The current version’s ADC weakness is no secret, and the rise of many “Carry” type supports has made the ADC’s position even more precarious. In favorable match situations, they can often deal unexpected amounts of damage, sometimes even achieving the highest damage in the game. The two most popular supports in the current version are Zyra and Malzahar.
Version Performance
1. Stable Pick Rate, Impressive Win Rate
These two champions have outstanding win rates in the support role, with Zyra ranked ninth and Malzahar leading the pack. Their strong poke and control in the lane, combined with high damage output in team fights, are reasons for their rise.
2. In-Game Damage, Astonishing
The above showcases Zyra’s performance in normal matches, where she can often deal astonishing damage. As a support, being able to output such explosive damage is quite a feat.
Zyra’s Rise
Zyra’s rise is somewhat unexpected, but her performance in matches is remarkable. In the lane, she can cause significant trouble for opponents using her skills in combination with her seeds. Once hit by Zyra’s E skill, opponents can lose a substantial amount of health. Compared to other mages, Zyra has stronger crowd control, and her R skill’s large-area control is immensely effective in team fights, whether initiating or countering.
Highlight Moments
In the moment when Poppy attempted to retreat, Meiko’s Zyra precisely used her E skill to catch Poppy, quickly killing her with the help of teammates. If it weren’t for Zyra’s impressive damage, how could Poppy, as a frontliner, have fallen so easily?
Runes and Masteries
The rune setup is quite complex, but it produces excellent practical effects. Zyra is a very fragile mage, and having some armor in the lane is essential; otherwise, she won’t have the capital to poke the opponent. To ensure her poke can deal more damage, she needs to pair it with some AP and magic penetration. Compared to damage, Zyra excels more in crowd control during late-game team fights, using cooldown reduction to enhance her sustained control capability.
To ensure her damage, choosing Thunder as the keystone mastery is essential. As mentioned earlier, Zyra is a very fragile hero, so investing more masteries in the Resolve tree is more suitable for her. Veteran’s Scars can provide 50 health points early on, preventing Zyra from being easily killed. Roaming and Explorer allow for quicker support, while Intelligence increases Zyra’s cooldown reduction, enabling her skills to be cast more frequently, providing more control.
Recommended Items
Zyra’s damage output methods are very similar to those of other mages, and she can utilize items like the Ice Staff and Mask as core equipment. Additionally, she needs to protect her teammates, making the Bird Shield essential. The Kiki’s Verity can enhance her ADC’s damage while also providing her with some damage output. The Eye of the Watcher is the most suitable item for mage supports. This item build, combined with runes and masteries, can provide Zyra with extremely high cooldown reduction in the late game, making her an omnipresent control machine.
Detail Tips
1. Do not poke too frequently to avoid pushing the lane excessively.
2. Avoid using E skill to poke opponents randomly; once wasted, it can leave you in a vulnerable position and lose initiative in the lane. If the enemy seizes the opportunity to counterattack, the consequences could be dire.
3. In team fights, Zyra’s ultimate is not very suitable for initiating control (the knock-up has a delay). Either use it to follow up on a teammate’s initiation or to counter the enemy’s attack. You can also use the ultimate to split the enemy’s formation.
Void Prodigy – Malzahar
Every support player has a heart that wishes to carry the game. Similar to Zyra, Malzahar also possesses strong damage capabilities. In the early game, he can effectively poke the opponent, and in the mid to late game, he can deal a lot of AOE damage and control in team fights. The highest damage support, apart from Zyra, is undoubtedly Malzahar.
Highlight Moments
This demonstrates the terrifying aspect of Malzahar’s ultimate; as long as he is alone, he can easily cooperate with teammates to kill any hero with his flash and ultimate. The several seconds of binding control make it impossible to escape.
Runes and Masteries
The runes are also quite complex, but to maximize Malzahar’s potential at every stage, this rune setup is essential. First, having certain dual resistances ensures Malzahar has an advantage in early trades. High magic penetration and AP ensure that Malzahar’s pokes in the lane have immediate effects. Finally, pairing with cooldown reduction and growth AP allows for more terrifying damage from Malzahar in the late game.
Choosing Thunder as the keystone mastery can enhance Malzahar’s burst damage. Meditation allows for better mana sustain, enabling Malzahar to frequently poke opponents. Cloudwalker provides a certain economic source while revealing weaknesses to boost teammates’ damage, and Roaming increases Malzahar’s support speed.
Recommended Items
The combination of Ice Staff and Mask can amplify Malzahar’s damage to the extreme. As a support with limited economic resources, expensive AP items are not advisable. Choosing affordable magic penetration items can also significantly enhance Malzahar’s damage. Coupled with magic penetration boots, Malzahar’s damage can rival that of mid-laners. Additionally, as a support, the Eye Stone is indispensable, and the strongest team-oriented item, Bird Shield, cannot be neglected.
Detail Tips
1. While poking opponents, be mindful of your skill casting angle. Do not frequently hit enemy minions, as it can cause your lane to push too deep, inviting enemy ganks and disrupting your ADC’s last-hitting rhythm.
2. In team fights, try to direct your damage towards the enemy’s squishies. Although support Malzahar has high damage, it is insufficient to deal considerable damage to the enemy frontline unless they aggressively engage.
3. When the opportunity arises, Malzahar should learn to decisively flash and use his R skill to control opponents. The several seconds of binding are enough to help teammates kill the target.
Zyra and Malzahar not only possess terrifying damage but also have powerful control, which is their key to victory. Choosing them allows supports to carry the game.