Top 5 Support Picks to Solo Carry in Season 15 (Patch 25.16)

If you find yourself stuck in champ-select, especially when your ADC is busy trying out new skins, this guide is for you. Right now, support is one of the most dependable roles for climbing the ranks. You control vision, dictate fights, and determine who gets to play the game. In Season 15, Patch 25.16 (which you might see labeled as 15.16 on many stat sites), the meta favors proactive playmakers and valuable enchanters who can turn a single good pick into a win.

I've selected five supports that can help you dominate solo queue, backed by the latest win-rate data and actual gameplay trends. You'll see why they're strong, which champions pair well with them, how to build and play them, and how to turn lane advantages into victories.

Just a quick note on the patch numbers: Riot calls it Patch 25.16 (year-based format), while many stat sites still refer to it as 15.16. But the balance remains the same either way.

TL;DR (but seriously, read the how-to)

• Sona - The easiest climb for most ranks; top win rate and incredible value in teamfights.

• Lulu - The most picked among meta supports; she counters engage champions effectively and boosts hypercarries.

• Rell - The best engage tank for solo queue; she provides reliable picks with her point-and-click lockdown and excels in skirmishes.

• Pyke - The assassin support. He can snowball lanes, generate gold with resets, and find victories through smart roams.

• Blitzcrank - Hook once, win the fight. A classic solo-queue threat with a strong midgame impact.

Why these five?

I chose champions that have win rates trending positively on current data at least half of the time, are not overly impeded by the perfection of their allied teammates, and create agency themselves: be it vision control, catch tools, or those ults that can win fights.

• Sona has been placed somewhere on top of support tier lists for Emerald+ with ~52% WR on current stat trackers, and for this patch, the data sites rated her S Tier. She is a carry herself that has influence over fights with Crescendo.

• Lulu has one of the highest pick rates in support this patch (13%+ in Emerald+) alongside a ~50% WR, which matters because she gets picked when your carry needs her, and she's banned lower down because the engage is just too easy for her to snuff.

• Rell competes around ~50% WR with decent pick rate, while her kit is perfect for forcing fights when you want them to happen.

• Pyke, at nearly ~50% WR with the 6-7% healthy pick rate in Emerald+, and really shines on roaming timings and gold executions; That is the pure definition of solo-queue win-condition from support.

• Blitzcrank hangs right around ~50% WR with about a 6% pick rate when one just fog-of-war hooks really sets the tilt on its way. It is mid-game-where-the-game-is-won-and-lost power with him.

1) Sona - The Free LP Conductor

Why she solo carries: Sona makes your entire team better by just existing. She pokes, heals, speeds engages or disengages, and then presses R for a 5-man stun. In solo queue, her kit removes chaos: you draft stability and win the longer the game goes.

Snapshot: Sona appears as S tier on multiple lists for Emerald+ with ~51.9% WR and a rising pick rate this patch.

Skill floor/ceiling: Easy to learn, hard to master. There's nuance in aura cycling, spacing and ult flash-timing, but you'll get value even on your first games.

Runes & Items (baseline):

Aery → Manaflow Band, Transcendence, Scorch; secondary Bone Plating + Revitalize.

Support item: Dream Maker → Moonstone/Helia depending on comp; Ardent, Redemption, Mikael's round out most builds. (These reflect the highest performing Sona/Lulu-style enchanter itemizations right now.)

How to 1v9 with Sona

• Lane: Q-poke through minions; weave Power Chord (Q) for amplified harass. Track jungle and conserve mana for all-ins.

• Midgame: Stick with your strongest carry and chain-tempo: E aura for engages, W for peels, save R for multi-man hits or to stuff divers.

• Macro: Ward deep on spawn timers and ping rotations. Sona's ult wins dragon standoffs-play for setup, not coin-flips.

Best ADC partners: Tristana, Kog'Maw, Vayne, Twitch, they all benefit from peel + attack speed + on-demand engage speedups, with positive duo WRs reported this season.

2) Lulu - The Enchanter That Says "No"

Why she stands out: You don't have to be the one dealing damage; instead, you decide who gets to. Lulu can turn one teammate into a powerhouse while stopping enemies in their tracks with her polymorphs and knock-ups. She pairs well with almost any hypercarry and keeps scaling effectively.

• Snapshot: She has around a 50.3% win rate, a 13% pick rate, and a notable ban rate of about 21% across Emerald+-this shows she really makes a difference in actual games, not just in theory.

• Skill floor/ceiling: She's easy to pick up but mastering her takes time-smart use of W and timing of R are key in deciding fights.

Runes & Items (baseline):

• Aery → Manaflow/Transcendence/Scorch, and for secondary runes, go with Bone Plating + Revitalize.

• Dream Maker → Choose Ardent + either Moonstone, Redemption, or Mikael's, depending on the enemy crowd control and your carry's needs. These item setups are currently showing win rates over 60% in their most common three-item builds.

How to dominate with Lulu

• Lane: Position yourself in front of your ADC to polymorph divers as soon as they come in; look for E → Q trades when it feels safe.

• Midgame: Figure out your win condition (a fed ADC, a mid assassin, or a bruiser top). Stick close to them, keep that shield up, and save your W to interrupt dashes or ultimate channels.

• Macro: Lulu shines around objectives-make sure to pre-ward, back off into choke points, and let your carry do their thing with Wild Growth protecting them.

Best ADC partners: Tristana, Kog'Maw, Vayne, and Twitch-these combinations have been among Lulu's strongest this season.

3) Rell - Point-and-Click Mayhem

Why she solo carries: Rell really makes the fights go your way. She's a crowd control powerhouse with clear engage angles and a real draw for chaotic solo queue skirmishes.

• Snapshot: Rell holds a win rate of about 50% with a pick rate of 4-5% in Emerald+; this has stayed pretty steady across patches.

• Skill floor/ceiling: She's moderately easy to pick up, but mastering her can be quite the challenge-you'll need to juggle W form swaps, manage your engage distances, and perfect your E tether timing.

Runes & Items (baseline):

• Choose Aftershock or Glacial based on your team composition; Hexflash is extremely valuable for engaging from the brush. Stick with standard tank support items like Locket, Knight's Vow, Zeke's, and sometimes Bulwark. These rune and item choices generally hold win rates of around 50% or more.

How to 1v9 with Rell

• Lane: Use the fog of war. Buffer W over walls, and take advantage of cooldowns with E tether plus Q for trades.

• Midgame: Grab a Sweeper and use Hexflash around the mid river. If you spot the enemy ADC without cleanse or Mercury's Treads, engage-it's usually a win for you.

• Macro: You're the key player around Herald and Drake. Make sure to ping your opportunities; don't wait for all five teammates-Rell can dominate 2v2 or 3v3 fights even with one or two players missing.

Counters & reads: Watch out for teams with Milio, Soraka, or Brand, as they can disengage and counter burst damage. On the flip side, Rell thrives against immobile lanes and teams that lack protection. (Matchup tables indicate negative lanes against peel enchanters and positive ones against short-range squishies)

4) Pyke - Assassin Support That Makes Gold

Why he solo carries: Pyke is all about roaming and keeping the pressure on. Land a hook or a stun, get a Death From Below execute, and suddenly your whole team is cashing in. If your ADC isn't willing to fight, just roam mid and take control of the map.

• Snapshot: For players in Emerald and above, he has around a 50% win rate and a pick rate of about 6-7%. That's based on over 80,000 games this patch, so we know his results are pretty steady.

• Skill floor/ceiling: He's moderately easy to pick up, but mastering him is tough. Things like hitboxes, roaming timing, wave management, and execute calculations all play a big role.

Runes & Items (baseline):

• Choose Hail of Blades or Electrocute, then go for Youmuu's before grabbing Edge of Night or Umbral. If you can get ahead, pick up Mobis. Pyke's optimal builds focus on making picks and denying vision, which shows in his early win curve from 0 to 25 minutes.

How to 1v9 with Pyke

• Lane: Manage the wave carefully; don't shove it all the time. Look for chances to E flash and hook off minion gaps.

• Roaming: If the bot lane isn't playable, crash the wave, sweep the area, and use fog of war to hit mid or top lane timers.

• Teamfights: Avoid being a frontline tank; instead, look to flank. Your execute resets can turn teamfights around, so it's fine to hold your ultimate for that second kill.

Counters & reads: Stay away from heavy peel champions like Taric, Galio, or Maokai unless you're confident you can win the 2v2. Pyke does well against long-range mages like Lux or Xerath and immobile carries.

5) Blitzcrank - One Hook to Rule Them All

Why he solo carries: Blitz is great at winning games by using information and angles. Just one hook from the fog can secure a Drake or Baron, set up a pick in lane, or freeze waves for dives. Plus, his passive tankiness means you can take more risks than with other hook supports.

• Snapshot: In Emerald and above, he has about a 50.4% win rate with a 5.7-5.8% pick rate, peaking around 25 to 30 minutes-right when solo queue fights can really change the game.

• Skill floor/ceiling: He's easy to pick up, but mastering him takes some time; it's all about pathing and landing those predictive hooks.

Runes & Items (baseline):

• You can go with Glacial or Aftershock; grab Mobis for roaming; and build Shurelya's or Locket into Zeke's or Knight's. Blitz's midgame strength shows in win-rate graphs, peaking around the 25 to 30-minute mark.

How to 1v9 with Blitz

• Lane: Don't just spam Q. Instead, threaten your opponents and make them play to your minion wave. Hook them when they go for a cannon or after they use their dash.

• Midgame: Control both river bushes. If you keep sweepers and control wards, Blitz can become a game-changer at every objective.

• Teamfights: Look for opportunities in the fog. Try to create a 4v5 situation before the objective appears; even a tank hook can be deadly with Glacial slow and your team collapsing.

Counters & reads: Ban Taric and watch out for Renata-these anti-engage supports can really punish single-target picks. (His matchup data shows this.)

Rising Mages (Bonus): Brand and Zyra

If you're looking for raw damage from the support position, both Brand and Zyra are solid alternative carries.

• Brand just got some buffs to his base damage in patch 25.16, which makes him stronger in those bot lane poke battles. He's currently showing a win rate of about 50 to 51 percent as a support, so get ready for more kill-lane blowouts.

• Zyra is still a lane bully, boasting a win rate of around 51.5 percent and a healthy pick rate in Emerald and above. If your ADC is keen on pushing plates consistently, Zyra is all in on that strategy.

What the player base is saying (quick pulse)

This month, community discussions and coaching content are still highlighting the value of enchanters like Janna, Lulu, and Sona, along with reliable engage champions like Rell. This matches up with data-driven lists from Mobalytics and others that show Rell paired with enchanters is a top choice for climbing, especially in coordinated fights and when setting up objectives.

Draft Cheat-Sheet

Pick these when…

• Sona - You expect grouped fights and have at least one solid carry.

• Lulu - You have a hypercarry or the enemy team has a predictable dive.

• Rell - Your team needs a go button and the enemy bot lane is immobile.

• Pyke - You can handle a 1v2 lane or plan to roam early, and your team needs some picks.

• Blitzcrank - You can control vision, and the enemy needs to face-check you.

Avoid or pivot when…

• There's heavy anti-engage from champions like Taric, Renata, or Galio; in that case, go for Sona or Lulu.

• The enemy bot lane has long-range peel champions like Milio or Brand; it's better to avoid picking Rell and choose Lulu or Sona instead.

Lane-to-Win Playbook (applies to all five levels)

Level 1-3: Plan your first trade.

• Enchanters should use power chord or Aery shields to win the second wave.

• When it comes to hooks or engaging, keep the wave just outside your caster minions, and go for a catch when they step in for last-hits.

Crash, reset, and control the river.

• Buy Control Wards on your first back. Your champions perform better with fog angles and setups for objectives instead of just pushing the lane.

Ping the win condition, not the mistakes.

• If bot lane isn't an easy kill, consider roaming on a timer (like with Pyke or Blitz) or support your carry (like with Sona or Lulu). This is how supports can turn even lanes into victories.

Fight when you have your items.

• Sona and Lulu really benefit from hitting those two-item spikes (think Moonstone, Ardent, or Redemption). Blitz and Rell spike once they get boots plus their mythic or active items. Pyke's power really peaks before the 25-minute mark, so make sure to force skirmishes around that time.

Objective discipline is key.

• Use your pick tools about 30 to 40 seconds before an objective spawns to create a 4v5 advantage. Sona and Lulu should save their ultimates and Mikael's for counter-engagement, while Rell and Blitz look for a good target to focus. Pyke can play flanks to catch the enemy off guard.

Common Mistakes Costing You LP (and How to Fix Them)

• Players often spam Q from vision. The solution? Keep Q off cooldown so opponents respect you. Pair that with a sweeper and control wards to really boost your chances of getting picks.

• Enchanters tend to use their ultimates too late. Here's a fix: Use your R on your carry at the start of dives. Also, be proactive with Mikael's against long crowd control chains.

• Rell sometimes disengages after landing W. The fix is simple: If you commit, then really commit-ping and go. Your CC layering can turn the skirmish in your favor.

• Pyke roams during lost wave timers, which can be a problem. The solution is to crash the wave first; if you roam while the wave is slow pushing against you, you'll end up losing plates and pressure for no reason.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking for the clearest solo-carry path in Patch 25.16:

• Lock in Sona if you enjoy macro wins and 5v5s.

• Choose Lulu if you see a hypercarry opportunity.

• Go for Rell when your team needs a reliable initiation.

• Pick Pyke if you want to create map-wide snowball potential.

• Keep Blitzcrank ready for those lobbies where one pick can change everything.

These five champions are powerful because they create inevitability. They either force the fight you want or make your carry nearly impossible to kill. Combine that with strong vision habits and discipline around objectives, and you'll likely see your MMR graph rise, just like a Rell W-up and over.