Somewhere along the way, you probably heard that X ADC synergizes well with Y Support. No one, however, told you exactly why that's that case. We will discuss a couple of those pairings here. First, when we say synergy with the ADC and Support, we do not mean what champions are currently in the Meta. It means what will always be the case, given the two Champions' kits and playstyles. The duo should combo well together with their abilities or each champion should make up for the other's weaknesses. After reading this article, you hopefully should be able to determine why a certain Bot lane synergy duo works for yourself!

Lucian and Braum

Lucian and Braum are, for the most part, considered peak synergy and usually given as an example of Bot lane synergy for new players. Braum and Lucian's passives play off each other. Braum's passive, Concussive Blows, will stun the target when Braum or an ally hit the target with a basic attack (or Braum's Winter's Bite, Q). For Lucian's passive (Lightslinger), every time he uses an ability, his next basic attack will be two basic attacks. This allows for a quick stacking of Braum's passive stun.

Further, Lucian's ultimate, The Culling, is easily interrupted by crowd control. Braum's E, Unbreakable, allows for Lucian to stand behind Braum's shield, which will catch any projectile CC for Lucian. Braum's W, Stand By Me, also allows for Braum to follow and dash to Lucian when Lucian dashes himself with his Relentless Pursuit (E).

Xayah and Rakan

Xayah and Rakan are pretty obvious, as Riot designed them specifically to be together. Rakan's shield (Battle Dance, E) dash range is double when jumping to Xayah. When Xayah is paired with Rakan, there is an extra bonus for her Deadly Plumage (W). Rakan also gains Deadly Plumage, which causes each of their attacks two fire a second lesser attack and gives the couple bonus movement speed. Their kits also play off each other, allowing Xayah to be able to follow up on Rakan's engages from long range.

They also have a unique recall when played together. If one starts their recall, the other can still move around and attack. The second character can then initiate their recall when near the one recalling. Both will reach base at the time when the first recall would end. This allows for Xayah to continue to farm a wave while Rakan sets up a recall to base.

Miss Fortune and Morgana

Miss Fortune and Morgana might have the best Bot lane synergy ability combo. Miss Fortune's ultimate, Bullet Time, is hard to escape alive by itself. When coupled with a 2 to 3 second snare (depending on level) from Morgana's Dark Binding (Q), there is no escape. Morgana's ultimate, Soul Shackles, allows for the binding of multiple enemy Champions for Miss Fortune to clean up with her ultimate.

The best way to stop Miss Fortune's ultimate? Use hard CC on her to interrupt it. This poses no problem for a Morgana and Miss Fortune Bot lane. Morgana can use her Black Shield (E) on Miss Fortune when she ults, blocking any potential CC.

Caitlyn and Alistar

Caitlyn's traps and Alistar's ability to provide hard CC give these two great damage potential. Alistar can combo (Q+W) an enemy champion to give Caitlyn enough time to set a trap (and have it go off) under the Pulverised enemy. Also, Alistar can simply Headbutt (Q) an enemy champion into an already set Caitlyn trap. Below is a clip of this setup.

Kog'Maw and Lulu

Kog'Maw and Lulu are a bit different from the other Bot lane synergies we have discussed. Instead of having a "wombo-combo" ability effect, these two cover the other's weakness. Kog'Maw is a heavy attack speed ADC with a rough early laning phase, which makes Lulu perfect for him, as she can be a great early game Support. She can provide extra attack speed and movement speed with her W, Whimsy. She has the ability to zone enemy Champions, shield Kog'Maw, provide hard CC, and grant movement speed to keep Kog'Maw alive during his weak early game. Early Kog'Maw is also relatively immobile, making Lulu's ability to grant movement speed an excellent escape from Jungle ganks or recover from being too overzealous. Together, Lulu's kit makes sure the enemy ADC does not snowball before Kog'Maw can become a late game hypercarry.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of the many different Support and ADC combos that can be made. What you should take from this article is to realize how champions are used, how they interact with each other, and what their weakness so you can take advantage of that during the pick/ban phase. For example, let's say you see that your Support picked Lulu. From this, you should know that you can pick a late game hypercarry such as Kog'Maw, Vayne, or Twitch that has a weaker early game, as Lulu should help you get to the late game safely (and for selecting a Champion in reserve order!). Further, although Miss Fortune and Morgana synergize well, maybe your team needs a tank. Knowing how Morgana and Miss Fortune work together will allow you to know that Alistar or Leona (who both have hard CC and peel ability) will provide a similar level of synergy with Miss Fortune and give you a tank Champion for your team.

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