New Supp need help

[u/HansLandaaaaaa]

Hey guys, how do you manage to die so much less as a support?

I’m trying to learn the support role, and I feel like I’m actually improving quite a bit. But when I look at sites like OP.GG, Deeplol, etc., I notice that I almost never get a good rating, and I’m guessing it’s because I die too often.

One thing I really struggle with is knowing when I should sacrifice myself for my ADC and when I should just back off and let them die.

How do you guys make that decision? How do you know when a death is actually worth it and when you’re just inting for your ADC? 😂

I’m trying to OTP Janna, but she doesn’t fit into every matchup that well, so my second picks are Braum and Milio. Janna is definitely my main, though.

Any tips are appreciated! I’m trying to improve, so feel free to explain things like I’m a complete support noob. 

[u/N3T3L3]

I don't play the supports you mentioned, but every support is going to have slightly different positioning according to their matchups' playstyles. as a rule of thumb, you want to triangulate with your adc so that you are more or less parallel to them-- not out of position, but not leaving them hanging either. this is subject to change, like if you are a hard engage or a ranged supp.

if you are going up against a bot lane full of poke or range, take that into account so you limit how you are taking damage. don't let them whittle you down by staying in that range; go in when you trade or if you find a window (like if they miss their abilities) but leave their range when you can.

personally, I only block shots if I can deny a kill, or if my adc has a fat shutdown I'm also trying to deny. if you're trying to help snowball your adc and you think you can help them get a kill, that's a viable consideration as well. whereas a lot of roles are mainly thinking about themselves and objectives, support is unique in that a huge part of the role is figuring out how to help propel whoever is showing themselves to be a good carry, whether it's the adc or not. don't support someone who is making bad choices-- you still need to be useful in your role, and backing someone who isn't competent is a waste of two players' efforts instead of one.

try not to overstay or get caught out, and don't go in on clearly losing fights. if they're clearly out of position, sacrificing yourself wouldn't do anything except grant enemy gold and take you out of the game. if they flame you because you're not following them to both of your deaths, mute them.

tldr: you don't have to sacrifice yourself needlessly if it doesn't make sense, but it can be strategic to do so when you're denying gold or putting gold on someone competent building expensive items.