When it comes to climbing ranked or dominating casual games, pairing Smolder with the right support can make all the difference.
This Best duos for Smolder: supports and synergy picks guide is designed to help you understand which champions bring out Smolder’s full potential.
While Smolder can deal impressive damage on his own, he relies on the right setup, protection, and synergy to shine.
The best support duos not only keep Smolder safe in the early game but also unlock his damage potential in late-game team fights.
From witches who sustain him through pokes to engage supports who lock down targets, each duo adds a new layer of strength to Smolder’s kit.
In this guide, you’ll find practical recommendations and reasons why these synergy picks stand out, so you can dominate with confidence.
What Makes Smolder Special?
Smolder is built around his passive stacks. Every fight helps him grow stronger, and that scaling keeps climbing as the game goes on.
With enough stacks, his damage becomes overwhelming, and by the late game, he can take over team fights as a true carry.
The problem is that his early game is a nightmare.
His abilities are his main source of damage, which makes him easy to punish in lane. Without natural safety tools like dashes or strong disengagement, he often gets poked out and shoved under the tower.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I’ve already broken down Why Smolder Struggles with Low Win Rates and Needs Fixes and highlighted Smolder’s Worst Lane Matchups Right Now. Those weaknesses are exactly why the right support partner matters so much. A strong duo can cover his gaps and give him space to scale.
Criteria for Choosing Smolder Supports
When I pick supports for Smolder, I think about what he lacks and how the duo can grow into the mid and late game. This is what I look for:
- Peel and Protection: Shields, heals, or disengage tools to keep him alive.
- Crowd Control and Setup: Locking enemies in place so he can stack damage.
- Buffs or Sustain: Attack speed boosts, healing, or shielding to help him trade.
- Engage or Playmaking: Supports those who can start fights and create pressure.
- Scaling Collaboration: Champs that, like Smolder, get stronger as the game goes on.
The best support picks are the ones that cover Smolder’s weak points while boosting his strengths. Keeping these traits in mind makes it much easier to lock in a duo that feels natural to play.
Top Support Picks Overview
When I looked at what works best with Smolder, a few types of supports stood out. Each group brings something different to the table, from safety in the lane to big playmaking potential. Let’s break them down.
1. Enchanters for Peel and Sustain
Enchanters are my go-to when I want to keep Smolder alive and farming until his items kick in. Lulu brings shields, buffs, and a clutch ultimate.
Sona offers sustain and a team-changing ult. Nami helps with empowered autos and heals to win trades. Janna is all peeling with knockbacks and shields.
Milio adds healing and a handy range boost to extend fights.
2. Playmakers and Engage Supports
These picks are for when I want to pressure lane and make plays. Rakan’s engages are quick and slippery, letting Smolder follow up with ease.
Thresh gives hooks for picks, lantern safety, and good peel. Maokai locks enemies down with roots and zones with saplings. Karma mixes poke and shields to punish early while still protecting Smolder.
Together, these champs give more chances to fight early.
3. Disruption and Peeling Tanks
When I face assassins or heavy divers, tank supports feel safest. Braum’s stun passive and shield make it easy to fight back. Poppy stops dashes and controls engage, buying Smolder space.
Tahm Kench literally eats him out of danger and soaks burst damage. Gragas can poke, heal, and disengage with his ult. All of them make it tough for enemies to get to Smolder.
4. Bonus Picks
These aren’t as common but still worth considering. Senna pairs well with Smolder by adding her own scaling damage. Zyra gives heavy poke and plant zone control to the pressure lane.
Rell provides a mix of engage and peel, with layered crowd control to protect Smolder or start fights. If you want something outside the usual choices, these champs bring solid collaboration, too.
Some of the Backups
Stats back up many of these choices. From OP.GG data, the strongest pairings for Smolder include Thresh, Lulu, Nami, Nautilus, Milio, and Bard. RankedBoost also highlights Braum, Bard, and Nami as high-win-rate partners.
Looking at numbers can help confirm what feels right in-game, and it shows that both enchanters and engage supports can fit depending on your style.
Smolder thrives with supports who fill in his gaps, no matter if it’s peel, engage, or scaling. Knowing these categories makes picking the right duo much easier.
Conclusion
Mastering Smolder is about more than knowing his abilities-it’s about finding the right partner who complements his style.
This Best Duos for Smolder: Supports and Synergy Picks guide highlights the champions who provide the strongest balance of safety, utility, and aggression to maximize Smolder’s impact.
Whether you prefer enchanters that keep him alive through healing and shields or aggressive supports that create openings for his damage, these duos give you the flexibility to adapt to different matchups.
The right pairing ensures Smolder scales smoothly and stays relevant from lthe aning phase to late-game team fights.
By learning which partners bring out his strengths and cover his weaknesses, you can confidently step into matches knowing your duo has the tools to carry.
Use these synergy picks to unlock Smolder’s potential and turn every game into a winning opportunity.
