Starting items on support?

[[eNHa]Myzreal]

On supports which have no other mana sustaining abilities (like DS): Runes, Guardian Ring, 2x Wards, 2x Minor Totems / 1x Health Potion - make the Ring of the Teacher for the first 325g you get, then upgrade courier for the next 200g.

On supports which have mana sustaining abilities (like Nymph): Runes, 2x Health pot, 2x Wards, Minor Totems if anything is left.

Getting mana battery if facing a spammable opponent, otherwise the ring is enough until I am able to get some other mana sustaining item (mostly Chalice, never Bottle).

Guardian Ring + Minor Totems is good when you are a ranged babysitter and you need to harass your enemies while they also have a ranged harasser. This gives you armor and makes you take less damage so you can actually outharass someone without those items (it's not a huge difference, but it is noticeable).

[Bane2k4]

I rarely see the point in 2 wards from the get go, as they don't go up till the 2 minute mark anyway.

When solo supporting, I get: Courier upgrade, 1x Ward. Then, if I'm on a support that benefits from a chalice, I get the str and int pieces. Else, I grab some minor totems and regen.

If I'm with friends, I'll give the ward I buy straight off to the other lane to place, and then buy a quick ward before the 2 minute mark (easy to get) for my lane. If I'm playing with randoms, I generally keep the ward for my line, and then judge whether they are idiots or not - if they aren't I'll put a ward on the courier for them. If they are, I get myself whatever I need for my lane (another ward for forest, regen for me or the carry if I'm sitting him, save for scarab->chalice and boots).

I've found a courier upgrade off the bat to be almost required. It's possible to upgrade it before it's needed from lane gold, but it's far from guaranteed - it depends on how your lane goes, and how everyone elses lanes go (for example, mid is dominating, gets a rapid 600g for bottle before you can afford to upgrade it, or you're getting owned in your lane and can't afford it, etc). I don't see the point in 2 wards, though, as 1 ward covers your lane as well as giving the mid decent rune control opportunities even if you can't afford a 2nd ward by 2 mins, and 100g by 2 mins is a lot easier to get than 200g.

[[E]punktastic]

I rarely see the point in 2 wards from the get go, as they don't go up till the 2 minute mark anyway.

When solo supporting, I get: Courier upgrade, 1x Ward. Then, if I'm on a support that benefits from a chalice, I get the str and int pieces. Else, I grab some minor totems and regen.

If I'm with friends, I'll give the ward I buy straight off to the other lane to place, and then buy a quick ward before the 2 minute mark (easy to get) for my lane. If I'm playing with randoms, I generally keep the ward for my line, and then judge whether they are idiots or not - if they aren't I'll put a ward on the courier for them. If they are, I get myself whatever I need for my lane (another ward for forest, regen for me or the carry if I'm sitting him, save for scarab->chalice and boots).

I've found a courier upgrade off the bat to be almost required. It's possible to upgrade it before it's needed from lane gold, but it's far from guaranteed - it depends on how your lane goes, and how everyone elses lanes go (for example, mid is dominating, gets a rapid 600g for bottle before you can afford to upgrade it, or you're getting owned in your lane and can't afford it, etc). I don't see the point in 2 wards, though, as 1 ward covers your lane as well as giving the mid decent rune control opportunities even if you can't afford a 2nd ward by 2 mins, and 100g by 2 mins is a lot easier to get than 200g.

the 2nd ward is for the pull camp, buddy....and it pays off

[Katieeee]

Yeah, if you don't block the pull in the long lane, you run the risk of losing much exp and gold from the lane. I've seen players just run to the pull camp and stand within blocking range as their opponents tried to stack if they don't ward the pull. Can be risky though depending on lane match ups.

Edit I've also seen people attempt to block a stack attempt with a Flying Courier, but that takes quite a bit of timing and it keeps the courier out of use for the rest of your team.

[Spankle]

Wards and up'd courier hp pots to feed your lane mate. You're going to be stacking every :55 mark and pulling occasionally along with roaming around placing wards so you don't need stats. You should rarely be in the lane unless your lane mate is either A: a soft melee carry with no escape mechanism or B: really bad. If your lane mate is *****ing that you are not harassing and helping him explain to him how a triple stack in every camp of the jungle and triple stacked ancients will increase his gpm by 150 or s when he is capable of taking them out. His early game farm is not the priority if you make him a powerhouse mid game.

If you don't really have a carry and you go support then look at your teams stats. If you are better than they are take all last hits you can and ward the map up and set up ganks and stack later for your lack luster teammates. I refuse to play support if my team has no carry because people will not make use of your stacks and gank wards.

[Katieeee]

Wards and up'd courier hp pots to feed your lane mate. You're going to be stacking every :55 mark and pulling occasionally along with roaming around placing wards so you don't need stats. You should rarely be in the lane unless your lane mate is either A: a soft melee carry with no escape mechanism or B: really bad. If your lane mate is *****ing that you are not harassing and helping him explain to him how a triple stack in every camp of the jungle and triple stacked ancients will increase his gpm by 150 or s when he is capable of taking them out. His early game farm is not the priority if you make him a powerhouse mid game.

If you don't really have a carry and you go support then look at your teams stats. If you are better than they are take all last hits you can and ward the map up and set up ganks and stack later for your lack luster teammates. I refuse to play support if my team has no carry because people will not make use of your stacks and gank wards.

The point of harassing opponents is not just so your partner can farm, it's so your opponents cannot. If you keep them boxed out well, that's 2/5ths of their team that will be behind in farm and exp for early team fights. If they go in for last hits, taking your punishments, they'll have to keep getting more regen or risk being low on HP and/or mana when your allies come to gank your lane. But in either case, having a lane shut down for the other team will not only help your carry player excel in the mid-game, but it helps the rest of your team in both early and mid as well.

[Spankle]

The point of harassing opponents is not just so your partner can farm, it's so your opponents cannot. If you keep them boxed out well, that's 2/5ths of their team that will be behind in farm and exp for early team fights. If they go in for last hits, taking your punishments, they'll have to keep getting more regen or risk being low on HP and/or mana when your allies come to gank your lane. But in either case, having a lane shut down for the other team will not only help your carry player excel in the mid-game, but it helps the rest of your team in both early and mid as well.

That's completely situational though. In most cases the carry/support should be in the short lane against a harasser type opponent that doesn't necessarily need awesome farm. I'd much rather have my carry out lvl the opponent and have a stacked jungle than have a myrmidon with 400 less gold. Yet again it's situational. Obviously you can come back to the lane when needed but you should make your best effort to be in the jungle stacking at every :55 mark.

Also pulling the creeps will deny your opponents an entire creep wave the same way harassing them back a bit would. Lets say you pull 5 creep waves before the laning phase begins to diminish. That's roughly 700 gold and 600ish xp. Essentially the same as harassing them out of xp range and gold while your carry is outleveling them. This pulling of creeps also allows you, the support, to get a bit of farm from the jungle stack, allowing you to continue to ward untill team fights and pushes start.

[Katieeee]

That's completely situational though. In most cases the carry/support should be in the short lane against a harasser type opponent that doesn't necessarily need awesome farm. I'd much rather have my carry out lvl the opponent and have a stacked jungle than have a myrmidon with 400 less gold. Yet again it's situational. Obviously you can come back to the lane when needed but you should make your best effort to be in the jungle stacking at every :55 mark.

Also pulling the creeps will deny your opponents an entire creep wave the same way harassing them back a bit would. Lets say you pull 5 creep waves before the laning phase begins to diminish. That's roughly 700 gold and 600ish xp. Essentially the same as harassing them out of xp range and gold while your carry is outleveling them. This pulling of creeps also allows you, the support, to get a bit of farm from the jungle stack, allowing you to continue to ward untill team fights and pushes start.

Well of course pulling the creeps is a must for lane control.

When there's a lane pair of opponents just out to slow down your carry's farm/kill him, I'm more of a fan of keeping their HP low to stop them from doing their job.