One thing we want to be clear about from the outset is that League of Legends support is quite different from support classes in other games. Unlike some games you might have played where supports are exclusively heal and shield bots, supports in League of Legends are diverse, ranging from tanks to engagers to, yes, healers. Starting support doesn’t mean that you’re going to be stuck on the backline trying to just protect people (Unless you want to) but it has some key benefits that make learning the game easier.
Collaborative Gameplay
If a friend is introducing you to League of Legends, then working together in the Botlane as Support and ADC is one of the best ways to play ‘together’ within the game. It gives them space to coach you and watch your gameplay while paying attention to their own. It’s assuredly the spot on the map where your friend is going to be able to give you the most help.
Even if you aren’t playing with a friend. Working directly with another person is the best way to acquire League of Legends critical ‘sixth sense’ for understanding when a person you’re playing with is going to try something. Capitalizing on the big plays of someone you can’t talk to is difficult, but it’s critical to getting better and more consistent results on Summoner’s Rift.
Map Awareness
In the support position, some of the constant mechanical demand of the game (Like lasthitting) is off your hands, but it’s replaced with wider responsibility. Critical tasks like keeping vision up during the game, and helping team-members take objectives is a essential part of playing support, which allows you to participate in more diverse sections of the game than some other positions.
This additionally also helps with learning which objectives are important and how to contest them. Maintaining vision and priority on objectives like the Dragon and Rift Herald can make or break an early game, so ensuring that you’re part of the action is critical to getting to know when and where to fight.