Why stick to the same predictable picks when there’s a world of underutilized champions waiting to shine? Off-meta supports bring creativity and surprise, often catching opponents off guard while offering unique playstyles that can turn the tide of any match.
1. Shaco
Shaco excels as an off-meta support by creating chaos and instilling fear in the enemy team. His ability to place Jack-In-The-Box traps provides excellent zoning tools, enabling strong control over key areas like bushes or objectives such as Dragon and Baron pits. These traps also deliver crowd control (fear) and significant poke damage when opponents trigger them.
He thrives on catching enemies off guard with his Deceive (Q), allowing him to stealthily flank targets for surprise attacks or escape sticky situations effortlessly. This makes it hard for ADCs to predict his next move during laning phase skirmishes or mid-game rotations.
His ultimate, Hallucinate, creates a clone that can confuse foes while simultaneously dealing burst AOE damage upon death. By using this creatively, he disrupts fights and forces misplays from disoriented enemies trying to identify real threats.
Building AP items such as Imperial Mandate enhances his trap synergy while adding utility through slows and extra procs of magic damage on auto-attacks from allies engaging marked targets.
2. Xerath
Xerath brings unparalleled poke potential to the support role, dominating from a safe distance with his long-range abilities. His Arcanopulse (Q) allows him to harass enemies during the laning phase while staying out of harm’s reach. This makes it nearly impossible for opponents to sustain trades without being punished.
His Eye of Destruction (W) applies moderate crowd control by slowing targets caught in its zone, which sets up plays or disrupts enemy engages effectively. Combine this utility with his ultimate, Rite of the Arcane, and Xerath turns into a turret-like presence capable of sniping low-health foes who attempt to escape fights.
Building items like Liandry’s Anguish amplifies his damage over time and synergizes well with sustained pokes. While he lacks hard peel compared to traditional supports, his zoning ability compensates by keeping threats at bay before they can even approach allies. For players seeking an off-meta pick that delivers consistent harassment and lane pressure, Xerath shines as a strong choice.
3. Vel’Koz
Vel’Koz stands out as an unconventional yet intriguing off-meta support champion in League of Legends. Known primarily for his mid-lane dominance, he brings powerful poke and damage from a distance to the bot lane through abilities like Plasma Fission (Q) and Void Rift (W). His long-range harass can keep enemies at bay during the laning phase while dealing significant chip damage.
Players experimenting with Vel’Koz as a support appreciate his ability to disrupt with Tectonic Disruption (E), offering limited crowd control by knocking up targets when placed accurately. Although it’s not comparable to traditional supports like Leona or Nautilus defensively, it works well for initiating skirmishes or saving teammates under pressure.
Despite these strengths, Vel’Koz’s toolkit lacks tools such as healing or peeling that are essential in many standard bot lane matchups. However, building items like Imperial Mandate enhances his synergy by amplifying ally follow-up damage post-poke—especially useful against squishier compositions prone to burst counterplay.
4. Lee Sin
Lee Sin isn’t what comes to mind when thinking about support champions, and for good reason—he’s primarily a jungler known for his high mobility, damage output, and utility. However, in the right hands and with an inventive mindset, he can bring unexpected value to the bottom lane.
His Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike (Q) offers excellent poke potential early game, creating pressure on enemy laners while positioning him as a threat during trades. Meanwhile, his Safeguard/Iron Will (W) allows him to shield allies or himself in tight situations and provides additional sustain through life steal. These abilities make him flexible enough to adapt within chaotic bot-lane engagements.
The real selling point of Lee Sin as a support lies in his crowd control capabilities via Dragon’s Rage (R). This ability can knock enemies into vulnerable positions or away from key team members in clutch moments, reshaping fights entirely if timed well. Building items like Knight’s Vow adds durability while boosting ally synergy—perfect for enabling hyper-carry ADCs looking to thrive under protection-oriented setups.
5. Tahm Kench
Tahm Kench stands out as a highly versatile off-meta support choice in League of Legends. Though more commonly played in top lane, his toolkit brings impressive utility and unique playmaking potential to the bot lane.
His Tongue Lash (Q) provides reliable crowd control by rooting or stunning enemies after stacking basic attacks. This makes him an effective initiator during trades or all-ins. With Devour (W), he can either save allies from danger or reposition group fights entirely by spitting them back into safer areas—or even launching enemy champions away!
Thick Skin (E) offers strong survivability by converting damage into grey health that heals over time, granting sustain for aggressive plays. His ultimate, Abyssal Voyage, opens up creative ganking opportunities and surprises opponents with strategic map rotations.
With a win rate hovering around 51.8%-52%, players using Tahm Kench often enjoy success through clever positioning and tactical ability usage—especially alongside ADCs needing extra peel or mobility boosts.
6. Sejuani
Sejuani stands out as a bold, off-meta support choice with surprising potential. While her pick rate is only 0.1%, she manages to maintain an impressive win rate of between 48.0% and 49.7%, depending on patch updates and sources.
Her strength lies in durability and crowd control. Using the Aftershock rune synergizes well with her tankiness, while supportive runes like Font of Life ensure some utility for allies during fights. Popular build items such as Heartsteel, Thornmail, and Jak’Sho boost both survivability and effectiveness in extended trades.
Matchups define her success—she excels against champions like Xerath, Zoe, Seraphine, Nautilus, and Teemo with dominating stats (60-70% win rates). However, it’s critical to avoid picks into counters like Camille or Pantheon due to their ability to bypass her strengths easily.
7. Anivia
Anivia stands out as a fascinating off-meta support champion due to her immense utility and control capabilities. Her Crystallize (W) creates impassable walls, allowing players to block enemy movements, isolate threats, or protect allies during skirmishes. This ability is not only disruptive but also game-changing in tight corridors, such as jungle entry points or objectives like Dragon and Baron.
Her ultimate, Glacial Storm (R), excels at both zone control and sustained damage output over an area. When combined with proper positioning, it can deny enemies access to vital locations or punish grouped opponents heavily. The effectiveness of this skill scales into the late game, turning her into a decisive force around major team fights.
However, playing Anivia as a support comes with challenges. She suffers from high mana costs early on and requires careful itemization to stay impactful. Additionally, when her passive Rebirth is on cooldown, she becomes significantly vulnerable to coordinated all-ins from aggressive bot lane duos.