The 5 Best Top Lane Champions In League of Legends

Top lane in League of Legends is a complex and often isolated battlefield where players juggle counter-picks and shifting meta trends. The strength of top lane champions can depend heavily on matchups, meta shifts, and player preference.

Top laners typically fall into three categories: Hypercarries who excel in late-game team fights, support-style champions who enhance team dynamics, and split-pushers who excel at applying pressure across the map. Understanding these archetypes is crucial as they tend to cycle in prominence based on the game’s evolving meta.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top performers in the top lane, focusing on those who consistently make a significant impact regardless of the shifting sands of League’s meta. Here are our picks for the most formidable top laners currently dominating the Rift.

#5: Aatrox

Aatrox, the embodiment of conflict and war, is a top laner for the seasoned warrior, not the faint of heart. Despite few recent changes, his enduring presence in the meta speaks to his effectiveness, particularly for those willing to master his demanding playstyle.

Aatrox shines brightest when chaining his Q strikes, the Darkin Blade, with precise timing and positioning, punishing those who underestimate his reach and burst potential. Mastery of Aatrox’s kit can turn the tide of teamfights, making him a formidable force in skilled hands.

Pros:

• Dominates one-on-one fights.
• Potential to snowball and control the game.
• Hits a significant power spike mid-game, scaling fearsomely into late-game encounters.

Cons:

• Struggles to recover if he falls behind early.
• Somewhat limited in initiating fights without support.

For those looking to wield Aatrox effectively, it’s advisable to spend ample time in normals to get a feel for his mechanics before stepping into ranked play.

Optimizing Aatrox’s Build

Runes:

• Primary (Precision):
• Conqueror: Amplifies sustained damage, enhancing Aatrox’s dueling capabilities.
• Triumph: Offers crucial survivability in skirmishes.
• Legend: Alacrity: Accelerates his combat rhythm.
• Last Stand: Increases damage output in critical health fights.
• Secondary (Resolve):
• Second Wind: Bolsters his lane staying power.
• Overgrowth: Provides incremental health gains, bolstering his late-game tankiness.

Items:

• Start with defensive boots—Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads—based on matchup threats.
• Eclipse for a balanced spike in damage and sustain.
• Black Cleaver as a core to shred through armor and enhance overall damage output.

Late-game item choices should focus on amplifying both survivability and threat. Sterak’s Gage and Spirit Visage are excellent for bolstering defenses, while items like Death’s Dance can drastically increase his staying power in drawn-out brawls.

Summoner Spells:

• Flash for positioning and escape.
• Teleport for map presence and split-pushing potential.

Skill Order:

• Prioritize Q (The Darkin Blade) for maximum damage output, followed by E (Umbral Dash) to enhance mobility and sustain, with W (Infernal Chains) rounding out the skillset.

Challenging Matchups:

• Champions like Warwick, Vayne, and Urgot can outmaneuver or outlast Aatrox in lane, requiring careful play and strategic positioning.

With the right preparation and understanding of his complex abilities, Aatrox can truly be a nightmare for the opposing team, dictating the pace of skirmishes and leading his team to victory.

#4: Camille

Camille, with her unparalleled mobility and tactical precision, has clawed her way back into the forefront of top lane contenders. Known for her ability to decisively end fights and navigate complex skirmishes, mastering Camille can turn the tide of any battle.

Pros:

• Exceptionally versatile and robust in various game phases.
• High mobility allows for quick engagements and disengagements.
• Excellent at isolating and eliminating key targets.

Cons:

• Vulnerable to specific counter picks.
• Mismanagement of her ultimate, The Hextech Ultimatum, can lead to precarious situations.

Camille thrives not just on aggression but on strategic defensive positioning, making the Resolve tree her unexpected ally, enhancing her survivability and control in lane engagements.

Camille’s Combat Kit

Optimal Runes:

• Primary (Resolve):
• Grasp of the Undying: Bolsters sustain and damage during trades.
• Shield Bash: Enhances auto-attacks following shield activation.
• Second Wind: Provides crucial healing during lane phase.
• Overgrowth: Increases health for late-game durability.
• Secondary (Inspiration):
• Biscuit Delivery: Boosts sustain to stay longer in lane.
• Cosmic Insight: Reduces cooldowns for greater ability uptime.

Core Items:

• Defensive boots (Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads) tailored to enemy threats.
• Trinity Force for a balance of damage, speed, and health.
• Ravenous Hydra to enhance wave clear and sustain.

For those looking to escalate their front-line presence, consider Sterak’s Gage for its survivability traits. Alternatively, Death’s Dance offers offensive capabilities perfect for flanking and finishing off wounded foes.

Summoner Spells:

• Flash for its pivotal escape and engage potential.
• Teleport to exert pressure across the map and join crucial fights.

Skill Prioritization:

• Q, Precision Protocol, for its damage output and auto-reset capabilities.
• E, Hookshot, for mobility and engage potential.
• W, Tactical Sweep, last for its utility and poke.

Challenging Matchups:

• Camille struggles against champions like Gnar and Wukong, who can outmaneuver or withstand her burst. Vladimir and Zac can also prove problematic due to their sustain and disruptive capabilities.

Camille’s toolkit, designed for adaptability and precision, requires a player to be calculated and cunning. With the right setup and understanding of her mechanics, Camille can dominate the top lane, making her a formidable foe in the Rift.

#3: Malphite

Malphite remains a steadfast choice among top lane champions in League of Legends, primarily due to his resilience and explosive engagement capabilities. Even though his mechanics are somewhat predictable, the sheer impact of his ultimate, Unstoppable Force, keeps him perpetually relevant, especially when your team composition lacks a solid initiator.

Pros:

• Exceptionally tanky, becoming a formidable frontline.
• Powerful ultimate for initiating fights.
• Versatile builds that can amplify either his tankiness or ability power.

Cons:

• Predictable playstyle.
• Vulnerable to early game aggression.
• Limited to initiating with his ultimate during team fights.

Playing Malphite is straightforward: use your seismic powers to disrupt and dominate. His Q, Seismic Shard, not only harasses but also slows enemies, making it a valuable tool for both engaging and escaping.

Strategic Essentials for Malphite

Optimal Runes:

• Primary (Sorcery):
• Arcane Comet: Enhances poking capability.
• Manaflow Band: Solves mana issues to maintain ability usage.
• Transcendence: Provides cooldown reduction.
• Scorch: Increases damage output in the laning phase.
• Secondary (Resolve):
• Second Wind: Offers sustain against poke-heavy opponents.
• Overgrowth: Boosts overall tankiness.

Core Build:

• Defensive boots (Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads) tailored to counter enemy threats.
• Sunfire Aegis for sustained damage and tankiness.
• Kaenic Rookern or Adaptive Helm based on the primary damage source of the enemy team.

Suggested Items:

• Frozen Heart and Thornmail against heavy AD compositions.
• Abyssal Mask or Spirit Visage to enhance magic resistance.
• Gargoyle Stoneplate for mixed defenses in crucial team fights.

Summoner Spells:

• Flash for its pivotal escape and engage potential.
• Teleport to exert map-wide influence and support crucial objectives.

Ability Prioritization:

• Q, Seismic Shard, for poke and utility.
• E, Ground Slam, for its AoE damage and attack speed reduction, crucial in trades.
• W, Thunderclap, enhances your basic attacks and overall tankiness.

Difficult Matchups:

• Champions that can outmaneuver or sustain Malphite’s poke, like Gragas and Darius, pose significant threats. Gangplank and Sett can disrupt his gameplay with superior range and damage output.

Understanding Malphite’s role as a formidable initiator and a bulwark for his team is crucial. With the right strategic approach, Malphite can anchor the defense and lead charges that pave the way to victory.

#2: Nasus

Nasus, known for his potential to dominate games if given enough time to scale, is a stalwart pick in the top lane, renowned for his incredible stacking mechanic via his Siphoning Strike (Q). This allows him to grow increasingly powerful as the game progresses, turning into a formidable force in the late game.

Pros:

• Exceptional scaling potential with Siphoning Strike.
• Capable of carrying games single-handedly in later stages.
• Straightforward and rewarding gameplay for players who enjoy farming.

Cons:

• Vulnerable to being shut down early; struggles to catch up if set back.
• Limited mobility and susceptible to kiting.
• Reliant on a singular strategy, making his playstyle somewhat predictable.

Nasus thrives on patience and precision, focusing on stacking his Q to maximize his damage output in skirmishes and teamfights.

Optimal Strategy for Nasus

Recommended Runes:

• Primary (Precision):
• Fleet Footwork: Provides healing and a speed boost, enhancing both sustain and mobility.
• Triumph: Offers crucial health restoration on takedowns.
• Legend: Tenacity: Increases tenacity to reduce crowd control effects.
• Last Stand: Boosts damage output when health is low, synergizing well with Nasus’s front-line role.
• Secondary (Resolve):
• Second Wind: Enhances lane sustain against poke-heavy opponents.
• Unflinching: Offers additional tenacity and slow resistance after using summoner spells.

Core Items:

• Ionian Boots of Lucidity: Reduces cooldowns, essential for more frequent Siphoning Strikes.
• Trinity Force: Provides a mix of stats perfect for enhancing Q hits.
• Frozen Heart: Increases armor and reduces enemy attack speed, bolstering Nasus’s tankiness.

Additional Items:

• Spirit Visage: Boosts healing effects and increases magic resistance.
• Sterak’s Gage: Offers damage based on max health and a protective shield when taking large amounts of damage.
• Thornmail: Effective against heavy auto-attack-based champions.

Summoner Spells:

• Ghost: Enhances mobility, crucial for closing the gap in fights.
• Teleport: Allows for cross-map presence and split-pushing capabilities.

Ability Priority:

• Q, Siphoning Strike, is your bread and butter, used for stacking and dealing massive damage.
• W, Wither, dramatically slows an enemy, making them an easy target.
• E, Spirit Fire, provides armor reduction and AoE damage, useful for wave clear and softening up opponents.

Difficult Matchups:

• Champions that can harass Nasus out of lane or outscale him in mobility can prove troublesome, such as Shen, Tryndamere, and Aatrox.

Understanding how to balance farming with participating in team fights is crucial for playing Nasus effectively. Patience and good decision-making will allow Nasus players to turn their steady early game stacking into a late-game powerhouse performance.

#1: Gwen

Gwen is currently one of the most formidable champions to contend with in the top lane. Her ability to handle one-on-one duels and transition into a powerful late-game force makes her a popular choice for players looking for a high-skill-cap champion.

Pros:

• Exceptional dueling capabilities
• Scales effectively into late-game teamfights
• Versatile kit that allows for significant outplay potential

Cons:

• Requires skill and practice to master
• Vulnerable to focus in teamfights
• Slight drop-off in impact in the very late game stages

Gwen’s effectiveness hinges on mastering her unique kit and knowing when to engage or disengage. Her combination of damage and mobility allows her to adapt to various in-game situations, making her a resilient and flexible top laner.

Gwen’s Key Setup

Recommended Runes:

• Primary (Precision):
• Conqueror: Amplifies sustained damage, crucial for Gwen’s skirmishing.
• Presence of Mind: For sustaining her mana pool during prolonged fights.
• Legend: Alacrity: Enhances her attack speed, synergizing with her Q.
• Last Stand: Boosts damage output when at low health, perfect for close duels.
• Secondary (Resolve):
• Second Wind: Provides regeneration in trades.
• Overgrowth: Increases health for better late-game scaling.

Core Items:

• Mercury’s Treads or Plated Steelcaps: Depending on the enemy composition for optimal defense.
• Nashor’s Tooth: Increases Gwen’s attack speed and enhances her on-hit effects.
• Riftmaker: Offers sustained damage and healing, essential for extended fights.

Advanced Itemization:

• Rabadon’s Deathcap: Massively increases her AP for greater damage output.
• Zhonya’s Hourglass: Provides crucial survivability with its active stasis effect.
• Cosmic Drive or Shadowflame: For additional mobility or magic penetration.

Summoner Spells:

• Flash: Essential for positioning in fights or escaping danger.
• Teleport or Ignite: Teleport for map presence, Ignite for kill pressure.

Skill Priority:

• Q, Snip Snip: Max first for its potent damage.
• E, Skip ‘n Slash: Max second to enhance mobility and offensive capability.
• W, Hallowed Mist: Max last but use strategically for protection and engage.

Challenging Matchups:

• Champions like Kayle and Yone who can outscale or match her dueling.
• Tryndamere and Illaoi, who can challenge her in sustained trades.
• Rammus and Kled, capable of disrupting her playstyle with hard CC.

Mastering Gwen requires a deep understanding of her mechanics and optimal timing of her abilities. With practice, Gwen can dominate the top lane, turning the tides of battle in her favor through precise execution of her skill set.

Conclusion

In League of Legends, the top lane remains a crucial battlefield where champions with diverse abilities vie for dominance. From duelists to tanks, each top lane champion offers unique strengths that can significantly influence the game’s outcome. Understanding the nuances of each pick and how they fit into the team’s overall strategy is key. Whether you’re a fan of the relentless aggression of Aatrox, the strategic depth of Camille, or the disruptive force of Malphite, the current meta offers a range of top lane champions suited to various playstyles and game plans. Staying informed about these top picks and mastering their gameplay can propel you and your team to victory, proving that knowledge is just as powerful as skill in the quest to conquer the top lane.