Map pressure is not just about splitting someone on a sidelane and pushing a wave towards an enemy tower. It involves the whole team, including the Support. This article will go through how a Support can create map pressure. Support is the only role in the game that doesn't need to farm. This allows Supports to spend more time watching the map, predicting where missing enemies are going, and trying to figure out which objectives to take.

In an ideal world, you as the Support would create opportunities for your ADC to obtain kills, winning lane, and creating pressure by forcing the enemy team to come help their Bot lane. Unfortunately, this will not always happen, but there are other ways as a Support to help your team create map pressure to take objectives and win the game.





Vision

Vision is a huge part of creating pressure on the map as a Support. Let's start with a general rule of thumb for vision and warding: the turret line. The turret line is an imaginary line that runs from the outermost standing Mid turret to the outermost Bot/Top standing turret. If a turret falls, the line shifts to the next turret in line. This line is your ideal warding line (pictures shown are if you are blue side team).

Again, as your team takes turrets, the warding line moves.

Later in the game this becomes important for someone (NOT you as the Support) to be able to split push alone. You may at times see your teammate pushing without any vision in the Jungle or of the enemy team's location. Many times, this leads to that teammate getting picked off. This is not only on that splitting teammate, but you as the Support. Place wards along the current turret line. This allows your teammate to split push/farm with time to back if the enemy team does come to stop them. If you and your team have been keeping up with warding, you should already know if it is a good idea to split push. Further, you could need to use your vision to help the split pusher return to your team. Use your wards to create a good place for your split pusher to Teleport into if a fight should break out.

Placing wards is not the only part of maintaining map pressure. Denying vision is equally as important. An example of this would preparing an objective such as Baron. When a Support prepares Baron, they need to ward the Baron pit using a control ward preferably, ward the enemy teams Jungle entrances, and sweep the area for enemy wards to destroy. Why is this important? If the enemy team does not have vision of Baron, they have to go to that area to make sure your team does not take Baron. This is map pressure. It forces the enemy team to go to a specific location. If they do not, your team can take the objective. If they do, it allows for the continuation of your team to split push, creating map pressure elsewhere and possibly the taking of a turret.

If you are part of applying pressure Mid by the sieging of a Mid turret, make sure you have vision of areas where the enemy team could flank you. This allows you not only to see them coming, but a safe path to travel back to your side of the map, if you need to travel through the enemy jungle to escape. This could include replacing your control ward location on the map. For example, let's say you are trying to take a Tier 2 Mid turret. If you have a control ward at Dragon pit, but there is no Dragon, what information does that give you? Replace the control ward over one of the walls to make sure you see if the enemy team is collapsing on you in time to avoid getting picked off.





Roaming

Roaming is one of the more difficult skills to learn as a Support. It takes time, patience, and game knowledge to pull off consistently and successfully. Here is a past article on things to think about and keep in mind when roaming as a Support. To be a successful roamer, you first need to be a successful warder! As stated above, creating vision can lead to the creation of map pressure. Roaming can also lead to kill pressure, which can later in the game lead to map pressure. This is more effective on champions with a form of CC, but can be done with all supports. Some examples of good times to roam include:

Enemy Bot lane is dead

Enemy Bot lane is backing

You just backed

Your ADC can 1v2

After your first back is a good time to roam to create kill pressure in another lane. This does not always mean going Mid and warding the river on your way back to Bot lane. Roaming to the Top lane can be a move unexpected by the enemy team.





Communication

You need to communicate what you are doing and when you are doing it. Whether it be warding, roaming, or watching the map to track the enemy team. Ping whatever you can: enemy ward locations or enemy positions. Be aware of the pressure that needs to be made and communicate this to your team. "Preparing Baron" or "getting enemy jungle warded for split push" are ways to tell your team what you are doing, where you are going, and the map pressure you would like to create. Ping the objective you want to take as well!





Warding, roaming, and communication can all help lead to the creation of map pressure indirectly. As a Support, you can help lead your team to victory by helping to create these opportunities.

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