How This Tier List Works
This support tier list is based on general competitive performance across all skill levels, taking into account win rate trends, playmaking potential, utility value, and ease of use. Tier lists are always patch-dependent — use this as a starting point and adapt based on the current meta in your specific game and rank bracket.
Tiers run from S (Dominant) to D (Avoid in Ranked).
S Tier — Dominant Picks
These champions are overtuned, versatile, or so impactful that they win games on their own. First-pick or ban worthy.
- Thresh — Arguably the most skill-expressive support in the game. Death Sentence hooks create picks, Lantern saves teammates, and his kit scales into late game through stacks. Rewards mastery heavily.
- Nautilus — Point-and-click CC machine. Anchor hook, chain of knockups, and a reliable all-in makes him devastating at every stage. Easier to pilot than Thresh with similar carry potential.
- Lulu — The premier peel support. Polymorph, Whimsy, and Wild Growth protect carries through entire team fights. Pairs well with any hypercarry ADC.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable
Excellent picks that perform consistently without being broken. Great for climbing if you understand their strengths.
- Milio — Enchanter with great utility, cleanse on ultimate, and decent poke. Excels in teamfight-oriented compositions.
- Blitzcrank — High-variance but extremely punishing when hooks land. Strong in solo queue where enemies are more likely to over-extend.
- Leona — All-in engage machine. When ahead, she can solo-lock down opponents and chain CC through full team fights. Needs a responsive team to maximize value.
- Renata Glasc — Underrated utility with Hostile Takeover ultimate and shields. Strong in coordinated play.
B Tier — Situationally Good
Viable picks that work well in the right matchup or composition but have clear weaknesses to exploit.
- Karma — Strong laning phase and poke but falls off in late-game teamfights compared to dedicated enchanters.
- Pyke — Execute-focused assassin support. Great in snowball comps, struggles if behind. Execute gold sharing rewards good positioning.
- Soraka — Powerful healing output, but vulnerable to dive and has limited engage. Best when your team can peel for her.
- Alistar — Headbutt-Pulverize combo is strong engage, but he needs flash to be reliable. Good in draft-aware games.
C Tier — High Risk, Low Reward
These picks require significant mastery and favorable conditions to function. Not recommended for general ranked play.
- Sona — Strong teamfight ultimate but extremely fragile and punished hard in aggressive bot lanes.
- Shaco — Gimmicky support that relies on opponents not knowing the matchup. Experienced players neutralize him easily.
D Tier — Avoid in Ranked
Picks that are outclassed by alternatives in every meaningful way at this point in the meta. Play them in normals only.
- Zilean (Support) — Kit has potential but currently outpaced by other utility supports with more consistent impact.
Quick Matchup Reference
| Your Pick | Best Matchup | Worst Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Thresh | Soraka | Blitzcrank |
| Nautilus | Sona | Karma |
| Lulu | Pyke | Leona |
| Blitzcrank | Soraka | Thresh |
Climbing With Support
The single best advice for support mains climbing ranked: pick fewer champions and master them deeply. A Thresh one-trick at moderate rank will outperform a player rotating through 10 different supports at higher ELO. Invest in 2-3 champions across different archetypes (engage, enchanter, tank) and learn every matchup thoroughly.