Ever since season 13, roaming has become an essential skill for support. The role of roaming support is something akin to the second jungler. Upskilling this gameplay method will significantly increase your ability to win games, as it will allow you to output significant pressure on your enemies. Here are some key things to learn about roaming as support in League of Legends.
When to Roam as Support
The best time to roam as support is somewhat dependent on game conditions and it can be quite relative, however, there are some general guidelines to follow. Each time you roam you will want to extract more value than you have lost. This means that every time you leave your ADC in lane you will be open to taking a loss. The carry will be in quite a vulnerable position and they could die in many situations. However, if you are confident that your roaming call will outweigh a single ADC death, then the roam is justified.
Another thing to take into consideration is the mental state of your ADC. Regardless of the value of your roam, some ADC players will get tilted when you leave the lane. It’s always best to explain the value of the roam to them politely. If the ADC is persistent, sometimes it might be better to restrict roaming if there is a risk of ADC griefing the game.
Support Roaming Scenarios
There are multiple different and common scenarios for roaming as support. The most straightforward roam would be one where you just go and gank mid lane. Before attempting this roam, it’s important to weigh pros and cons. Since it’s not a very high-value play, it’s seldom worth letting your ADC die just to attempt to gank the mid. However, if your ADC is playing something that can defend under the tower, you can easily go for the roam.
The second very common roam is the one where you would go to the top lane before grubs spawn. This kind of roam can have multiple scenarios. For example, you could gank top lane first, then do the grubs with your jungler. There is also an option to invade the enemy jungle, then do grubs afterward. Ganking mid before doing grubs is not out of question either. All these however would depend on the game, and you need to be flexible with choosing your options.
All in all, Grubs roam is one of the highest-value roams, as it opens up too many quality play options. When going for this specific roam, you might find yourself in many situations where you can pick up multiple kills with your team. This would pretty much justify leaving your ADC vulnerable in the bot lane.
Important Tips for Roaming as Support
When roaming as support, there are some key concepts to work on. The most specific thing that needs to be taken care off is knowing your limits. With each roam, you will be facing off different combinations of champions while supported by a diverse number of ally picks. Knowing who would win the hypothetical fight before it even happens is key for having success. The knowledge will allow you to decide if a roam is even worth attempting. Anyhow, there is no need to stress about this too much, as it will become second nature given enough experience.