LoL Rankings: 2016 Support Spring Split Rankings

This article is part of our LoL Rankings series.

The sign of a good support is in their ability to make plays and set up kills for their carry. As such, supports often spend more time building up their teammates and assisting in team fights, rather than collecting major KDA ratios. I would rather wait on a support than take one early on as supports tend to score less fantasy points than players in other roles, especially mid lane and ADCs. There is a lot of depth in this role, with three clear top options, but the drop off isn't so severe that you need to reach to take a support early.

*Note: I'm only listing the top ten supports for this article. These columns are geared for eight team leagues and in my opinion I don't believe you should roster more than one support.

Tier 1 (in alphabetical order): Aphromoo, kaSing, Mithy, Yellowstar

The only category I'll really focus on here is assists. Supports may pick up a kill or two and some creep score throughout the season, but the amount is so small compared to the other positions that focusing on anything but assists is not really necessary. This first tier represents the four players I think will be the best in their roles in terms of fantasy production in 2016. Each play for a top three team in their region and each have shown consistency over the last year or longer to be very good players.

Long time CLG team member, Aphromoo has been one of the best supports in North America throughout his career. He finished the 2015 Summer Split third in assists as CLG went on to win the split, beating TSM in the Summer Finals. The only reason Aphromoo may not reach his same level of production this year is due to the fact that Doublelift is no longer on CLG. Doublelift had a dominant 2015 Summer Split, racking up kills, simultaneously boosting Aphromoo's assist total in the process. With Stixxay now taking over as CLG's new AD Carry, Aphromoo's production may dip a bit from last split. Still, he's a top support on a team that should still be a top three or four team in their region this year.

kaSing had a very good season for H2k finishing sixth in assists. The team started the Summer Split well, but faded towards the end, limiting kaSing from finishing higher in the assists totals. His move to Vitality isn't much of a concern as the team has built a strong roster and he retains his AD Carry from H2k, Hjarnan. At times last year, the duo dominated teams in the bot lane and I would expect them to continue that approach this season.

Mithy is in line for a nice bump in production this year after finishing seventh in assists last split. Origen look like they'll be the best team in Europe, at least for the Spring Split, and Mithy will partner with a budding superstar in AD Carry, Niels, in the bot lane. The duo should be the best in Europe for the Spring Split and I'd expect Mithy to finish at or near the top in assists during this split.

Yellowstar's move to North America should bode well both in terms of fantasy production and in-game help for TSM. The veteran support should help alleviate some of TSM's poor late game decision making, freeing Bjergsen of the role and allowing him to focus solely on dominating the mid lane. Yellowstar finished first in assists during the 2015 Summer Split and I'd expect him to be at the top of the category again as he partners with Doublelift in the bottom lane of a very strong TSM roster.

Tier 2: Adrian, Hai, Konkwon, Noxiak, Vander

If you miss out on one of the four players in the top tier there is still plenty of value to be had in this group.

Adrian has quietly been one of the best supports in the LCS over the last year, playing for Team Impulse. He finished second in assists during the 2015 Summer Split and now joins an Immortals lineup that has a chance to be a top 3 team during the new year. He'll partner with WildTurtle in the bottom lane, a player who will be looking to bounce back after a rough Summer Split. Adrian has the skills to land in the top tier if Immortals gels as a team coming into the season.

A new split and a new role for Hai, as he takes over support duties for Cloud 9 this year. Hai should be fine as a support and his shotcalling is so valuable for the team, but there is some risk in his fantasy upside considering the team also signed Bunny Fufuu and may opt to rotate both players in this role. Because of this I will probably stay away from Hai in drafts. If we get more clarity on how Cloud 9 plans to use both Hai and Bunny, then the upside from the role will be worth the risk of drafting one of these players, as they should find themselves among the top eight in the support role.

Konkwon and Noxiak represent some risk as both have limited experience in the LCS. They both have some potential, though, as each find themselves in a good situation. I'm thinking NRG will sport more of an aggressive play style as they have Korean imports taking over both the top and mid lane which should generate teamfight-centric play and a lot of kills (for both their team and their potential opponents). Konkwon will be working with Altec as his ADC, a player who has been very reliable over the past year. Noxiak joins a more stable team this year as he signs on with Fnatic, who should be towards the top of Europe once again. Working with Rekkles in the bot lane should provide a good opportunity to pick up assists. Noxiak is the safer of the two options, but Konkwon, while riskier, probably presents a higher ceiling.

Vander joins a good H2k roster in 2016 and will partner with FORG1VEN in the team's bottom lane. FORG1VEN's play style is one where he always looks to dominate the bottom lane and heavily outfarm his opponent. Recently, that hasn't led to many kills, but he's also shown the ability to carry at times. Vander finished the 2015 Summer Split twelfth in assists, a number that could rise this season.