HUPU releases All-Time Best Supports List, Community in Disgust

24 Dec

Foo Zen-Wen

HUPU, one of the largest sports forums in China, has managed to create quite a stir in the League of Legends community. On the 23rd of December, HUPU Esports, the esports branch of HUPU’s social media team, unveiled their ‘All-Time Best Support’ list, as voted by their own community. The controversial list quickly gained a lot of attention, as many outspoken individuals within the League of Legends community felt that the list was disingenuous and had failed to capture what the title promised.

What was Wrong with HUPU’s list?

The crux of the list in this particular instance, was that these five individuals were voted by their HUPU’s community. Rather than a curated list generated by HUPU’s editorial staff, this was the based sentiment of the over 30,000 votes the poll had accrued prior to generating this list.

HUPU’s list listed the following five supports. The issue came when many discussed the merits of each of the listed supports, as well as their order on the list. Most egregiously, there were names many felt had deserved to be on the list, or perhaps even topping it, however, had failed to even make the cut. This created a sentiment regarding the released list as an incomplete or incomprehensive one, that failed to deliver on the lofty promise of an All-Time Best Support list.

The Now Infamous HUPU List

All 5 Supports were listed with their voted rating, as well as a descriptive quote (translated for English viewers). The 5 supports listed, in order, were as followed:

BeryL
- The only legend in LoL who changed teams to win two championships, winning throughout his life.
Wolf
- 4 consecutive championships in international competitions, and the first highest-assisting person in history.
Meiko
- A genius debuted in an era when stars were shining brightly, and nine years later, he is still shining brightly.
Keria
- A sea of heroes with a bright future, a ceiling for auxiliary operations.
Mata
- The Pioneer of the Nosuke Dual Games, the only support player with the gold content of MVP.

The Legacy of Each Listed Support

Each of these voted supports were highlighted alongside an inscription of what cemented their legacy. For BeryL, it was for being the only player in League history to win World championships on two different teams (DWG and DRX). Wolf earned his public recognition for his 4 consecutive international victories from 2015-17 (Worlds 2015, MSI 2016, Worlds 2016, MSI 2017), as well as being the Support to have the most assists in one LCK split (achieved in 2015). This was only finally surpassed by Keria in 2022.

Meiko is surprisingly the only Chinese national to make the list, and the only of the 4 to be playing on a current LPL roster. His inscription accredits him as a genius, being the first player in the LPL to reach 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, and 8000 assists in the LPL and within a single region worldwide. Moreover, until this off-season, he was the franchise player for EDG and had played for them since his debut, performing as their primary shotcaller and captain.

Keria earns his inscription as a brilliant mechanical support who is known for his vast array of champions, having created a diverse ocean of support options that has helped redefine the Support role. Mata defined his legacy as an incredible engage/hook support. He is also, to this day, the only Support to ever be awarded the MVP at the World Championship.

All-Time Best? Where the Outcry Stems

While no one would disagree that all of these Supports listed have had incredible achievements in their career. Moreover, they have all, in their own way, left their own indelible footprint on the professional League of Legends landscape. However, the issue comes in two parts - the order of which they have been listed, as well as the glaring omission of some other Supports who should have made the list.

Hall of Fame names such as MadLife and GorillA were unforgivable omissions, even for a user-voted list. Even then, Mata is considered on the greatest Support players of all time and yet ranks 5th on this list. These are some of the arguments circulating on the validity of this list. Others question BeryL as the top voted Support, and was defended as the Support with some of the best placings in recent times. In the eyes of many, BeryL brings the quality of a Kingmaker, with whatever team he associates with, producing high quality results (usually).

The issue also stems from the fact that this was not the first list released, with the other lists receiving similar distaste within the community. The sentiment of Championships and titles above what many deem the true eye-test of greatness, rubbed many the wrong way.

Yeah…perhaps not everyone should get a vote next time. Regardless of all this, the question now remains. Who are YOUR 5 All-Time Best Supports? Leave a comment with your list.

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