Best Smolder supports in LoL

If you are looking to find out which are the best Smolder supports, here are the top five picks you should be playing with him in 2025.

Smolder was a big deal when it got released. After years of bringing out complex champions designs, Smolder was one of the few ADCs that went back to simpler roots. Despite the seemingly lower mechanical ceiling, the champion was still quite powerful for a while thanks to his scaling damage and AoE potential in the late-game teafights. With him now in a much more balanced state, choosing the best supports for Smolder is key to having higher success. These are some of the best picks, regardless of the meta in League of Legends, that can reliably work with him.

Best Smolder Supports in 2025

1. Nami
2. Thresh
3. Milio
4. Nautilus
5. Soraka

Nami – The balanced enchanter option

• Lane sustain starting from level one
• Ability to fend off enemies with Q and ultimate
• Empowers Smolder’s poke and trades

If there is a pick who has a consistently higher chance of synergizing with Smolder, it’s Nami. While she won’t make him overpowered by any means, Nami’s kit is well-designed to make up for Smolder’s weaknesses while also greatly empowering his strengths. Considering Smolder’s necessity to stack up his Q and lower early damage output, Nami can help him navigate the laning phase with her heals. Later in the game, she will be able to bring even more damage to his poke and protect him from incoming danger.

Thresh – Lock and peel

• Lantern offers Smolder an additional escape
• Good crowd control chain on single targets
• Works better as peeling than engage

Thresh has been one of the stronger engage supports in the meta but he has always been a good Smolder support. The main thing, compared to a marksman like Jinx, for example, is that Thresh should use his crowd control to protect his ADC more than to look for plays proactively. The goal is to make sure Smolder won’t get shut down at the start of fights, as he will be your main source of poke and damage.

In the laning phase, try to go for short trades when hooks land. Don’t overforce it unless the enemy fumbles heavily: you don’t want to play this bot lane from behind.

Milio – The underrated enchanter pick

• Shields and heals to keep the ADC alive
• Attack range buff makes Smolder even more obnoxious
• Can cleanse crowd controls with ultimate

If it weren’t for Milio’s traditionally weak laning phase, he would probably be the undisputed best support for Smolder. But the reality is that Milio will make the laning phase for Smolder even more passive than it already is. This duo is all about surviving the first few minutes, where you will be basically sitting ducks. Don’t play this duo against aggressive lanes like Draven or Varus, or it could be very tough to manage. Learn how to play with weaker lane duos and you’ll start seeing incredible success with this pairing.

Nautilus – It’s all about crowd controls

• Lockdown CC sets up Smolder’s abilities
• Tanky frontline presence to protect him
• The best way to initiate fights and gain number advantage

While Nautilus is often used to increase kill pressure, the pairing with Smolder works in a similar way to Thresh’s. You want to use hooks and crowd controls slightly more defensively since you are going to get stronger as the game goes on anyway. Bear in mind that staying even is a win for Smolder early on. Utilize Nautilus’ crowd controls to create space for the ADC and shut down enemy threats that are going to aim for Smolder in fights.

Soraka – Heals? No problem.

• The best late-game scaling support
• Early laning phase is passive
• She can’t protect Smolder if he gets caught

The main reason why you would want Soraka is if the enemy team has plenty of burst damage and you want to make sure Smolder can survive the incoming damage in any given moment of the teamfights. Her constant heals will allow Smolder to farm quite safely without being forced out of lane. That being said, you won’t have much agency early on, so keep that in mind.