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I am a GM playing fill on the EUW and SEA server currently. This guide is aimed aimed at supports as I feel that the playerbase for supports is currently inflated due to many supports only playing in premades. I hope this guide on wave management will be useful not only to supports but other players who have yet to learn about this aspect of the game.
With the upcoming addition of support specific starting items next patch (relic shield and spectral sickle) riot is finally allowing you to last hit minions without stealing your ADC’s gold.
—New sup items—
How will these items work? Relic shield gives you 3 procs that will execute minions from 50% Hp (melee) and 30% Hp (ranged) when you are near an ally, granting both you and your nearest ally the gold from that minion. You will generally want to save a proc for the cannons as they give the most gold.
Spectral sickle is a poking item which is good on supports like Senna. You will get 3 procs that will grant you gold from hitting your opponents.
Both these items will upgrade into a warding item once you complete a quest earning X gold from using the procs.
—Supports and wave management—
In the current patch without those items, Iron to Grand Master elo, occasionally there will be a support that likes to last hit all minions. Don’t be that guy. Champions like senna are actively punished by last hitting as it affects your soul drop rate. If you find yourself getting too good at stealing minions, swap over to jungle and steal barons.
You are generally allowed to touch the wave as long as you don’t last hit, or if the adc plans to manipulate the wave.
What do I mean by manipulate the wave?
=Slow push=
If you see your adc not touching the wave and only going for last hits, he is likely trying to let the wave come closer to your side of the map. This is a slow push towards you. This can be used to: 1) freeze the wave under your tower 2) deny enemy cs 3) if you are already winning lane you can walk up behind the wave to zone your opponents off exp
Similarly, if your adc is not clearing the whole wave and letting your own waves stack up slowly, this is a slow push towards the enemy. This can be used to: 1)prevent ganks, at early stages of the game a big stack of 2.5 waves can help you win a 2v3 2) force enemy to stay in lane and farm so you can move to dragon or recall
When slow pushing towards the enemy you want to make sure the minions attack the enemy tower and “crash into tower” this will prevent the enemy from freezing your wave.
=Freeze=
Freezes can be set up if one wave is stronger than the other. This will happen if either side holds a wave near tower with the opposing wave having either 4 caster minions more, or 1 cannon and 1 caster more. Freezing under your tower allows you to: 1) receive easy ganks 2) deny cs and exp
If your enemy freezes a wave, hard shove the wave so it crashes into tower and resets. If the crashed wave is not killed by the tower before a new wave arrives, it will result in a slow push back to you, otherwise the waves will just meet back in the middle.
=Shove=
As a support, this is perhaps the one technique you need to know right. If you have just won a 2v2 and need to recall, as a support you should be helping to hit the wave with all abilities. Try your best to not last hit, especially cannon. But do not waste time when you’re shoving, it’s ok to take minions if the next wave is coming. To properly shove a wave, you need to make your minions crash into the tower. Benefits: 1. Wave will slow push back to you, giving you control of the lane when you come back. 2. crashed minions will die in tower (hopefully before enemies come back) denying gold and exp.
—Why is this important?— Support is the role most similar to Jungle. You need to understand how the wave is going to behave in order to impact the map properly. You should be looking at mid, seeing that the wave is going to slow push towards your side of the map in 1-2 waves time, and try to be there to help your mid lane get a kill. Unless you are yuumi. The more you understand your role, the less you will be stealing minions and kills complaining about your 0/2/4 adc as a 4 kill seraphine.
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