Position 4 (Soft Support) Playbook
Soft Support Guide by Rivals
Soft Support
Summary
This playbook explains how to execute Position 4 (Soft Support) effectively in Patch 7.40c within structured Rivals matches. As Pos 4, you are the tempo controller and secondary playmaker. Your job is to create chaos early, secure advantages and convert them into objectives.
Step 1: Read the Lane Before Acting
Objective: Decide whether to play 2v2 or split 1v1s.
Before trading, ask:
- •Can we win extended trades?
- •Who has stronger kill combo?
- •Does our offlaner prefer short bursts or sustained fights?
- •Can the enemy 2v1 my core?
If your hero trades well in isolation, split the lane into 1v1s. If your duo has strong burst synergy, force coordinated 2v2 fights.
Never default to random aggression.
Step 2: Starting Phase (0–2 Minutes)
Checklist
- •Buy Tangos, sustain and at least one Ward.
- •Contest enemy observer ward if possible.
- •Secure bounty rune.
- •Block enemy pull camp if needed.
- •Position for early pressure.
If you secure early deward gold and XP, your tempo accelerates.
Step 3: Laning Phase (2–6 Minutes)
Core priorities
- •Identify kill windows.
- •Deny enemy pulls.
- •Enable your offlaner’s lane equilibrium.
- •Stack camps during downtime.
Water Runes
- •Secure at 2:00 and 4:00 if mid needs help.
If your lane is stable and kill potential is low, rotate instead of idling.
Never stand in lane without purpose.
Step 4: Active Roaming (6–10 Minutes)
This is your impact window.
Checklist
- •Contest 6:00 power rune aggressively.
- •Use Twin Gates for faster rotations.
- •Smoke if mid hits a power spike.
- •Gank enemy safelane if overextended.
If your movement forces enemy TPs, you are winning tempo even without kills.
Step 5: Core Itemisation Philosophy
Your items define your utility.
Early Core
Early Game
Primary Utility
Utility Options
If unsure what to buy, default to utility that saves cores.
Avoid farming items that delay your impact.
Step 6: Mid-Game Tempo Control (10–25 Minutes)
You are the tempo setter.
Checklist
- •Initiate when your team has numbers advantage.
- •Smoke with purpose.
- •Ward around objectives you plan to contest.
- •Convert successful ganks into towers or Roshan.
If you win a fight and do not take an objective, you wasted tempo.
Do not fight randomly without follow-up objectives.
Step 7: Late Game Role (25+ Minutes)
Transition into utility semi-core.
Responsibilities
- •Maintain aggressive vision if ahead.
- •Protect high ground vision if behind.
- •Save your highest net worth core.
- •Control key choke points before fights.
Your life is expendable if it guarantees a winning engagement.
Recommended Hero Archetypes
Strong Position 4 traits:
- •Reliable initiation
- •Mobility
- •Burst damage
- •Utility scaling
Common effective picks:
- Bounty Hunter
- Spirit Breaker
- Hoodwink
- Snapfire
- Winter Wyvern
- Treant Protector
- Clockwerk
- Earth Spirit
- Tusk
- Nyx Assassin
Choose heroes that impact the map without heavy farm.
If You're Losing, Do This
- •Stop forcing blind rotations.
- •Play around defensive wards.
- •Smoke only with vision advantage.
- •Focus on pickoffs rather than 5v5 fights.
- •Build defensive utility before greed items.
Even when behind, controlled pickoffs can stall the game.
Do / Don't Summary
Do
- ✓Analyse lane dynamics every game.
- ✓Contest runes actively.
- ✓Stack camps consistently.
- ✓Rotate with purpose.
- ✓Buy utility items.
- ✓Convert kills into objectives.
Don't
- ✗Sit idle in lane.
- ✗Take core farm unnecessarily.
- ✗Ignore vision before ganking.
- ✗Forget rune timings.
- ✗Build greedily without impact.
- ✗Play on autopilot.
Glossary
Written by Rivals