Aphelios has remained a staple pick internationally thanks to not only his lane pressure, but how quickly he can melt League of Legends opponents when untouched in team fights. This potential has only been unlocked further as players have discovered supports to pair with Aphelios that empower him, complement his drawbacks, or both.
Best supports to pair with Aphelios in League
Out of dozens of supports in League, there are six who are the best fits for Aphelios in the bottom lane in the current meta. These are Thresh, Taric, Milio, Rakan, Leona, and Blitzcrank.
Thresh
- Pros: Thresh offers plenty of setups for Aphelios, and crowd control options to help with escapes.
- Cons: Some of Thresh’s abilities can be trickier to land and take more practice.
Perhaps the most consistent support pairing for Aphelios is Thresh, the Chain Warden. Like most ADCs that aren’t Zeri, Aphelios lacks mobility outside of having to expend Flash or building Galeforce, leaving him incredibly susceptible to incoming forms of crowd control and surprise ganks.
With Thresh at his side, however, Aphelios not only gains a bit more tools to engage, but a handy escape route that can be the difference between unnecessary early deaths and snowballing a lead. Thresh is also more than capable of flaying away enemies that dare step too close to his ADC or even trap them in his ultimate to force them to consider their next moves carefully.
In nearly every situation, Thresh functions as the best support pairing for Aphelios, so if you’re comfortable piloting the Chain Warden with the Weapon of the Faithful, lock him in and put your skills to the test.
Taric
- Pros: Versatile, can turn Aphelios into a true killing machine if he lands his ultimate
- Cons: Not as great at ranged encounters, especially when laning
Another brilliant support for Aphelios in the current League meta is Taric. He’s widely considered one of the most versatile Support picks in the game, for numerous good reasons.
Taric possesses a stun, heal, and a shield, with his unique ultimate being his strongest ace up in his sleeve. His Cosmic Radiance (R) turns himself and the rest of his League team invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. When used right, Taric’s allies can sweep the floor in lategame teamfights, especially with Aphelios. On such a scaling champion like the Weapon of the Faithful, the ability can single-handedly win you teamfights if timed correctly.
The key to maximizing Taric and Aphelios is to set up plays correctly. You’ll want to wait for the ADCs’ certain guns before engaging in a teamfight or a bot lane skirmish.
Like with every champion on this list, there are a few setbacks to Taric. When combined with Aphelios, he won’t be able to do much in the laning phase, since his abilities aren’t that great in two-versus-two skirmishes, and he’s a melee champion. On top of that, Aphelios can be a tricky champion to navigate in the laning phase.
Therefore, it’s best to play the early game as safely as you can and jump into action when you complete your core items. At this point, Aphelios should have enough damage to start making an impact, while Taric will have the tools to be beefy frontliner.
Milio
- Pros: Milio’s abilities are strong and easy to get a hang of.
- Cons: Not as effective in the late game as he is in the early game.
Sometimes a simple kit can be an even more effective one. Milio is no exception to this, as the Gentle Flame’s straightforward yet powerful abilities have lifted him to the top of the support leaderboard, where he doesn’t appear to be coming down anytime soon.
Milio is the only champion that can provide others with a temporary increase to their attack range, which works wonders for a champion like Aphelios who wants to constantly be dishing damage with his various guns. This is even better for his Calibrum (green gun) due to its already long range, but it can be very useful for setting up long-distance combos with his Gravitum (purple gun) and catching rooted enemies.
Milio gets an innate Mikaels Blessing through the use of his ultimate, which can free Aphelios and any ally nearby from almost any form of crowd control. Timing this correctly can be the difference between Aphelios bursting through a group of enemies in seconds, or going down without having scratched them slightly.
Rakan
- Pros: A strong engage champion that helps a great deal in team fights.
- Cons: Not as effective outside of team-fighting situations.
Rakan is an interesting support option as his role serves as both enchanter and engage—though his options to completely disrupt an opposing team certainly surpass his healing and shielding capabilities.
As one of the safest engage champions, Rakan can jump into a fight and then back out to a nearby ally. Creating this space is exactly what Aphelios needs to succeed in the laning phase, while also having access to a bit of sustain should he step a little too far forward.
Ultimately, Rakan is more successful in teamfighting situations, and won’t always succeed before mid or late-game when paired with Aphelios. However, if Rakan can use his ultimate and charm a group of enemies into a small cluster, Aphelios can capitalize with an Infernum ultimate, ending most team fights before they can start.
Leona
- Pros: Her abilities synergize well with Aphelios for team fights.
- Cons: It’s an all-in champion that requires good timing and communication.
I know what you’re thinking—Leona is arguably a good pick for any AD carry, so what makes her a perfect choice for Aphelios? Well, hear me out. While her all-in kit might be useful in an infinite number of games, looking at Aphelios’ abilities, she’s a no-brainer pick to be by his side.
With four crowd control mechanics under her belt, Leona takes the cake for being possibly the scariest and strongest tank supports. Those who play her will find it easy to engage and pin down enemies, but, everything comes with a cost.
Due to such a kit, Leona must pick her fights perfectly. While she’s unmatched in teamfights and possibly in two-versus-two skirmishes in the bottom lane, as Aphelios you need to communicate with her constantly. Without a perfect setup and by not being on the same page, chances are you won’t get the outplays you aim for. But, on the other hand, once synchronized, Aphelios and Leona can quickly outscale enemies and bring you some easy wins.
Blitzcrank
- Pros: Tanks damage and offers strong setups for Aphelios.
- Cons: Not too much support other than offering setups and soaking damage.
Much like several of the other champions on this list, Blitzcrank is a great engage character who can help Aphelios out when it comes to team fights.
Blitzcrank’s abilities are simple to pick up and use, but this doesn’t make them any less effective. Power Fist (E) can be used to briefly knock up enemies as a setup possibility for Aphelios, and Rocket Grab (Q) can be used for setups as well by pulling enemies in for both Blitzcrank and Aphelios to start wailing on whatever victim Blitzcrank grabs.
Remember to use your Blitzcrank grabs carefully. You don’t want to use it on everyone, since pulling a champion like Maokai or Kennen might send your team back to the fountain.
While Blitzcrank’s tanky amount of health and combat setups are great for Aphelios, there’s not much else that the giant robot can do. He doesn’t offer any buffs, shields, or healing to Aphelios, but if your Blitzcrank player knows the character inside and out, it should be a great combo with Apehlios.
