Vynertje's Support AMA and advice thread

[quote=Sarixis]Who do you think are the top 5 best and worst supports overall in the current meta? Could you shortly explain why for each? Also is there any situation when [[twin shadows]] is a good buy?[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje][quote=Sarixis]Who do you think are the top 5 best and worst supports overall in the current meta? Could you shortly explain why for each?[/quote] Not going to give a top-5 ranking but instead just name some of the better and worse supports. This because lots of it purely depends on situation and sometimes personal preference. Best support right now is [[braum]] by a rather big margin. He has pretty much everything and very little weaknesses. Especially late game he's just too powerful. Other high priority picks are Thresh (has everything in his skill set but his numbers aren't as broken; he still has weaknesses), Alistar (weak pre-6 but a roaming monster and great late game presence due to ultimate) and Janna (ability to reset fights is really good and synergizes with all hypercarries). Some of the worst supports are Zilean and Taric because they have very one-dimensional skill sets and no depth in their gameplay. Other champions that I'd rank amongst them are those that shouldn't be classified as supports like Nunu [quote]Also is there any situation when [[twin shadows]] is a good buy?[/quote] nop[/quote]

[quote=Blian]I guess I can figure your opinion on [[Trundle]] support but still need to ask![/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]Troll pick? Nah seriously, he has a very limited range of spells for a support, with only his ult and pillar being of any use. That makes him very situational at best.[/quote]

[quote=Sarixis]What changes do you think would [[frost queen's claim]] need to be a worthwhile regular purchase compared to [[face of the mountain]] and [[talisman of ascension]]?[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]Very interesting question, thank you for asking. First of all, I'm not even sure if there is a thing that can be done to make it a good purchase without pushing it over the edge. The problems with the item are many: 1. AP isn't the most valuabe stat for a support in general. There are only few support champions that benefit from AP ([[lulu]], [[janna]]) while the latter doesn't even commonly start [[spellthief's edge]]. 2. The gold generation in laning phase is great (best out of all items), but late game you're not spending as much time getting these gold procs repeatedly. Therefore, upgrading the item generally isn't worth it. 3. The AP items that are out there, have much more effective actives. Even if you're looking for an AP item on a support, there are better choices. Therefore, I think the main things they need to buff/change/improve are the gold generation and/or the active. They need to find a way to make the gold generation scale into the late game, which may involve having to rework the item. I can't imagine Riot will buff the passive gold generation as that's something they tried to keep in check in the past (with passive, no-risk gold generation should also come low reward). The active also needs to be reworked to be more useful in offensive purposes. AP on a support is snowball-ish, so the active should match that. Right now, the active has very little offensive use as the travel speed is too low, can be easily outran and dodged. It is pretty much only used in a defensive situation in terms of kiting if the enemy runs into you. I'm wondering if combining the item with [[ardent censer]] passive (and removing the active) would make any sense, I think it would make the item a meaningful upgrade and remove an otherwise redundant item.[/quote]

[quote=MrMad2000]What are your opinions on tank supports such as [[braum]], [[leona]] or [[alistar]] rushing [[mikael's crucible]]? Does it depend on the situation or is it generally just a bad idea overall?[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]Generally [s]bad[/s] terrible idea. Mikaels in general is a poor item atm: any adc can get qss, midlaners frequently run cleanse and even if they don't, there are simply better utility items like zekes harbinger. I think the only champion nowadays that can still afford to rush mikaels is Nami.[/quote]

[quote=MrMad2000]Do you think the item [[ardent censer]] is in a decent spot at the moment due to the shift from (pre-season/early S5) burst ADC's to auto attack reliant ones such as [[tristana]] and [[kalista]]?[/quote]

[quote=Sarixis][quote=Vynertje]Very interesting question, thank you for asking.[/quote] No problem, I'm glad you thought it was something interesting to discuss. I've been doing some game design theory crafting on how mage supports could get a little love next season without being over-the-top buffs. It's mostly a for-fun thinking exercise/hobby. [[frost queen's claim]] is my starting point for a hopefully longer train of thought so I do appreciate your in-depth reply.[/quote]