Currently, there are 10 extra supporters in the free champion rotation of League of Legends and there is a reason for that. You can find out why here.
Those who have played LoL in the last two weeks may have noticed that there are suddenly a lot of supporters in the free champion rotation. Usually, players have a selection of 10 random champions to choose from, which they can test in the rotation for one week. The additional supporters now bring the total number to 20 free champions.
However, Riot didn’t set this up just for fun; there is a good reason. The role of the supporter is simply too unpopular and hardly anyone wants to take on the supportive role. The free rotation aims to ensure that summoners try out the various supporters and eventually develop a taste for it.
What makes the support role so unpopular?
Due to so few summoners playing the supporter role, there are a few disadvantages for the players. For instance, there are longer waiting times. Players who choose “Automatic Fill” as their role preference will generally be placed as supporters since there are indeed too few of them. If players select support as a secondary role, there is a high chance they will have to play the supporter every time.
In 2017, supports are set to receive more attention. There will also be an investigation into why summoners prefer the other roles over support.
Riot sees the following factors as problematic:
- Gold income
- Recognition for successful supporters
- Items
- Pre-game (runes/masteries/summoner spells)
- Patterns in the early phase
Riot wants to pay particular attention to how they stand in relation to the other roles. The point of recognition could be a big factor. Compared to the other roles, there is little visible acknowledgment for a support’s good performance. Other roles have the bloodlust, multi-kills, KDA/CS statistics that are very prominently displayed. What does the support have for their outstanding last-second save? Nothing. They have to pat themselves on the back.
Also, when it comes to items, the supporter is at a disadvantage. Compared to other roles, they have a rather limited selection and must always allocate a spot for the vision stone. Riot wants to explore whether the vision gameplay overall should be adjusted to give supporters more diversity in items.
What are the free supporters supposed to bring to LoL?
The extra supports in the champion rotation are supposed to be a small experiment. The goal is to find out if summoners will develop a taste for the role while testing the champions and will choose it more often in the future. The selected supporters cover a wide range, from aggressive mage (Zyra) to protector (Janna), to robust initiator (Leona), all are represented. Riot is aware that the lack of access to certain supporters is not the decisive factor in the support dilemma. However, the experiment is not complicated to carry out and is meant to be a first step in the revision of supporters.
The additional supporters will remain in the free rotation of League of Legends for about two more weeks.
Leya says: I am a big fan of the support role, as I find most of the supporting champions great and enjoy playing them. I am pleased to hear that Riot wants to give supporters a bit more love in the upcoming season. I can understand that many summoners in LoL find it frustrating not to always receive recognition as a support or find the items boring. I am curious to see what Riot will come up with for supporters next year.
Why do you think the support role is so unpopular and what changes would you like to see? In my opinion, it can’t be due to a lack of cool skins. Isn’t Santa Braum awesome?
