Is there a difference between picking 'Support' and 'Hard Support'?

[bugsymode]

I get the literal difference.. but I am used to just doing the same thing every game; that is pretty much dishing out all my resources for wards + courier and getting my core items and sacrificing myself to better the team... Should I just switch to always 'Hard Support' in this case?

[Zagryzaec]

Support supposed to do everything nessesary for winning the game.
Personally against differing supports on hard and soft in solo rating without general strategy.

[JaSzczur]

Yeah, what you described is more of a 'Hard support' but they are often mixed - in the sense that both supps play something in between. In theory, a standard support is supposed to get more impact items, like Urn, Veil, Medallion, Force Staff, maybe Mek if the game goes well, and lead the game, make things happen of the map with ganks etc. 'Hard support' has another infamous name of Ward B*tch. Sometimes you don't even get to finish your Arcane Boots by 20 min. That's life.

[JaSzczur]

In other words, it's mostly hard support's job to keep the vision up with wards and protect the cores. But if they can't manage that or are needed somewhere else, it's 'normal' support's job to fill the gaps and help them.

Usually hard support will protect their cores while support tries to mess with enemy cores. Which leads to hard supports often being more defensive heroes while supports are more offensive. But every match is different.