With Patch 14.11 now live, many League of Legends players are looking for their next OP pick for solo queue. Since every patch brings a lot of changes to the meta, we will be taking a look at the best of the best when it comes to top lane champions so you can start climbing up the ranked ladder.
We will give several examples of champions per tier, so you can decide for yourself which pick fits your play style and which toplaner will give you the best chances of carrying your team to victory.
Given how much the meta can shake things up, you should pay attention to each patch as your favorite champion might be hit with the nerf hammer, as Riot unleashes a new broken champion on the top lane.
Table of Contents
Advertisement
Tier List Explanation
This tier list will examine some of the most-played League of Legends champions in the top lane.
- D-Tier: You should avoid playing these champions as much as possible.
- C-Tier: Although they can be somewhat decent, you are better off with other picks.
- B-Tier: Viable and reliable in most situations, you can manage rather decently.
- A-Tier: Great options but lacking just slightly either in terms of damage or utility.
- S-Tier: The best champions you can use to ensure you are always victorious.
NOTE: Although this tier list strives to be as objective as possible in terms of viability, you should not limit yourself to strictly adhere to this list, but rather experiment and see which champion feels fun to play with.
League of Legends 14.11: D-Tier Top Lane Champions
K'Sante is rolling in the mud as his win rate is still at a staggering 45.51%, with Riot Games unable to balance him properly.
PROS:
- Incredibly tanky
CONS:
- Difficult to master kit
- Terrible damage
- Can struggle against ranged comps
Despite Riot adjusting crit items in Patch 14.10, it seems that players are finding it hard to play Yone in the top lane anymore.
Advertisement
Although Irelia's health growth was nerfed in Patch 14.11, she is finding it difficult to complete with other much stronger champions.
Sion is barely seeing any play, so you'd best avoid picking him unless you would like to try out Thebausffs strategy.
League of Legends 14.11: C-Tier Top Lane Champions
It seems that Riot is trying to push Mordekaiser in the jungle as he got some minor buffs to his monster damage, however, his Q got adjusted to prevent him from harassing during the laning phase.
Although Nasus got some nice buffs to his E, he is still struggling to find his place as the loss of Divine Sunderer put a toll on his gameplay.
PROS:
- Great scaling
CONS:
- Weak early game
- Can fall behind if against strong matchups
Udyr has seen better days, however, the current meta does not favor a tanky champion who barely has any CC to make up for the short-ranged playstyle.
Ornn can be a reliable tank, especially with his passive that grants item upgrades, but giving up a carry role might hinder your chances of winning in solo queue.
PROS:
- Great laning phase
- Amazing team fighting potential
CONS:
- Lacks damage
- Easily outmatched by scaling champions
Advertisement
League of Legends 14.11: B-Tier Top Lane Champions
Wukong is seeing some play in solo queue, as his kit is very easy to pick up on, coupled with his great team fighting capabilities, you can get some easy kills onto unsuspecting opponents.
PROS:
- Good laning phase
- Lots of outplay opportunities
CONS:
- Only has two viable builds- either a glass cannon or a juggernaut
- Needs some setup to excel in skirmishes
Cho is decent in most matchups, as his built-in sustain, coupled with his scaling tankiness can make for a great peeler for your backline.
Ryze can easily become a late-game monster if he is able to safely farm until the mid-to-late game, however, his lack of presence in the early game can be detrimental when it comes to objectives.
PROS:
- Intuitive gameplay
- Amazing scaling
CONS:
- Weak early game
- Short range
Rumble can often seen in the bot lane as the Korean region has greatly increased the efficiency of playing him as an aggressive support.
Olaf is amazing at running down the enemy backline, causing them to burn crucial cooldowns.
PROS:
- Great laning phase
- Amazing skirmish potential
CONS:
- Can struggle against ranged or poke comps
- Needs a good team comp with CC
Gnar has been doing a bit better recently, as he can struggle to maintain relevancy, given how obnoxious it can be to manage his passive in team fights to ensure you get a good stun onto the enemy team.
Advertisement
League of Legends 14.11: A-Tier Top Lane Champions
Pantheon is climbing up the ranks as his insane damage can easily bully your opponents into losing out farm.
PROS:
- Great skirmisher
- Very annoying to play against
CONS:
- Can struggle against tankier champions
Urgot is doing surprisingly well, given how much harass and pushing potential you have, you can easily choke out your enemy into giving up CS and plates.
Zac has been doing very decent in most matchups, as his built-in sustain can help you survive until the mid-game when you become an annoying blob of CC.
PROS:
- Great laning phase
- Good damage
CONS:
- Can be rather weak in the late game
Singed saw some much-needed buffs to his Q damage and ultimate cooldown, so you will be seeing this toxic scientist more often proxying you.
Kayle is seeing more and more play, as the meta is shifting towards longer games, allowing scaling champions to perform far better.
PROS:
- Incredible scaling
- Amazing splitpusher
CONS:
- Weak early game
Gwen has been popping off as of late. Her laning phase coupled with the sheer damage she can unleash in fights.
PROS:
- Incredible damage
- Oppressive laner
CONS:
- Can struggle against poke-heavy comps
Advertisement
League of Legends 14.11: S-Tier Top Lane Champions
Camille has once again become a monster in the top lane as not only do you become an unstoppable late-game threat, but your split pushing is hardly ever matched.
PROS:
- Incredible laning phase
- Superb damage
- Can apply a lot of pressure on the map
CONS:
- Has some annoying counters
Another amazing duelist, split pusher, and overall lane bully that can easily tilt enemies into doing bad plays, Fiora is your key to victory.
PROS:
- Great sustain
- Amazing utility
- Oppressive laning phase
CONS:
- Can struggle against ranged
Riven has remained at the top for quite some time, showing how much she can impact the game, especially since her buffs.
PROS:
- Tons of damage
- Very oppressive laner
CONS:
- Needs good setup to shine
Advertisement
Despite the nerfs in Patch 14.10, Skarner should still be an amazing pick for the top lane, following his rework.
PROS:
- Built-in tankiness
- Great CC opportunities
- Great skirmisher
CONS:
- His damage can fall off if you opt for a more tanky build
With the crit item changes in Patch 14.10, Tryndamere has now secured his spot as one of the best top laners currently.
PROS:
- Incredible damage
- Decent lane sustain
- Deadly splitpusher
CONS:
- Can struggle against CC-heavy comps
Darius is one of the most scary juggernauts you can face currently. Not only can he easily 1v1 almost any matchup, but his tankiness makes him even more difficult to deal with.
PROS:
- Oppressive kit
- Great execution damage
- Very terrifying snowball potential
CONS:
- Lack of gap closers
Jax has once again become a staple pick in the top lane, given his incredible dueling and amazing splitpushing presence that will often allow your team to take control over neutral objectives.
Malphite has once again returned to the top as a strong anti-AD pick, given how much his kit suppresses auto-attack heavy champions.
PROS:
- Incredibly tanky
- One of the best ultimates in the game
- Great laning
CONS:
- Low damage
Advertisement
Summary of Best Top Lane Champions in League of Legends Patch 14.11
All in all, this list is surely to change based on balance changes the devs implement but it should give you a general idea of which champions are strong and which might need some additional tuning to become more viable.
League of Legends can be quite challenging at first, but once you master your favorite champion and try out these picks, you should excel in your games a lot more!
Tier | Top Lane Champions |
D-Tier | K'Sante, Yone, Irelia, Sion |
C-Tier | Mordekaiser, Nasus, Udyr, Ornn |
B-Tier | Wukong, Cho'Gath, Ryze, Rumble, Olaf, Gnar |
A-Tier | Pantheon, Urgot, Zac, Singed, Kayle, Gwen |
S-Tier |
Camille, Fiora, Riven, Skarner, Tryndamere, Darius, Jax, Malphite |
Advertisement