Read out essential tips for Position 5 supports in Dota 2 to improve your playstyle and gain mastery over this role
Dota 2 has evolved a lot over the years. Back in its early days, the game was not fun at all for the Position 5 Supports. Between having to buy the Courier, sharing Tangos with the Mid, and having to spend precious gold on Observer wards, the Hard Supports were often left struggling to buy boots even at the 10-minute mark of the game.
Thankfully, Valve changed things up over time, and now Position 5 is actually a pretty fun role with a lot of impact in the game. Still expecting a newcomer to fully grasp the role is like expecting a baby to start running on a treadmill. It’s a role that requires a lot of planning and strategic thinking.
But don’t worry! If you want to step into the “Support Life,” we’ve got your back!
In this article, we’ll drop a few handy tips to improve your gameplay as the Position 5 Support so that you can get more wins and fewer raging teammates. Let’s get started!
6 Essential Tips for Position 5 Supports
Here are 6 tips that will help you become a better Position 5 Support in Dota 2:
1. Understand the Heroes
In Dota 2, there are two types of supports: Position 4 and Position 5. Now, the Position 4 role is the more aggressive of the two supports in most cases. For Position 5 heroes, you usually go with heroes that can keep the Safe Lane Carry safe against enemy aggression.
In other words, heroes with some form of defensive capability are usually better for the Position 5 role. Then again, Dota 2 is a highly dynamic game, and in some matchups, going with an aggressive Position 5 is not a bad thing.
So, the first thing you need to do if you want to play Position 5 is get a few good heroes under your belt. It’s best to go with strong Meta heroes like Treant Protector or Vengeful Spirit to increase your chances of winning the game. A good Position 5 Support always has a nice pool of heroes that he can use in different situations.
2. Don’t Leave Lane Unless it’s Safe for Your Carry
When you’re playing as Position 5, your main loyalty is to your Safe Lane Carry. Your job is to make sure your Carry has a good time in the lane and gets his early items without dying a bunch of times.
Of course, in Pubs, it’s often easier said than done. You’ll often end up with players who have no clue what they’re doing and die as soon as you pull the jungle. But even if that’s the case, you don’t want to leave the lane before your Carry does.
Remember, if your Carry is not having a good time in the laning phase, it will delay his item timings. This will, in turn, force your Carry to spend a longer time in the jungle playing the “catch-up game” while the enemy team moves as 5, hunting you down and taking objectives on the map.
However, if you manage to secure a good lane for your Carry, he will be able to farm up his items more efficiently. Once he moves into the jungle, you can take free experience from the lane or rotate to other lanes if you see a gank opportunity.
3. Be Aggressive on the Lane
Here’s another Laning tip for you if you’re a Position 5 Support: Be Aggressive!
Remember, the enemy Offlane duo is almost always going to be stronger than you and your Safe Lane Carry. But most Position 5 Supports have an early power spike. If you don’t establish lane dominance early on, the enemy Position 4 and Offlane will bully you, and your Carry out of the lane.
For example, Treant Protector, a highly successful Pos 5 in the Meta, starts with massive base damage and has a heal/slow/damage spell at level 1 that lets him bully the Offlane and force them to run back. Offlaners usually reach their power spike at around level 3 or 4.
When you play aggressively on a Pos 5, the enemy team either has to focus you or get on the defensive. Either way, it’s space for your Carry to farm safely.
4. Learn Ward Spots and Utilize Them
Maintaining map vision is one of the main responsibilities of the Position 5 support. If you’re playing as a support, Observer and Sentry Wards are core items for your hero. Seasoned Pos 5 mains usually try to look at the big picture. They think about timings and objectives and the best places to fight.
They use this information to set up visions around the map that will give his team the most benefit. Inversely, they also think about the game from the opponent’s perspective and make sure the enemy doesn’t have vision in the area that they want to control.
At one point, maintaining the map vision becomes sort of like a chess match between the Pos 5 of the two teams.
5. Don’t Worry About Dying and Buying Back
One of the biggest perks of playing the Pos 5 is that you’re not that stuck up on dying with your hero. Of course, it’s always great if you can avoid hero deaths. But if you have the choice between saving your Carry by dying or saving yourself while your Carry dies, you need to choose the former.
The Pos 5 is still pretty sacrificial when you think about it. They are often the first to run in with vision during a smoke gank and the first to get focused on during team fights. In this situation, if the fight is near your tower and if your presence can turn the tide in your favor, don’t be afraid to Buyback.
Pos 5 supports don’t need as many items as the other four roles in Dota 2. So you can use the Gold that you saved up to rejoin team fights after dying.
6. Call Out Shots
Did you know that most captains and drafters in Pro Dota 2 teams are Position 5 players? There’s a reason for that!
The Position 5 players in the team are usually the most experienced players who understand the game better than anyone else. They know the timings and objectives. Naturally, this is what makes them shot callers in the game.
So, if you’re playing as a Pos 5, don’t be afraid to call out shots for your team. They might not follow you all the time, and you might not be right every time, either. But after a while, you will start learning from your mistakes and making good calls that win your team the game.
Welcome to Support Life!
The Pos 5 was a pretty unforgiving role in the past, but now it’s a pretty chill and enjoyable role to master. Remember, Position 5 Supports don’t just play their hero; they also play the map, focusing on maintaining visions and calling for objectives.
By following the tips that we discussed in this article, you should be able to improve your Support performance in your Dota 2 Pubs. Good luck!
