The 7 best support champions on LoL Patch 9.19
Patch 9.19 is here and, as ever, the best League of Legends support champions have changed with the latest update. Here are the strongest supports that the pro players will probably be using at Worlds. Have a look and take them into solo queue.
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Now, one champion you probably won’t be using is Yuumi, the most dominant support throughout the second half of the year. She received a massive nerf that has relegated the roaming cat to the bottom of the League litter, while a few buffs have seen new contenders rise up.
So, if you are stuck on who to play as an autofilled support, or are a support main looking to abuse the next best thing, this list of the best support champions on Patch 9.19 should help you carry solo queue, no gold required.
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Blitzcrank is by far one of the strongest champions on Patch 9.19.Blitzcrank
Blitzcrank has lived in the shadows of Thresh, Nautilus, and Pyke in the hook support role. The original hasn’t been the best for a while, but he’s bound to rise up the ranks after huge buffs on Patch 9.19.
The extra 100 units of range on his Q, Rocket Grab, means he now outranges Pyke’s Bone Skewer (1100), Thresh’s Death Sentence (1075), and Nautilus’ Dredge Line (1050) with a whopping 1150 range.
I_can't_wait_for_this_patch.mp4 pic.twitter.com/sRFmhO0Vt9
— FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) September 25, 2019
That, alongside a buff to his ultimate’s passive, has meant Blitzcrank has seen a massive spike in play in solo queue. He currently has a 53.64% win rate, up almost 4% from last patch, and is the most picked support in solo queue, appearing in just under a quarter of games.
It would come as no surprise if Blitzcrank gets picked up again at Worlds after years of flux. People haven’t got used to the new hook range yet, and the support line-up is stacked with players who have previously favored hook supports, like G2’s Mihael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle, Fnatic’s Zdravets ‘Hylissang’ Iliev Galabox, and RNG’s Shi ‘Ming’ Sen-Ming. Keep an eye out for the robot come October in Europe – because he’s back.
Nautilus is strong in both pro play and solo queue as a support.Nautilus
While Blitzcrank will likely reign supreme as the best hook support come Worlds, that doesn’t mean the others are slouchers. Hook supports like Nautilus will always have their place in the meta, because the ability to CC and displace an enemy from range is incredibly strong.
Nautilus has been a standout pick in pro play over season nine, and while his 43% win rate might not speak volumes about his success, he’s had a major impact. He was the second most picked support in China’s LPL, behind Tahm Kench, and was even flexed in the mid lane by FunPlus Phoenix’s Kim ‘Doinb’ Tae-sang.
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His solo queue performance also speaks volumes about his strength. He currently sits at 52.97% win rate on Patch 9.19, second to Blitzcrank, and a pick rate of 15.57%, which is third in role.
His one-rotation burst combo onto a target can nuke a squishy carry from full health, and his combo is only amplified by Aftershock and Shield Bash, two popular rune choices for Nautilus. Changes don’t seem to be on the way for him just yet, and Yummi and Lux are out of the meta, so the Titans of the Depths should roam the rift mostly uncontested.
Morgana recently received a brand new skin.Morgana
With Blitzcrank and Nautilus so high up the priority list in solo queue and pro play, it’s no surprise that Morgana is one of the strongest supports on Patch 9.19. Her Black Shield is incredibly potent against these hook champions, and can completely nullify a team’s engage.
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While she currently sits with a low winrate of 48.39%, she has one of the highest skill caps of any support. People at lower ranks don’t play around her cooldowns effectively, and don’t realise that the threat of a Dark Binding is sometimes more impactful that the ability itself.
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That’s why on the pro level she excels as a hard counter to heavy CC supports. She can bait entire teams into a bad fight, pick off a target with her binding, and shred their resistances with Tormented Soil. There’s only one true counter to Morgana, and that’s a Quicksilver Sash or Mikael’s Crucible.
So no matter whether you are a pro or a support novice, having the ability to play Morgana in your pocket is a must.
Rakan will always be one of the strongest supports, regardless of meta.Rakan
At this point in time, Rakan will never not be relevant in League of Legends. His playmaking potential, ability to peel for carries, and keep the front and back line topped up with heals and shields during a fight is insane. He’s the perfect all-round support, and only becomes stronger when paired with Xayah in the lover’s duo.
Many pro players have carved out legacies off the back of this champion. Mikyx’s Rakan was pretty much a perma-ban throughout season nine, and was one of the reasons G2 won MSI 2019. Ning helped Invictus Gaming lift the Summoner’s Cup off the back of the Charmer, while Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yong-in’s Rakan has been dominant in Team Liquid’s 2019 run.
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His solo queue win rate usually hovers around 50%, but his pick rate has been on the rise after getting buffed earlier in season nine. There’s no one way to play this champion, and his flexibility in build and item choices is his strong suit.
If you are a support player and you haven’t learned Rakan yet, do yourself a favor and pick him up. He will be one of the best supports in League for a long time to come.
While Pyke lost some of his power a few patches ago, he’s still good in support.Pyke
Pyke was once a terror on Summoner’s Rift, pillaging every lane across the map. His wave clear was nerfed to bring him back down bot lane, but since then, he’s been a feast-or-famine power pick in the support role.
That doesn’t mean he’s been terrible. In fact, he’s currently in a really strong spot as a pure support. His abilities have been buffed in season nine across the board from a supporting sense.
Something that may go unnoticed in a crazy game. @G2Mikyx manages to land the Pyke Q cancel. An insanely hard trick to pull off. You cancel the back half of your Q animation with E. But if you miss the timing window at all you input buffer the E and get nothing. #LEC pic.twitter.com/os0b2HRvY0
— Daniel Drakos (@DanielDrakos) September 8, 2019
The biggest change was the rework to his ultimate, Death from Below, drastically increasing the gold share. If a Pyke can get one teamfight’s worth of executes, it’s pretty much game over from an economy standpoint.
Instead of Pyke soaking up all the gold for himself in the top lane, he instead can help snowball a team’s lead out of control from support. That, alongside his obnoxious lane sustain, makes him one of the strongest supports on Patch 9.19.
Volibear has risen up the support ranks in pro play.Volibear
Volibear support was a pick that came completely out of left field in season nine, and it’s here to stay – for at least Worlds.
His early game power to displace and destroy squishy bot lanes has made him a popular addition to many support’s back pockets. He can find quick picks with Rolling Thunder and an early Righteous Glory, while his Majestic Roar can stop enemies escaping using dashes.
He will be a high priority pick at Worlds, especially for the Chinese and Korean teams who have mastered the art of support Volibear. However, he still hasn’t caught on in solo queue despite his pro play success, and Patch 9.19 didn’t do much to change that.
While he is a dominant pick, he is significantly harder to pilot compared to any other champion on this list. If you are a seasoned support player though, it might be worth learning him as a cheeky pocket pick for when things get tough in ranked.
Nami is probably the strongest enchanter support on this patch.Nami
If you are an enchanter support player, season nine has been pretty rough. Janna, Lulu, and Soraka have all been pretty weak, while Yuumi and Karma just received hefty nerfs in Patch 9.19. But, there’s one pick that could rise up, and that’s Nami.
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She’s been relatively untouched throughout season nine, and has pretty good synergy with some of Patch 9.19’s strongest marksmen, including Jinx and Lucian. Her win rate is hovering around the 50% mark, but that might bump up a little on this patch.
Her rune and build paths are incredibly flexible. Summon: Aery and Guardian are both viable options on Nami, while any of the Forbidden Idol items are incredibly strong on the Tidemaster, who is pretty mana hungry in lane.
The chances of seeing Nami at the pro level are pretty low, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
This piece will be updated every Patch with the latest set of best supports.
