LoL Top Lane Tier List: This Tier List will always display the best top lane Champions, based on the latest patch (10.23).
Updated:
Methodology
This LoL Top Lane Tier List is based on:
- Personal experience and feedback taken from multiple players, across multiple ranks.
- Which Champion can comfortably maintain lane, while having team-fight value on rotation.
- Based on a Champions skill floor, and their ease of play (and skill ceiling).
- The difficulty of a Champion, and their potential in the hands of a highly skilled player.
- The ability to climb with the Champion, from lower ranks to high, with ease. In effect, these Champions will do the heavy lifting for you.
- We’ve also colour coded Champion difficulty based on the above factors, using a Traffic Light system. It’s subjective, but should give you a steer (red challenging, orange moderate, green accessible).
God Tier (First Ban Material)
Darius might be a starting Champion, but he’s incredibly potent. Not just because of his simplicity, but also the effectiveness of a relatively simple kit. His bleed stacks are easy to maintain, his pull frustrating, and his slow potent.
Fiora has caused me plenty of misery. Her ability to deny all incoming damage through Riposte, while comfortably poking using lunge, she’s a tricky Champion to deal with that can comfortably harass for long periods of time.
Jax probably has a higher skill ceiling than some here, but there’s no mistaking that with a little bit of effort, he’ll take you far when climbing. His kit is simple, but requires a bit of concentration. His ability to evade damage and stun opponents, combined with his dive potential, sees him become a fairly aggressive top-laner.
Maokai has good sustain, good dive potency, and reasonable zoning. I think his Sapling Toss is the weakest part of his kit, but it adds amazing vision. Still, in a team-fight he performs exceptionally well, and manages comfortably top lane against just about anyone.
Wukong is a monster after his rework. Amazing sustain, slippery, massive burst potential and great at rotating when needed. He still gets battered by Maokai, but manages well against just about everyone else.
S Tier (Optimal)
Camille does well in top-lane, thanks largely to a kit that’s pretty flexible. She has good mobility, clear and engage. Her Ultimate also works well in a team-fight later game. While she’s challenging to play, it’s her best position outside of mid lane.
Sett is a bit of a monster in top lane. Not only does he have solid sustain and mobility, but his shielding is enormous when played right. Timing his Ultimate correctly can also ensure he can boss multiple enemies at once. Terrifying if fed late game.
Garen is unquestionably strong at the moment, and performs well in our LoL Top Lane Tier List and our Solo Climb Tier List, with a kit that’s simple but undeniably effective. The fact he has no mana requirements provides him with amazing amounts of sustain, while his ability to silence – and spin-to-win, makes him a potent, accessible Champion.
Kled’s a challenging Champion to play, thanks to a robust kit. What’s potent about him as a top laner, is simply the fact he has so much utility in pinning enemies down, largely thanks to Beartrap on a Rope. If you also factor in the disposable play of Skaarl, he’s fantastic at aggressive play.
Shen can be frustrating in top lane, as his zoning potential through Spirit’s Refuge, combined with his spirt blade recall, ensures that diving him – or trading basics – is tricky. His Ultimate, Stand United, also has brilliant value late game for protecting an ally and zipping quickly to them. He lacks the 1 on 1 potency of Mordekaiser, or the utility of Garen, but he brings frustration if nothing else.
A Tier (Great)
Illaoi is my most played, and right now, I’d consider that she’s top-tier. Not only is her lane control amazing, but her damage absolutely eye-watering even early game. Getting multi-kills is easy, and while she has a high skill ceiling, in the right hands she can dominate play from the very start.
Irelia has some predictable telegraphs, but there’s no doubting in the current meta she has potency. Good mobility and a powerful stun, she can poke and survive strong opponents like Mordekaiser or Darius, with relative ease.
Kayle is a great top lane that does exceptionally well mid to late game. Part support, she has a great deal of value in a team fight, thanks largely to a kit that lends itself to aiding others. While she can survive top lane for long periods, it’s all about getting her to end game.
Malphite has a fairly rough time versus Mordekaiser, but if he’s off the table, he can do well. Often built defensively (for late game) he holds his lane well and can punish players easily. Solid cleave in Thunderclap, and an invaluable engage in Unstoppable Force, he’s brilliant mid to late game. A good pick in our LoL Top Lane Tier List.
Mordekaiser is a no-brainer for A Tier right now, purely on the basis of his lane sustain, control, burst and survivability. His Ultimate can pretty much guarantee a kill against a Support Champion, and it allows him to snowball fairly early. The best of the best, in our LoL Top Lane Tier List.
Nasus can absolutely pack a punch. In fact, he hits bloody hard. However, his lack of mobility ensures he’s super easy to draft against and most Champions can punish him quickly. Despite that, drafted late, he’s a mid-game beast that can snowball quickly if he isn’t kept in check.
Ornn has a brilliant kit. Not only can he craft items in lane, but he also has brilliant clear and a powerful engage. His melee places him – arguably – in a better position than most ranged top-laners. In the current meta, he has massive potency in a team fight and can withstand so much damage.
Poppy is my absolute favorite, but her top lane game was weak for a while, purely on the basis that she has little burst, and little threat outside the early minutes. With the meta having shifted a little, thanks to top lane needing to simply hold (and do little else), she’s doing well again.
Quinn isn’t a Champion you’ll see all the time, but her top lane game is solid. Capable of generally harassing enemies constantly, through poke and vision, Quinn can be tough for most top lane Champions. She’s fairly evasive, and can comfortably chase down opponents with his Ultimate.
Renekton is a bit of a beast top lane. Amazing clear, massive burst, good dive potential and brilliant in most 1 on 1 encounters. He might be melee, but he can still punish ranged fairly easy, thanks to his stun and dash. With his Ultimate, he can pretty much boss most 1 v 1’s.
Riven was always in top lane at one point, and while I see her less, she’s sitll incredibly potent. Valuable shielding, poke through her Ultimate, stun and quick clear in Broken Wings ensures she’s a solid, frustrating opponent to fight against.
Singed is A in our LoL Top Lane Tier List, and it’s probably going to raise some eyebrows. I think he’s weaker in the current meta than some, largely due to the fact he’s so easy to draft against, his clear isn’t rapid, his utility literally requires him to charge head-first, and Champions such as Mordekaiser or Darius rip him a new one. He can do well in the hands of a skilled player, but it still feels like hard work.
Teemo AKA the Devil, is a nightmare top lane. His poke is a headache, poison frustrating, speedy run away even more annoying, and his ability to stealth when standing still rage inducing. While he lacks team fight potency in comparison to some here (such as Ryze) and his burst isn’t amazing, he makes up for it in nuisance and attrition.
Tryndamere is a undoubtedly brilliant in top lane. Helped massively by his damage immunity (Ultimate) he can play particularly aggressively, and Tower dive often. This can see him steamroll quickly, especially if he picks up some early kills. Combined this with Bloodlust for self-healing, there’s no wonder he’s heading to top-tier.
Volibear purely because his damage potential is high, and his mobility solid. When Volibear comes online, he can be pretty unstoppable with the right setup and chews through most Champions with ease. His only downside? Coming up against anything that slows you from range. It instantly neuters all your potency.
Vladimir will always do well on top-lane, simply because his kit has so much sustain and utility. Solid poke, AOE clear, immunity from damage and a life-steal ensures he can poke with relative ease. Not easy to play, but worth it with practice.
B Tier (Good)
Aatrox is solid – neither amazing nor poor. He’s fairly easy to read, as his wind-up times on abilities are fairly long. That said, his telegraphs are fairly forgiving and it allows him to control top lane with some ease. He’s fighting against the likes of Mordekaiser and Garen, and on that basis, falls down the pecking order.
Gangplank, similarly to Kennen, is totally fine. Reasonable in most areas, and not too difficult to play around. If you draft him, and if you’re familiar with his kit and area denial (through Powder Keg), you’ll perform absolutely fine. Just don’t expect to wrack up the kills in comparison to some top laners.
Heimerdinger has incredible zoning potential, is able to bully a lane with ease. He can actually play just about anywhere – such is the flexibility of his kit – but he tends to boss mid lane with real ease. Weaker top, but still good.
Jayce has the potency to be top tier, but I think right now, he’s struggling in the face of some stiff competition. His stance system between Hammer and Cannon is probably a little too restrictive, and his skill ceiling – for payoff – too high. There’s alternative Champions that give more bang for their buck, without half the trouble. That said, recent buffs have seen him climb a little.
Kennen is distinctly average. Average poke, average mobility, average burst, average utility. There’s absolutely nothing that sets him out from his peers, but there’s nothing truly terrible about him either. You’d be better served picking another Champion, but he’s not a bad draft
Pantheon is a solid pick just because of Grand Starfall and his ability to bomb a location quickly. His main downside is a lack of crowd control outside of Shield Vault. Miss it? Best of luck pursuing an enemy.
Rengar is good, but he’s also incredibly reliant on his Ultimate. That said, the slower pace of top lane in the current updates ensures he can make valuable use of bushes. Considering the new foliage and his passive – especially around the Dragons – he has good burst potency. Let down only by the fact that he’s so weak without a nearby bush.
Rumble isn’t a Champion you’ll see all the time, but he’s a decent pick. Reasonable self shielding combined with AOE pressure from his Flamespitter ensures he can hold a lane easily. His Harpoon also ensures if he is playing aggressively, that he can at least keep an opponent pinned down.
Urgot is a personal favorite. A kit that’s brimming with damage and utility, it’s fairly bloated. That said, he has fallen out of favour in high-ranked play, largely thanks to Champions such as Mordekaiser and Vlad. They can poke/pull comfortably, and avoid his toss. With limited mobility, he’s easy to punish, even if he does have good clear.
Vayne can do very well in most groups, and is a great carry in our LoL Top Lane Tier List. Her burst potency is high, and her mobility one of the best out of all her peers. In the hands of a skilled player, she’s hard to pin down and can cut opponents through quickly. That said, she lacks some utility, besides her knockback. Her top lane game isn’t incredible, but it’s not poor either.
Yasuo can do well top lane against certain match-ups, but performs better mid. That said, his top lane is pretty solid thanks largely due to his mobility and mitigation. He can still harrass a lot of opponents with ease, and can comfortably stomp players who aren’t familiar with his kit.
Yorik in the current meta – I think – will rise. Considering top lane’s value is weakened by the strength of Drakes, and the fact rotating is slow, and often requires a teleport, having the ability to push with ridiculous value makes Yorik a valuable pick. Simply put, he can’t be left to his own device and if he is, that tower is going down.
C Tier (Poor)
Akali is a Champion that has yo-yo’d up and down most Tier List. She’s either been bat-shit broken, or slightly under. Recent tweaks to her kit still leave her with much to be desired. In desperate need of some tweaks from the Riot team.
Dr Mundo is everywhere right now. In fact, I can’t remember the last game I played where he wasn’t in it in some form. It’s not entirely surprising, considering his simple kit and no-mana ensures he’s pain free to play. That said, his top-lane isn’t amazing. Fairly easy to avoid his slow, his push isn’t incredible, and he lacks utility.
Olaf is mostly played Jungle, and right now, he’s – in that position – he’s top tier. That said, his top-lane play isn’t amazing. Largely because his poke potential is poor, he’s mana intensive, and his lack of dive and CC sees him struggle to nab kills.
Cho’gath being in C Tier could be a little harsh, as I’ve had my backside handed to me a few times. Still, his telegraphs are fairly clear and while his sustain is solid, his threat isn’t incredible. He lacks mobility and largely relies on a slow opponent. Easy to counter and avoid.
Ryze was probably over-tuned a patch ago, but has received some minor tweaks recently. His ability to cage and slow, combined with his sustain in lane makes him an absolute nightmare. His one-two punch burst is high on damage, but that’s about it.
Sion has a good passive that can bring some value during the end of a team fight, after he has died. However, and top lane? Not so much. It’s simply a case that all his telegraphs are so easy to read, he’s super easy to counter or avoid.
Gnar surprised me the first time I fought him, without knowing his kit, but it quickly becomes apparent that he falls off massively. Predictable and super easy to punish, it’s incredibly easy to snowball against him with most of the Champions above A Tier.
Viktor is painfully slow in just about every way. Predictable, easy to avoid, little threat and he gets absolutely destroyed by most of the top Champions. Right now, there’s far better Champions in our LoL Top Lane Tier List – draft them instead.
Quinn is a woman 😀
Haha, sorry Adriano! Brain melt for a moment, there 😀 Fixed!