Who Supports Veigar Well? A Comprehensive Guide
Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil, is a unique champion in League of Legends, known for his late-game scaling power and ability to accumulate unlimited Ability Power (AP). However, his early game is notoriously weak, making his choice of support crucial to his success. So, who supports Veigar well? The answer primarily revolves around supports who can set up his cage (Event Horizon), mitigate his early-game vulnerability, and provide supplementary utility as the game progresses.
The strongest synergies for Veigar, particularly when played as an ADC, are with hook-based supports. These include champions like Thresh, Blitzcrank, and Nautilus. These supports excel at pulling enemies into Veigar’s cage, creating easy opportunities for him to land his powerful spells. Thresh, in particular, stands out as an excellent partner for Veigar. His Death Sentence (Q) and Flay (E) abilities both work incredibly well for setting up cage combos. Furthermore, Thresh’s Dark Passage (W) lantern provides much-needed mobility for the often-immobile Veigar. Nautilus is another strong contender due to his early-game tankiness and damage, which helps to prevent Veigar from being bullied in the lane. His roots and hooks provide excellent synergy with Veigar’s abilities in both the mid and late game.
While hook supports are the most frequently cited, other support types can also work effectively with Veigar, depending on play style and enemy team composition. Aggressive engage supports who can dive the back line with Veigar, or poke supports who can harass early and create an opening for Veigar to farm safely, can be effective. Ultimately, the “best” support for Veigar often comes down to individual player preference and the specific match-up at hand.
The Power of Hook Synergies
Thresh: The Prime Example
Thresh is arguably the best support for Veigar. His kit synergizes incredibly well with Veigar’s weaknesses and strengths. His Death Sentence (Q) can pull enemies directly into Veigar’s Event Horizon (E), guaranteeing a hit. His Flay (E) can both pull enemies into the cage and displace them after they are stunned, helping Veigar secure kills. His Dark Passage (W) is a literal lifeline, allowing Veigar to escape ganks or reposition quickly during fights. The utility and crowd control Thresh provides makes him the ideal partner for the early to mid-game struggles of Veigar.
Blitzcrank and Nautilus: Close Contenders
Blitzcrank and Nautilus both bring significant crowd control to the lane and synergize well with Veigar’s cage. Blitzcrank’s Rocket Grab offers a similar pull mechanic to Thresh, while his Power Fist ensures enemies stay within the cage. Nautilus’ Dredge Line can lock enemies down, and his Riptide can slow them while Veigar sets up his cage. Both supports are tanky, allowing them to initiate fights and draw aggression away from Veigar, especially early on. They are particularly helpful in the early laning phase as they can help Veigar farm safely by zoning enemies.
Other Support Options
While hook supports are often the first recommendation, other types of supports can still pair well with Veigar depending on specific needs and playstyles.
Aggressive Engage Supports
While not as common, supports who can aggressively engage can create opportunities for Veigar. Champions like Leona and Alistar, for example, can lock down enemies with their crowd control, allowing Veigar to easily land his spells. This is not as reliable as the hook supports though, as landing an initial crowd control without proper coordination will still leave the enemy time to move out of the cage.
Poke Supports
Poke supports, such as Lux and Brand, can harass enemy laners and create openings for Veigar to safely farm and scale into the mid and late game. These supports can also provide additional damage in lane, helping to secure kills if an enemy gets caught in Veigar’s cage. However, they lack the hard engage that hook supports provide.
Synergies to Avoid
Not all supports are created equal when pairing with Veigar. Enchanters such as Yuumi and Soraka, despite their powerful healing and utility, don’t synergize as well with Veigar. They often lack the necessary crowd control to lock enemies down for Veigar’s abilities, or the engage to keep enemies away from Veigar while he’s vulnerable.
Understanding The Challenges
Veigar’s biggest weakness is his vulnerability in the early game. He needs to farm and scale to become a threat. Thus, it is necessary for his support to help in this, either through zoning out enemies with their own damage, or creating openings for Veigar to farm safely. Supports that provide minimal crowd control or engage potential will struggle to create openings for Veigar and leave him exposed to aggression from the enemy laners and jungler.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Veigar ADC viable?
Yes, Veigar ADC is a viable pick but can be more reliant on his support to mitigate his early-game weaknesses. He performs best when paired with a support who can consistently set up his cage. Veigar ADC has a 51.5% win rate in Emerald+ with a very low pick rate.
2. Can Veigar be played as a Support?
Veigar Support is a niche pick that is generally ranked D-tier due to his low early game impact. He is best played in a lane where he can get the resources he needs to become a threat. Veigar Support is an option, but should only be considered by players with extensive experience on the champion.
3. What makes Thresh such a good support for Veigar?
Thresh’s combination of hooks (Q), displacement (E), and mobility (W) make him an ideal partner for Veigar. He can easily pull enemies into the cage, create picks, and provide much needed mobility.
4. Are there specific support items that synergize well with Veigar?
Items that enhance crowd control, such as Glacial Augment or Locket of the Iron Solari for added durability when playing an engage support, are typically beneficial for Veigar’s support partner. Veigar himself benefits from mana regen items early on to ensure he can utilize his abilities often.
5. Is Veigar weak early game?
Yes, Veigar is extremely weak in the early game. He has a difficult time trading with enemy laners due to his abilities long cooldowns and high mana costs, and he is highly susceptible to ganks. His support needs to compensate for his early-game vulnerability.
6. What are Veigar’s biggest counters?
Veigar’s biggest counters include high mobility champions and assassins. Common mid lane counters are Kassadin, Naafiri, Brand, Irelia, and Xerath.
7. Can Veigar be played as a tank?
While it’s an uncommon build, a tank build Veigar is possible, capitalizing on his passive AP gains. This is especially beneficial in the mid lane. This style would allow him to survive bursts from assassins and still do a lot of damage in teamfights.
8. Is Veigar a late game champion?
Absolutely. Veigar is an insane late-game champion due to his ability to stack unlimited AP from his passive. The more you farm with Veigar, the stronger he gets.
9. How difficult is Veigar to play?
Veigar has a high skill ceiling. While some of his abilities are relatively easy to use, it can be challenging to survive the early game and effectively utilize him in the late game. It requires extensive game knowledge and practice to consistently win.
10. How can I improve my performance with Veigar?
Focus on farming and getting as much gold and XP as possible in the early game. Avoid fights until you have a few items and take advantage of his late game power. Practice landing the Event Horizon cage consistently.
11. Which supports do NOT pair well with Veigar?
Enchanter supports, that lack engage and crowd control, such as Yuumi, Soraka and Janna, are not ideal for Veigar. They do not provide the necessary tools to mitigate his early-game weaknesses.
12. Is Veigar better than Annie?
Veigar has a slightly better win rate (51.6%) than Annie in Mid Lane. However, the “better” champion depends on the player’s skill and their playstyle.
13. Is it more difficult to play Veigar into a Yasuo?
Based on the data, Veigar is more likely to lose against Yasuo than on average. Yasuo is a highly mobile champion, making it difficult for Veigar to land his abilities.
14. How does Veigar scale into the late game?
Veigar becomes an absolute monster in the late game due to his passive allowing him to gain unlimited AP. A well farmed Veigar with 1k AP is extremely dangerous for any team.
15. What is Veigar’s most difficult matchup?
Garen top is a very difficult matchup for Veigar. Based on the data he has an approximate 35% winrate, which is much lower than average. Garen’s tankiness and ability to close the distance easily make it difficult for Veigar to play around him.