance to
Grand Entrance onto the enemy ADC to mitigate damage.

Team Fight: Start with The Quickness. Run to her and touch her for the movement speed. If she hasn't used Steadfast Presence, this gives you a second to dash while she is charmed. If she did use it, it gives you a second to get our of her range before dashing across the fight.

Tip: Be patient and wait our her Steadfast Presence before dashing.




Sett
Decently easy matchup. Wait for his engage, then turn. He's a sitting Duck and can't provide anything past his intial burst.








Rakan has an advantage when it comes to enchanter supports. Enchanters lack when it comes to all ins or hard engages, which Rakan can muster. Additionally, Rakan has descent sustain against enchanters that like to poke. This is an ideal time to level up 3 point into Gleaming Quill before maxing Grand Entrance. Second Wind will be your go to rune with Guardian. If you got Glacial Augment (which you can) be sure to go Future's Market to get those early tier 2 boots. This allows you to have more map agency than an enchanter out of lane, and helps with dodging skill shots/trading with enchanters in lane. Go Sweeping Lens to start and take control of the bushes in lane. By sweeping their wards, you are able to stay as close to them as possible without takes any poke or harrass from them. Additionally, your team fighting early is stronger, meaning you should be calling for ganks, fights in river, fights around objectives, and roams where you can.
Laning: Be sure to focus down the ADC UNLESS it's a Soraka lane, where you will focus down Soraka.
Team fights: You offer more in terms of crowd control and team fight cabilities. Don't be shy to start fights.
Specific mathup details below.

Janna
Lane: This is a great game to roam. She provides little kill potential onto your ADC, but unfortunately her Howling Gale can block most of your engages, meaning theres not much to do in lane. Take this matchup to practice roaming and playing with your jungler.
Team Fight: Just keep an eye on her and know where she is. Typically you can play around her knockups. Be patient, don't use your Grand Entrance unless your sure she can't react to it or doesn't have the cooldowns up.



Karma
One of the more brutal matchups. Her mobility keeps her ahead of your engages, while her short cooldowns and decent range keeps you off the wave and poked down. Play around her cooldowns - if she just used her Mantra Inner Flame, look to engage. You ideally want to engage onto the enemy carry, but using Grand Entrance on [[karma] isn't terrible. Just make sure you "drop in, drop out" as Rakan says and don't over stay your welcome.
It's a rought lane to roam in unless you ADC has good wave clear or mobility. Karma loves to push in the wave and if you aren't there when the minions crash, your ADC will suffer.



Lulu - A very neutral matchup. She has a stronger trade into you, meaning if you miss your Grand Entrance, you will be punished hard. That being said, if you land the knockup on the carry of the lane, you will typically win that fight.



Morgana - Nightmare lane - her Black Shield nullifies your engage, and her binding roots you out of the air. Play the map by roaming and following the jungler.




Nami - If she E's her ally, back off. If any of her cooldowns are down, looks for a fights. She's very squishy. It's ok to focus her over the ADC because of how quickly she dies.



Sona - You win lane hard. Be agressive - if you knock her up, she dies. She scales and becomes very powerful late - if you ever see a chance to crowd control her, go for it. Could when you the fight. Focus her in lane as well as team fights.



Soraka - Boring lane - she out pokes you and out heals any trade you do. A great game to go Predator and work the map.










Bard is an even matchup to Rakan. He out roams, out ranges, and has decent mobilty. Best thing to do here is to keep your waves pushing in as much as possible to keep bard in lane. If he's ever gets in range, go for the engage. If he roams, push your lane and dive their ADC. Unless you have Predator, you can't match his roams so don't try. Win bot.



Pantheon - He is not a great support, but he can snowball a game if you aren't careful. He will either look to roam all game or fight non stop. If he roams you HAVE to call out each roam for your team. You do not need to follow - simply kill the ADC left behind. If he stays and fights, you HAVE to save your cooldowns until AFTER he jumps on you or your AD. Follow the guidelines mentioned with Leona in this situation. You outscale and he falls off if he can't get kills early.
Pyke - This is a fun matchup because Rakan counters Pyke hard. Your dashes make it impossible for him to lane his stun. Take every Bone Skewer for your carry, then dash back to them. This is one of the few games where you are allows to go Zhonya's Hourglass to avoid his ultimate ability. Go double armor runes in this matchup.



Senna - one of the worst matchups. Don't trade or walk up - letting her farm souls off you will cost you the game. Get level 6 as quickly as you can and try not to let her farm souls off of you.. Consider Predator and roam mid and with jungler to win the game.



Shaco - Start Sweeping Lens and you win. Shaco supports don't typically go Flash, so it's alright to focus him in fights.



Taric - At the moment, the champ is awful. Just ignore him and focus the enemy carry and you'll when every fight.



Thresh - Never engage first on Thresh. His Flay makes that impossible. It's very important that you focus the enemy carry whenever Thresh uses his Death Sentence. If Thresh hooks your ally, you need to make sure you are using Grand Entrance on the enemy carry, or atleast zoning them away from your ally.








If any of the above champions ever uses part of his combo and misses, look for the engage. It's the best way to counter mage supports. Make sure you are playing on a paralell line or in triangle with your ADC so they aren't stuck taking all of the skill shots (explanation on what this means below). Mage support are very easy to deal with if you capitalize on their cooldowns. If they miss a skill shot, you pressure and play up and look for a engage. Additionally, this is a great time to alternate your abilties when leveling up. Instead of just maxing Grand Entrance, consider 1 point Grand Entrance, 1 point Battle Dance, and back and forth. Having your E up to shield ally is very nice in this lane.

Laning: take bush control. Looking for opening when they miss their abiltiies. Past that, go Guardian and Second Wind and chill. Additionally, this is a fine time to bring out the Predator Rakan. In this lane, you typically get poked down and can't do much unless the enemy miss plays. Counter this by playing the map, roaming, following your jungler around, securing objectives, and ganking mid.

Tips on specific Champs:


Brand- If he misses any part of his combo, go in.




Lux - If her Light Binding is down, go in. Her Light Binding will root you mid air and cancel your Grand Entrance, so avoid engaging head on.




Swain - if his Nevermove is down, go in. honestly, even if it's up, go in anyways. He's very weak in lane.




Vel'Koz - Rough lane. If he misses his abilties, go in. With their short cooldown, it may be best to roam and play for the jungle.



Xerath - If he ever gets close enough to engage on, go. He melts. Otherwise look to roam and make plays on the map. Predator is good here.




Zilean - His Time Warp is a massive counter to you. Ask for your jungler to gank often or just roam.




Zyra - If her Grasping Roots are ever off cooldown, GOGOGOGOGOGO. Free kill. Otherwise just chill and scale. Her Grasping Roots will root you in mid air and waste your Grand Entrance cooldown, so play accordingly. Similar to Lux.



Playing in parallel and triangle formation: These refer to playing on the same the same line of scrimmage as your ally. If they are pushing further than you, then they have to take poke and skill shots from both support and ADC. If you are pushed further than they are, then YOU are the one who takes both. Playing on the same parallel line as ADC means you split the damage, and if one of you trys to trade, then both of you can easily. This is the best way to counter Mage support.

A friend of mine "twitch.tv/iskyi" made a wonderful and short video explaining this whole concept, linked below. If you found the content helpful, consider dropping him a Subscription and like the video. Play Video