8 Best Runes For Supports in League of Legends

The Support role in League of Legends is perfect for players who enjoy helping their team shine rather than taking the spotlight. It’s a role with incredible variety, offering everything from tanky initiators that lead fights to enchanters that protect and empower allies from a safe distance. No matter your playstyle, understanding which runes to use can completely change how effective you are in lane and during teamfights. The right runes can enhance your healing, improve your engage potential, or make your crowd control even deadlier. In this guide, we’ll cover the best runes for Supports in League of Legends, explaining how each option boosts your performance and helps you adapt to the ever-changing meta.

#8: Font of Life

Passive: Slowing or immobilizing an enemy champion heals you and your nearest low-health ally for a small amount based on your level. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)

Font of Life is one of the most underrated yet reliable runes for Supports who focus on crowd control and team sustain. Whether you’re playing a durable tank like Nautilus or a utility-heavy enchanter, this rune helps keep your ADC and nearby allies healthy throughout the laning phase. Every time you land a slow or root, both you and your lowest-health teammate receive healing — a subtle but powerful advantage in drawn-out fights.

It pairs exceptionally well with other runes in the Resolve tree, especially Revitalize, boosting your healing even further as the game progresses. During teamfights, it can trigger multiple times, providing steady sustain for your frontline or backline depending on your position. The best part? It doesn’t require complex mechanics or setups — just use your CC as usual, and you’ll naturally keep your team alive longer. It may not have the flashiest effect, but Font of Life brings consistent value that often makes the difference in clutch moments.

#7: Deep Ward

Passive: Wards placed inside the enemy jungle are marked as Deep, gaining +1 health and lasting significantly longer depending on champion level. Once you reach level 9, wards placed in the river also count as Deep.

Vision control wins games, and Deep Ward is one of the most valuable runes for Supports who understand that information is power. By extending the lifespan of wards placed in the enemy jungle or river, this rune allows your team to maintain control over key objectives and enemy movements for much longer. It’s especially strong on proactive Supports who like to roam and set up vision before major fights or objectives.

What makes Deep Ward so impactful is how much pressure it creates on the enemy team. Longer-lasting wards force opponents to spend more time and resources clearing vision, giving your team more freedom to move safely and make aggressive plays. Once level 9 hits, your control over the river becomes unmatched, letting you dictate rotations and set up perfect ambushes. Even for new players, Deep Ward encourages good habits by rewarding smart ward placement and map awareness. It’s not flashy, but it’s one of the most game-changing utility runes in the Support toolkit.

#6: Revitalize

Passive: Increases all healing and shielding done by 5%. Heals and shields on allies below 40% HP are 10% stronger, and when you’re below 40% HP, incoming healing and shields are also increased by 10%.

Revitalize is the go-to rune for any enchanter Support and one of the strongest sustain options in League of Legends. Champions like Soraka, Lulu, Nami, and Yuumi thrive with this rune since it directly amplifies their ability to protect and sustain their carries. The bonus healing and shielding might seem small at first, but when combined with items like Moonstone Renewer or Redemption, the numbers stack up quickly — turning fragile carries into near-unkillable monsters in late-game teamfights.

What makes Revitalize so effective is its scaling potential and clutch healing bonuses. The lower your ally’s health, the more powerful your heals and shields become, giving your team a massive advantage during close skirmishes. It also synergizes with other defensive runes in the Resolve tree, like Font of Life, further boosting team survivability. In short, if you’re playing any champion who heals, shields, or protects teammates, Revitalize is a must-pick that transforms every clutch fight into a comeback opportunity.

#5: Relentless Hunter

Passive: Grants 8 bonus movement speed while out of combat for each Bounty Hunter stack, up to a total of 40 at five stacks. Gain one stack per unique champion takedown.

Mobility can completely change how a Support impacts the game, and Relentless Hunter is the perfect rune for players who want to control tempo through speed. It gives a noticeable boost to map movement, allowing Supports to roam between lanes, clear deep vision, and return before the enemy even realizes what happened. Once fully stacked, the difference is night and day — a Pyke, Rakan, or Thresh with Relentless Hunter can appear in midlane for a surprise gank and be back in botlane moments later.

This rune shines on aggressive playmakers and roaming Supports, but it’s also useful for enchanters like Janna, who already benefit from speed scaling. The extra movement helps position better during fights and makes escaping assassins much easier. While the rune only activates out of combat and needs a few unique kills to reach its full potential, the reward is incredible map presence and playmaking freedom. When used effectively, Relentless Hunter turns every Support into a roaming threat capable of dictating the pace of the entire game.

#4: Guardian

Passive: When near an allied champion, you project a Guard around them. If either of you take significant or lethal damage, both receive a shield that scales with level, AP, and bonus health.

Guardian has been the go-to defensive rune for Supports since the early days of League, and for good reason — it can turn fights around instantly. Whether you’re playing an enchanter like Lulu or a tank like Leona, Guardian gives you and your carry an emergency layer of protection that can decide whether a skirmish ends in a kill or a death. The shield scales well as the game goes on and is surprisingly strong when paired with items like Locket of the Iron Solari or Redemption, which amplify its defensive potential even further.

What makes Guardian special is how flexible and reactive it is. You don’t need to activate it manually — staying close to your ally is enough. This allows you to focus on timing your engages and keeping your team alive during chaotic fights. It’s especially powerful against burst-heavy compositions, as it absorbs lethal damage that would otherwise take out your ADC or even you. While its cooldown can feel long, skilled Supports know how to bait enemy aggression and time Guardian for maximum value. Reliable, consistent, and clutch — it’s a must-pick rune for any Support who values survivability and team protection.

#3: Glacial Augment

Passive: When you immobilize an enemy LoL champion, three icy rays spread out from them, creating frozen zones that slow nearby enemies and reduce their damage output against your allies.

Glacial Augment is one of the most underrated runes for engage Supports, offering incredible utility for those who love to start fights and lock enemies down. Every time you land a hook, stun, or root, the rune triggers a wide freeze field that slows enemies and weakens their attacks, giving your team a massive edge in skirmishes. Champions like Leona, Thresh, Nautilus, and Rell can make especially great use of it — turning every pick into a full-blown teamfight win. The slow scales well with your stats, meaning that by the late game, enemies caught in your crowd control can barely move or deal meaningful damage.

What makes Glacial Augment so powerful is its ability to change the flow of fights without relying purely on burst damage or sustain. It helps peel for carries, adds survivability through damage reduction, and gives your team more time to follow up on your engages. Even some mage Supports like Morgana or Neeko can benefit, layering extra slows on top of their roots to completely trap enemies in place. Against low-mobility carries or melee bruisers, Glacial Augment can be a nightmare to play against — it turns the battlefield into your personal frozen playground.

#2: Summon Aery

Passive: Aery automatically travels between you, your allies, and your enemies — dealing bonus damage when you poke enemies and granting shields when you heal or buff teammates.

Summon Aery is the go-to rune for enchanter Supports who want a perfect balance between offense and defense. It rewards active play by letting you constantly poke enemies while strengthening your team’s sustain through shields. Champions like Lulu, Karma, and Sona thrive with this rune since it amplifies their natural strengths — steady poke pressure in lane and consistent shielding during fights. Aery might look small, but its value adds up fast, with every spell cast contributing to either whittling down opponents or keeping allies alive longer.

Unlike Arcane Comet, which depends on cooldowns and aim, Aery’s reliability makes it ideal for beginners and veterans alike. It has no downtime beyond your ability cast speed, letting you keep up constant pressure during trades. The shields it provides are deceptively strong, especially when combined with healing or shielding items like Ardent Censer or Moonstone Renewer. Whether you’re playing aggressively to harass or passively to protect, Summon Aery perfectly fits both playstyles, making it one of the most versatile and impactful Support runes in League of Legends.

#1: Hexflash

Passive: When Flash is on cooldown, it’s replaced by Hexflash, allowing you to charge up and blink a short distance after holding for at least one second.

Hexflash is one of the most creative and game-changing runes available to Support players, turning traditional engage champions into unpredictable initiators. Instead of waiting endlessly for Flash to come back up, you gain access to a smaller, repeatable version that opens up endless playmaking opportunities. Whether you’re hiding in a bush for a surprise hook or repositioning to start a perfect engage, Hexflash completely redefines how aggressive Supports like Blitzcrank, Leona, and Nautilus operate.

What makes this rune so special is the freedom it provides. You can hop over short walls, sneak through fog of war, or set up creative ambushes that opponents simply can’t anticipate. The short cooldown ensures you can use it multiple times per fight or while roaming between lanes. When used correctly, Hexflash lets you stay unpredictable and constantly threaten engages, forcing enemies to play more cautiously than they’d like. No other rune offers this level of mobility and playmaking potential — it gives Supports complete control over how and when to start fights, making it an absolute must-pick for aggressive, high-impact players looking to dominate the Rift.

Conclusion

Support runes play a massive role in shaping how every game of League of Legends unfolds. Whether you prefer aggressive playstyles that dive headfirst into fights or enchanter builds that keep your team alive from the backline, picking the right rune can completely change your impact on the Rift. From the utility of Font of Life to the raw playmaking power of Hexflash, each rune brings something unique that enhances your champion’s strengths and smooths out their weaknesses. The key is to match your rune setup with your playstyle and your team’s needs. Once you find that perfect balance, you’ll notice just how much easier it becomes to control fights, protect allies, and turn even the toughest games in your team’s favor.