AD supports have never been a popular category of champions in League of Legends because they are so few. And if we eliminate the off-meta picks, we can narrow it down to only 2 or 3 good AD support champions.
However, the good news is that even if an AD champion isn’t primarily a support, you can definitely find good success with him in this role. And there are countless examples of that.
My goal with this post is to give you the 10 best overall picks when it comes to attack damage supports that primarily deal physical damage and build AD items. Although, many of them have flexible itemization and you can go for a number of different builds.
That said, let’s begin.
These Are the 10 Best AD Supports in LoL:
10. Trundle
When we think of Trundle, we don’t really associate him with the support role. He’s primarily a jungle champion with a simplistic playstyle and a kit that allows him to outlast even the tankiest of tanks in LoL.
However, many players have taken Trundle in the bot lane and have found surprising success. His secret power is setting up ganks for his jungler which he does fantastically well with his E, Pillar of Ice.
If you haven’t been the victim of Trundle’s pillar in the bot lane, let me tell you how it usually goes.
Given the fact that Trundle has priority, he can clear vision with Control Wards and Oracle Lens before inviting his jungler. Then, all he needs to do is sit in the brush and cast E behind the enemy ADC, preferably when they’re standing next to a wall.
What this does is that it knocks back the enemy a bit while also applying slow. They can’t simply go back because of the pillar and it forces them to Flash over it as soon as they see Trundle and the jungler charging toward them. It’s a really good gank setup you must abuse!
Apart from his ultimate which is magic damage, Trundle mostly deals physical damage with basic attacks. His item build is a bruiser one full of AD and self-sustain items. But he can also go for a full tank/support build and get items like Knight’s Vow which help his partner.
All in all, Trundle is a very fun support and I challenge you to try him out!
9. Jarvan IV
In the past, Jarvan IV was a much more popular off-meta support pick than he’s nowadays. He doesn’t have the best laning phase but he does offer an aggressive playstyle that many of us enjoy.
For example, Jarvan can successfully set up a kill for his ADC as soon as level 2. This involves his E + Q + AA combo which knocks up the enemy and deals a lot of damage to them. It usually leaves the target at around 40 or 30% HP which makes it easy for his partner to finish the kill.
At level 6, Jarvan gets access to his ultimate, Cataclysm. It’s an ability that deals high physical damage but it also traps enemy champions inside. Cataclysm is perfect for isolating the key members of the enemy team and assassinating them quickly.
In terms of itemization, there are 3 paths you can go for. There’s the regular bruiser Jarvan build which performs well regardless of the meta. There’s the lethality Jarvan build which is the most explosive one. And there’s AP Jarvan which focuses more on supporting rather than dealing damage.
I’d recommend you actually build lethality items on Jarvan when you play him in the support role. This will give you the ability to one-shot the enemy carry when you first go in. But if your ADC needs peeling in team fights, then switch to the other two builds.
8. Jhin
If you’re an ADC main and you’ve been autofilled in the support role, you’ll be happy to hear that Jhin support is actually viable. You’ll probably make your ADC really mad, but if you disregard their feelings and focus on winning, this pick actually works like a charm.
Let me brief you on why playing Jhin support is a good idea.
Jhin is a strong early game pick that only gets better as the game evolves. As an ADC, he focuses on farming and he doesn’t fully utilize his kit unless his support and his jungler make things easy for him.
But as a support, Jhin can focus on poking enemy champions with Q, W, and his 4th shot. He can auto-attack the minions 3 times, walk forward and threaten the enemy laners. Most of them won’t take the trade so Jhin ensures a dominating laning phase and bot side priority.
Moreover, Jhin support can roam freely and set up his traps all over the map. Since he doesn’t need to stay in lane to farm minions, he can fully utilize his E to make the game unplayable for the enemy jungler. They can get uncovered when they step on a trap, making ganking incredibly difficult.
For items, you can go with the regular AD build but you can also switch things around. I like to buy Tear of the Goddess early on and have enough mana for the rest of the game. Here you can inform yourself more about Jhin support and how best to utilize it.
7. Shen
Playing Shen support is not a new thing. He’s been a great pick in the bot lane against many different team comps, especially the aggressive ones. Shen counters duos like Draven and Pantheon, so he’s a valuable pick to have in mind.
Shen offers amazing protection for his ADC partner. His whole design is about protecting himself and his allies by absorbing damage and disabling enemies from dealing damage.
For example, Shen can taunt an enemy to prevent them from attacking his ADC. His W is an AoE spell that blocks attacks for a few seconds. And his ultimate grants a huge shield to his ally while also letting Shen teleport next to them.
Now, Shen’s damage is mostly physical because he primarily uses auto-attacks. His abilities are only there for utility and they scale with AP, not AD.
However, you don’t need to focus too much on damage items as Shen support. Your basic attacks are powerful enough to get you a few kills per game. And because of that, you should either build him a full tank or include some AP items to make him R stronger.
Here’s my full guide on AP Shen support.
6. Miss Fortune
In the past, Miss Fortune support used to signal a troll in your champion select. But over time, this pick has developed into a fantastic off-meta support with lots of different build paths, each of which offers unique strengths.
For starters, MF is an ADC champion who deals high physical damage to anyone that comes close to her. There’s no build-up to her damage and he can instantly burst down multiple enemy champions thanks to her AoE.
Because of this, Miss Fortune is always a threat to her opponents. During the laning phase, she can simply poke with E and Q and force her enemies to play passively. This gives MF and her ADC a chance to safely get to level 6.
With her ultimate available, Miss Fortune becomes one of the strongest champions on the Rift. Her team can contest each Dragon and Rift Herald because MF can literally delete the enemy team with Bullet Time.
My preferred way of itemizing Miss Fortune support is full lethality. It gives you an insane amount of damage throughout the game and it’s a good build path for carrying games even as a support.
But Miss Fortune support also works with AP items. This way you can utilize her E and spam it to poke enemies all game long. Here’s my AP MF build guide.
5. Sett
Even though his primary role is top lane, Sett has always been a great pick for the bot lane. He brings protection, utility, as well as damage which helps ADCs carry throughout the game.
Sett is best described as a disruptor. He can disrupt the opponents’ attack by walking into them, stunning them with E, and absorbing their damage so that his partner is free to deal damage. In the end, Sett can always execute an enemy with a good cast of his W.
Early on, Sett usually plays passively. This is due to his short range and the lack of mobility in his kit. However, if the opposing duo make the mistake of allowing him to get near them, it’s pretty much a winning trade for Sett and his bot lane partner.
In the mid and late game, Sett can always be an initiator of fights thanks to his ultimate. You can create so many different plays with this ability but the optimal one is to grab the enemy carry into your own team. This will eliminate them instantly and make the fight 5v4.
Regardless of the items you buy, Sett’s high physical damage is always present. His abilities scale with AD only and no matter which bruiser/tank item you buy, you’re going to make him stronger.
Read Also: 8 Best Synergy Supports for Samira
4. Pantheon
Pantheon is one of the most aggressive supports in the entire League of Legends. He’s a really difficult champion to play against if you aren’t particularly long-ranged (Caitlyn & Morgana), so he’s definitely a pick that lets you carry right from the start.
Pantheon can engage on level 1 with his W to quickly win a trade. This leaves the enemy ADC or support on around 50% HP which is perfect for Pantheon’s level 2 engage. With his Q unlocked, which does extra damage to low HP targets, he can jump in and execute the enemy.
Because Pantheon gets rewarded for his aggression, his bot lane partners are usually aggressive ADCs too. Marksmen like Tristana and Draven are perfect for him because they can dish out so much damage while Pantheon keeps the target stunned.
Here are my ADC recommendations for Pantheon support.
But CC isn’t everything this champion brings to the table. With his E, Pantheon can protect his AD carry and absorb all incoming damage effects. This is a very useful spell all around but it’s especially powerful for escaping enemy ganks and keeping the ADC out of harm.
Pantheon’s damage is mostly physical and you have the opportunity to build him full AD. As a support, you’ll primarily focus on lethality items like Eclipse and Umbral Glaive which will help you a lot throughout the match.
Pantheon can also gank other lanes with his R and turn around fights with it, so give him a shot!
3. Ashe
Out of all AD supports in LoL, my favorite one is Ashe. She’s the most fun support pick for non-support mains, so I definitely recommend you to try her out.
What I love about playing Ashe support is that she offers so many different tools that are incredibly useful.
For starters, Ashe can keep enemies constantly slowed and stunned. With Ashe’s lethality build, you can basically spam your W every 2 seconds and your R every 30 seconds.
What this does is that it allows you so many playmaking opportunities. With Ashe, you don’t even need to gank mid lane in order to influence it. You can fire up an arrow from your base to stun the opponent on mid and allow your ally to collect a free kill. Most mid laners (especially in lower elos) don’t expect this, so it’s a great way to abuse Ashe’s power.
In team fights, Ashe’s job is to catch one target with Enchanted Crystal Arrow and turn the situation into 5v4. After that, all she needs to do is keep enemies slowed with W and peel for her ADC.
Ashe’s E, Hawkshot, is a unique ability that lets her unveil the map for her entire team. It’s a really useful spell for uncovering the enemy jungler and keeping them from ganking anywhere on the map. It can also be used to check whether the enemy team is at Baron or not.
You can also build Ashe full AP as a support and focus on dealing damage with your R.
2. Senna
With Senna, Riot Games took a unique approach and designed her as a marksman that can be played as an AD carry and as an AD support. She’s a scaling champion that does well in both roles, so there’s no reason not to play her.
As a support, Senna is a real menace. Her auto-attack range is what allows her to poke enemy champions and constantly threaten them. In combination with her Q, this lets Senna control the laning phase of the bot lane from level 1.
When it comes to an actual fight, Senna can set it up with her W which is a long-range root ability. She can heal her ADC with her Q but she can also disengage with her E.
Senna’s E, Curse of the Black Mist, is a very useful ability because it turns all allies around her into ghosts. This makes the enemy team unable to auto-attack them or recognize who’s who.
After level 6, Senna can influence fights across the map as well. Her R, Dawning Shadow, is a global ultimate that deals damage to enemies and shields allies. It can help your top laner win his duel, so always keep an eye out for these fights.
Senna mostly deals physical damage and you want to build her as a marksman. This often includes AD, crit, and attack speed items, with the most useful ones being Umbral Glaive and Rapidfire Cannon.
Read Also: The Best Female Supports in League of Legends
1. Pyke
Pyke was the first support champion in League of Legends that was specifically designed to also be an AD assassin. And to this day, he’s the best AD pick for the role!
Pyke only deals physical damage and he’s exclusively played with lethality items. This is due to the fact that all bonus health he gets from items is converted into AD and all the lethality ratios his abilities have.
As an assassin, Pyke’s whole playstyle revolves hooking an enemy champion with Q, stunning them with E, and executing them with R. This is his basic combo that doesn’t always have enough damage to bring down the target. But in combination with an ADC, it does.
What players love about Pyke is his ability to create plays around the map. He’s one of the best roaming supports in the game and you should abuse him to win other lanes besides bot.
In late game team fights, Pyke is a fantastic champion to have in a team because of his execute mechanic. His teammates need to apply their damage first and Pyke can swoop in and finish off each kill while also granting them their fair share of the reward.
All in all, Pyke is an amazing carry support that most people enjoy playing. And if you’re into an assassin-like playstyle, you’ll love him!
Conclusion
You have to get a bit creative when it comes to AD supports in League of Legends. As you can judge from this list, a champion doesn’t need to be primarily a support. Many ADC, top, or mid AD champs make good supports if you know how to utilize them properly.
If you’re interested, you can also check my best AP support list if you’re more into mages.
Good luck and have fun!
