In the basic formations of League of Legends, there are several essential elements such as durability, balance of magic and physical damage, and teamfight initiation. Among them, some support champions are particularly powerful in initiating teamfights, turning the enemy team into prey that can only flee for their lives.
Here is a list of those powerful support champions:
Bard
As one of the champions who benefited from the changes to the Summoner’s Rift map in the 2020 season, Bard still has not found a position that matches his power.
During the laning phase, Bard is a champion that can be quite bothersome with versatile abilities that can stun, slow, and heal. Even when ganked by enemies, Bard can run into the bushes and safely retreat back to the tower with his ADC using Magical Journey (E).
In teamfight situations, Bard acts almost like an “architect” with excellent initiation capabilities in various ways. Bard can send a tanky teammate to hold the enemies in place with his E ability, and can also “turn enemies to gold” with his ultimate to attack them as soon as they “wake up”. If combined with strong crowd control champions like Galio, Cho’Gath, Jarvan IV, etc., that combo becomes even more dangerous.
Maokai
During the laning phase, this champion helps you control most bushes with his Sapling Toss (E). As soon as an enemy reveals themselves near the bushes, Maokai will seize the opportunity to trade blows with the opponent alongside his ADC. Thanks to the healing from his passive Sap Magic combined with supportive items, Maokai can recover much faster than enemies. If he skillfully dodges abilities while in the untargetable state with W, Maokai will take even less damage.
In teamfight situations, Maokai can initiate with a super long and wide ultimate, ensuring that opponents can only turn and flee. If he wants to play it safe, Maokai will simply protect his team’s carry with the “unmissable” combo of W+Q+R.
Fiddlesticks
During the laning phase, Fiddlesticks can hide in bushes, waiting for the right moment to unleash his poke ability and then… run away. Since Fiddlesticks’ Q+E combo is a fear + silence combo, opponents often find it hard to retaliate. Additionally, while hiding in the bushes, Fiddlesticks has the advantage of using his passive Harmless Scarecrow to block some abilities. Once he reaches level 6, coordinating with the ADC to burst down opponents and push lanes is very easy with his ultimate Crowstorm. Conversely, if enemies keep the wave low, Fiddlesticks can roam or take the dragon with the jungler.
In teamfight situations, Fiddlesticks alone can create chaos with a full combo of spells, strong enough to hold at least one enemy carry in place for teammates to take down. If opponents try to burst down Fiddlesticks, just a single use of the Zhonya’s Hourglass can push the enemy team back into a passive state, leading to unfavorable fights under Fiddlesticks’ ultimate.
Besides the champions mentioned above, there are many others that can initiate fights quite well, such as Leona, Blitzcrank, Thresh, etc., but fundamentally, they can only control 1-2 champions at most. The names listed above, once they initiate, can crowd control the entire enemy team, deciding the outcome right from the first skill.