Our Season 11 Support Alistar guide features recommendations on rune choices, itemisation, tips and tricks, and more. Be advised that these guidelines are not rigid, and that nothing is set in stone as in-game circumstances (i.e. lane matchup, enemy team composition, enemy team advantages or lack thereof) may lead you to adapt and tweak your approach, particularly after your core build is complete.
Runes
Summoner Spells
Your choice of Summoner Spells may vary, depending on your matchup and playstyle. Below are the most frequently used options:
Core Items
2800 gold
Turbo Chemtank is the go-to item for front line tanks looking to dive into the fray as soon as possible, and to cause maximum disruption upon closing the gap.
2400 gold
Zeke's Convergence increases the damage dealt by Alistar and by the champion he pairs himself with each time he uses crowd control spells on an opponent (or a group of opponents in Alistar's case).
Starting Items and Boots
Skill Sequence
Depending on the situation, you may level your skills using a different sequence to adapt to your circumstances. But, as a rule of thumb, Alistar players in the support role are advised to level their skills following this priority order:
R > Q > W > E
Gameplay
Alistar is an aggressive support, but players need to be careful when diving into the fray. Although his spells help him initiate quickly, his only lifeline from that point onward is his itemisation and the defensive stats that he has secured. Early advantages go a long way to smoothen Alistar's road towards the mid and late game stages when team fights become prevalent.
Laning phase:
- Level 1: Q - Pulverize is the best Level 1 spell for Alistar in the case of early jungle invasions or if fighting ensues early. Be advised that Alistar can close the gap between himself and his opponents without using Flash at Level 2.
- Level 2: W - Headbutt allows Alistar to engage with ease. You need to position yourself aggressively in order to zone the opponent's bot lane, provided the matchup allows it, and provided that the enemy jungler isn't lurking bot side.
- Level 6: The damage reduction provided by R - Unbreakable Will turns Alistar into one of the best towerdiving tools available in the game, provided Alistar players have called for jungle assistance, or if the health bar advantage is significantly in his bot lane's favor.
If you have secured a lead in the bot lane, you can roam the map using your Mobility Boots to potentially snowball other lanes out of control. As Alistar, it's up to you to take the initiative and lead the tempo of the game, provided you haven't been set too far behind in the early levels.
In teamfights:
In teamfights, Alistar can use his kit in two different ways:
- If you have spotted a good angle: you can engage and let your teammates inflict maximum damage.
- If you are late, or if the enemy holds the initiative: Use W - Headbutt to peel enemies away from your carries. You must use your entire toolkit to safeguard your teammates and to give them the breathing room they need to inflict damage without risking their lives.
Tips & Tricks
- To perform a combo with Alistar, launch W - Headbutt then Q - Pulverize before the end of the animation.
- Charge E - Trample before using your combo, so that you can lock down your targets for longer and deny them the option to escape.
- R - Iron Will removes all disable effects upon activation.
- Applying crowd control activates your Passive - Triumphant Roar and allows you to heal your allies.
- Speaking of which, your Passive - Triumphant Roar automatically triggers when an Epic Monster dies, and it can trigger twice every 3 seconds.
- Use Redemption before performing your combo, adding another layer of crowd control through its Slow effect.
- Don't forget to activate Knight's Vow on your designated partner - preferably your ADC.
- Feel free to roam to the mid lane if your ADC is safe, or if he has recalled. While roaming, you can use Wards over the river, and you can gank the enemy midlaner if they are overextended.
- Use your Relic Shield stacks as much as possible, preferably on the cannon minions and the melee minions.
