1. What is a DOTA 2 support?
2. How do I help my team?
3. Some great supports.
4. Advanced support tactics
1. What is a Support in DOTA 2?
Supports in DOTA 2 are basically characters that aid their team in lane and in teamfights. Advanced play sometimes sees supports helping in the jungle. This means many things including:
- Disabling enemy heroes. (EX: Windrunner, Shadow Demon, Witch Doctor.)
- Getting auras or items that buff others, such as Arcane Boots and Ring of Basilius.
- Helping to harass enemy carries so that they do not outfarm your team.
- Helping the jungle get their farm up early on.
Basically you are one of the most important parts of your team. Unless a carry is reasonably fed and farmed, they cannot win the game. Your carry cannot get the farm unless they are supported properly. Understanding this mechanic is essential for dota 2 eSports players since they hold the same importance for their teams.
This is just one of many items you can purchase to help your team. There are tons of them, and many upgrades for them.
2. How do I help my team in DOTA 2?
There are many ways in which you can help your team. Let us go down a few:
- Buy wards and the Courier. You want to keep them up in the river from early to mid game, and later you can even ward the enemy jungle or your own. This helps protect from ganks. You should also upgrade the courier when you can. Before buying the courier, ask your team if anyone else is going to buy it so that you do not have two.
- Harass the enemy team while your carry farms. Many games are decided on which carry has the most farm.
- Use items such as Pipes of Insight and Force Staff to protect your team.
- Be at every teamfight, you are vital to these fights. Both for your disables and buffs. The easiest way to throw the game for your team is to not be there to help them. As a result, you need great map awareness so check your minimap frequently.
- Inform your team that you are going to bait the enemies, and tell them to be ready. Go out ahead of your team. Then, when multiple people jump you, pull back and let your team stomp them. Even if you die you will win the teamfight.
- Be sure to take one for the team at times. In DOTA 2, the supports must sometimes let themselves die to save the team. This can mean the difference between winning and losing.
There are many great supports who can help your team, we won’t list them all but you get the general idea.
3. Some Great Supports
Windrunner and Shadow Demon are two of the top supports in the game, perhaps you’ve thought of using a dota mmr boost for your support account. It’s surprising to some that these can make good supports, as they can also hold their own in lane. However their incredibly strong disables and the ability to get away from enemies make them great supports. They are also great babysitters for unskilled carries.However there are many good supports right now, let us go down some of them:
- Dark Seer- An amazing ultimate and great skills make him a top pick right now.
- Lich – A top pick due to his deny capabilities and amazing ultimate.
- Omniknight – A pure support with high damage and a great ultimate.
- Leshrac – A multi-talented support who is played more for pushing than for support.
- Crystal Maiden- A great ultimate and a good passive really contribute to the team.
- Witch Doctor – A multi-stun and great pushing power make him a true force.
- Ancient Apparition – Great CC makes him a good choice for skilled players.
- Pugna- An odd skill set means that you have to play him very well. But when played correctly, he is dominating.
Many characters can be played in multiple roles. However they excel in a few over others.
There are also many others, but not all of them fall in traditional support roles. Invoker is so strong that he is most often played as a carry. Tidehunter is also so strong that he can fill many roles. Others, like Chen, can be played as support but are much better in the jungle. Nature’s Prophet is one of these as well, as he is much better in the jungle than as a mid or support. You will have to learn the nuances by playing them yourself.
4. Advanced DOTA 2 support tactics
For those who want to really help the team, there are two things that you must master. These are locking down multiple opponents and stacking/pulling the jungle. The jungler will often help stack and pull. But you cannot count on this.
Double Stacking in DOTA 2
To stack, you simply start attacking jungle creeps around 55 seconds on the clock. You can do it earlier than that, but keep in mind that ranged creeps will need a later pull. Then you lure them away from that area and the creeps will spawn again. This is called double stacking. This allows you to kill the remnants off after a pull and get huge experience and gold. You can also double stack ancients for massive gold and experience. However stacking ancients is riskier, as enemy gankers love to kill people who are getting a double stack. If they do manage to kill you there, they get the kill from you and steal your stack.
Pulling in DOTA 2
At 15 and 45 on the clock, the creeps in lane will be in a perfect position for you to pull your double stack into them. This is easier than it sounds, just start attacking the creeps when the clock hits these times. Then lead them to the lane. The in-lane creeps will attack the double-stacked minions and die. Then you can sweep up the leftovers. Why is this good? It allows you to deny an entire wave of creeps to the enemy team.
Disabling Multiple Opponents in DOTA 2
Many supports have multiple moves that can disable, and you can also use items such as Scythe of Vyse and Eul’s Scepter of Divinity to disable even more enemy team members. You should practice doing this in bot game teamfights before you go out into a real game. Basically, you need to consider several factors when disabling opponents:
- Who is the biggest threat? This is often the carry, such as Invoker, Dragon Knight or Anti-mage. There are many others though. In general, check the enemy team’s items to see who has the best ones.
- Is there a close-range attacker focusing someone? If so use your cc on them to get them away.
- Sometimes you should guard a teammate last or before the others. For example, if your Lycanthrope has aegis focus on protecting the rest of the team before him. However if your carry gets jumped without preparation, try to defend them over others.
- Some enemies deserve special attention. For example, you can still lock down a Faceless Void and save your team if you do not get caught in his ultimate. Likewise, if Leshrac, Tidehunter or Earthshaker have dived into your team you have a tiny window to lock them down before they kill everyone. At worst, make sure you do not get caught in an ultimate.
That is basically all you need to play a support well in DOTA 2. Simply practice until you have these principles down. As usual check back in with us, and check the official DOTA 2 site as well.
