There are a variety of top laners that counter each other in League of Legends. Some vary in strength based on the current meta, while others vary depending on matchups.
For top laners, there are three archetypes of champions that fluctuate as the meta changes: hypercarries, support-style champions, and split-pushers. We’ll break down each one of these archetypes and then show you the six best top lane champions in League.
Best top lane champions
This list of top-tier champions can change depending on a number of things. Sometimes, the meta shifts for no reason other than players’ tastes, but usually, there’s some kind of balance adjustment behind it. It can be difficult to keep up with the flavor-of-the-month champs, so let us do that for you.
Here are the best top laners for League Patch 14.12.
- Darius
- Malphite
- Fiora
- Camille
- Gragas
Darius
Pros
- Exceptional in the laning phase
- Early-game potential.
- Straightforward and easy to get into
Cons
- Countered by several top laners
- Tough to utilize against certain comps
- Falls off a bit in late game
Let’s begin the list with a top laner that has arguably one of the easiest, and at the same time, the strongest kit in one-vs-one scenarios. It’s obviously no one else than Darius, the dunkmaster, the Noxian warrior, and the bruiser that most top laners hate to play against.
If you’ve ever faced Darius in a laning matchup, you likely know why it’s such a pain to play against him. With seemingly low melee range and no mobility, it seems tough for Darius to close the gaps between him and yourself. But in the last few years, most Darius players run Ghost and Flash compositions, allowing themselves to catch up really quickly. Besides, with the champion’s Apprehend (E), it’s easy to get caught off-guard and pulled towards the Noxian representative. And if you do and allow him to snowball, your top lane matchup is over.
Best Darius build: Runes, spells, and strategy
By being an aggressive top laner like he is, the best choice for Darius is to go offensively with the Runes. Having Conqueror allows you to stack additional damage. With that under your belt, you will become an even bigger menace in solo duels. Combined with the rest of offensive runes from the Inspiration tree and Celerity-Nimbus Cloak combo from Sorcery, Darius can quickly be feared by his enemies.
The two latter runes from the secondary tree are there to increase your mobility. By having Ghost and Flash in the mix, it will be almost impossible to escape from under your axe without wasting a few Summoner’s Spells.
Throughout the early and mid game, Darius should go for his core items like Stridebreaker, Sterak’s Gage and boots of his choice (Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads, depending on the enemy team). Later on, picking up a few defensive options like Dead Man’s Plate and Force of Nature isn’t a bad idea.
Ability priority
There’s no philosophy when it comes to Darius’ ability priority. Begin by maxing out Decimate (Q) to increase your trading potential and wave clear speed. Afterward, you’d like to get into as many fights as possible, so maxing out Apprehend (E) is advised. Besides, as a passive ability, it also increases your armor penetration, and chances are your enemies will stack armor against you.
Game plan
Which game plan you opt for will depend on the circumstances of your match. If you’re in a favorable matchup, you should go for as many trades as possible and possibly start your snowball early on. But getting solo kills might not be available until you hit level six and are able to dunk on opponents with Noxian Guillotine (R).
But your game plan will be very much depend on your draft phase. If you are counterpicked, you may find it tough to go through the laning phase unscratched, especially if you lose skirmishes and are targeted by the enemy jungler simultaneously. In these cases you should ask your own jungler to lend you a hand, since your damage in fights is still massive. If that’s not the case, though, simply stay back or possibly try to gain some advantages my ganking mid lane.
In the later stages of the game, Darius falls off as his scaling isn’t that great. In those instances, you should just begin stacking armor and magic resistance. Try to become a front line so your carries can show what they’re capable of. If that’s not possible, though, try going for flanks with your mobile Summoner’s Spells and pose a threat to the enemy carries.
Malphite
Pros
- Strong against AD-heavy team comps
- Excellent teamfighter
Cons
- Weak in early game
- Lack of CC outside ultimate
Malphite has been and always will be one of the best top laners who can punish AD-heavy team comps. Passive from Thunderclap gives additional armor, and even if the enemy team builds armor penetration, it’s still hard to down him. He’s the definition of a tank, and that’s why he’s at his best in team fights.
Best Malphite build: Runes, spells, and strategy
Given that Malphite is a tank (although he can be played as a burst mage with the right build in mid or bot lane as a support), you should go choose Grasp of the Undying from the Resolve tree as your main keystone. You should then follow that up with Shield Bash because of your passive, Conditioning, and Overgrowth. The secondary tree should serve you as an additional source of mana and Ability Haste, and that’s why you should choose Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Transcendence. Finally, choose attack speed and health growth.
If we presume you picked Malphite in a heavy AD comp, your optimal build path should look like this: Sunfire Aegis, Plated Steelcaps, Thornmail, Frozen Heart, and then any other tank item you might need. You can opt for magic resistance items if you need them or lean in the armor build with more similar items. I recommend you round up your build with Jak’Sho, The Protean for more teamfight power.
Ability priority
As Malphite, you should max out your abilities in this order: R>Q>E>W. You can use Seismic Shard to poke down your enemies and stack Grasp of the Undying, and when you finally unlock your ultimate, use it on a priority target.
Game plan
Malphite is quite weak early, and if you’re playing him into lane bullies like Darius or Renekton, you should keep to yourself. Simply spend the laning phase trying to stack Grasp of the Undying and farming. You don’t have the potential to duel enemies at the beginning of the game. Ideally, you are managing your wave properly, and you’ll hit level six at the same time as your opponent. Since you can’t duel them, you should look for early team fights and skirmishes to turn the tides in your favor using Unstoppable Force.
Later in the game, stick to your team as much as you can and try to zone out enemies off objectives. Trust me, AD carries are scared of you, even if you build a full tank. Catch waves in side lanes, and then go back to your team when an objective is about to spawn. You are reliant on your team to deal damage, and all you can do is to ensure you have a clean engagement. If the enemy team is packed with assassins, don’t waste your ultimate by engaging, but save it to peel for your carries.
Fiora
Pros
- Mobile
- High damage
- Powerful in every stage of a game if played well
Cons
- Hard to learn but rewarding
- Tough to play from behind, and easy to make mistakes
When it comes to playmaking top laners that can change the outcome of a game with their high carry potential, Fiora is one of the best champions. Her aggressive and rewarding kit requires a bit of time to master, especially in terms of positioning and mechanical plays, but it’s all worth it in the end.
With Fiora in the hands of an experienced player, she can outplay her enemies in most solo skirmishes and provide valuable damage and impact in team fights. This is why her win rates skyrocket the higher you go on the ranked ladder.
Best Fiora build: Runes, spells, and strategy
Fiora is an aggressive fighter who goes for short trades during the laning phase, so the best keystone rune is Conqueror from the Precision tree. With that under your belt, you will increase both your damage and sustain at all stages of the game.
Fiora is quite mana-hungry, especially in the first minutes of the game, so it’s smart to choose Presence of Mind to enhance your maximum mana. Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand give you a lot of dueling power and will help you once you start split-pushing.
The other runes from the secondary tree have the goal of increasing survivability and split push potential. Demolish works perfectly since it makes you charge powerful attacks against towers. With that, Fiora will always pose a significant threat in solo lanes, especially later in the game when she gains a heap of attack damage.
In terms of survivability, you should pick Second Wind or Unflinching. The first restores more health during the laning phase, while Unflinching grants extra Tenacity to reduce enemies’ incoming crowd control.
Item-wise, Fiora should pick Ravenous Hydra as her first item. Afterward, it’s pivotal to grab Trinity Force for higher damage. Complete the first trio of core items with a Death Dance if you need resistances. If you’re well ahead and you’re looking to split push, get Hullbreaker instead, as it will be a more cost-efficient item.
Round off the build with a Sterak’s Gauge and one item between Guardian Angel and Maw of Malmortius. In most scenarios, the former will be the go-to choice since you’ll get access to the revive effect. Chempunk Chainsword can also be a good situational item against champions with lots of sustain: Pick if necessary.
Ability priority
When playing Fiora, you should go for R>Q>E>W. The champion is fantastic in solo fights mostly due to her Q, Lunge, which deals quite a lot of damage and has a low cooldown at max rank. Afterward, you should put points in your E, Bladework, so that you can increase your damage during skirmishes and fights.
Game plan
Fiora is a fantastic solo laner, but she struggles a lot with wave clearing since she has no tools to take care of minion waves as quickly as other top laners. Her Q and W make it easy to close the gap and dodge upcoming attacks, though, giving her a strong advantage in skirmishes. For these reasons, you should always try to bully out the enemy top laner by making short and fast trades, ideally hitting the vitals. Just make sure you’re not fighting in the middle of a minion wave, which will deal a lot of damage when stacked.
Once you unlock your ultimate, you ideally want to cast it on a squishy target and delete it almost instantly by hitting all the vital points. This, however, is easier said than done. While Fiora is mobile thanks to her Q and passive, you won’t be as tanky as other top laners, so the enemy team compositions will often focus on deleting you first. As a result, it’s not always the best option to go for the back line. It can sometimes be better to use your ultimate on the enemy fighter in the front line so you can take the danger off your teammates’ shoulders. You will need to evaluate the situation in every game.
If you fall behind, you should try split-pushing. With Demolish and Fiora’s kit, you can take down turrets very quickly in the mid-game as her early struggles are alleviated and can open the way for your team to return to the game.
Camille
Pros
- Has one of the best dueling potential
- Melts tanks with her Q
- Scales well into the late game
- Great for picks
Cons
- Mechanically demanding
- Struggles from behind
- Weaker than other champions early on
The top lane champion pool has been getting more and more diverse over the last patches, and Camille is making a return as a top-tier pick.
Even though she has some bad matchups against other meta champions, she’s one of the best counterpicks against tanks and some damage-oriented top laners like Jayce. Her dueling potential can only be beaten by champions like Fiora or Jax, and even then, it’s usually more of a skill matchup.
Best Camille build: Runes, spells, and strategy
Camille’s main rune setup hasn’t changed since when she first landed on Summoner’s Rift. The keystone rune is still Conqueror. Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand are the complementary runes from the Precision tree. This equips her to push her lead and duel any champion that stands in her way.
The secondary tree, instead, is the Inspiration tree with Biscuit Delivery and Magical Footwear. These are pretty common runes from this tree. If you don’t want the cookies for extra health and mana, swap them out for Cosmic Insight.
The build for Camille is slightly different compared to the past. While her main item is still Trinity Force, her second core item is now Ravenous Hydra. After these two items, you want to grab Sundered Sky, Sterak’s Gauge, Death Dance and Maw of Malmortius for some armor and magic resistance.
Ability priority
Camille’s ability order is fairly straightforward: R>Q>E>W. Having said that, you usually want to start with Tactical Sweep first aS it guarantees a good level one short trade and gives immediate sustain. After that, max Precision Protocol, since it’s a spammable spell. Her Hookshot is the second ability to max because it’s her main mobility tool and gap closer.
Game plan
The game plan on Camille is to make sure you can kill the strongest threat on the enemy team. She has great backline access and good enough damage to kill a carry single-handedly. That said, Camille needs a few items before she can start doing her own thing. Therefore, her main goal will be to focus on farming and waiting for those two core items.
Once she gets both, you should play on the side lane most of the time and look for potential teleport plays or flanks after pushing waves. If you have a good matchup or you’re getting ahead, you can also bully out the enemy top laner and look to split push rather than grouping up with your allies.
As long as you don’t fall behind too much early on, Camille will become a threatening menace later in the game, giving your enemies a really hard time.
Gragas
Pros
- Mobile
- Great in teamfights
- High sustain and great in the lane
Cons
- Takes a few games to get the hang of
- Susceptible to CC
- Difficult against lane bullies
Last but not least, we have a top laner that’s rather surprising and significantly different than the rest of the champions prior on the list. Don’t worry, though; Gragas has a few aces up his sleeve as well.
While he’s not an AD-based bruiser or swift fighter, he can win numerous games on his own. All that’s needed is a bit of skill, core items, and usually, a well-placed ultimate.
Best Gragas build: Runes, spells, and strategy
Despite being AP-based, we don’t want to pick the Sorcery tree as the main one for Gragas. Instead, let’s go for Grasp of the Undying. This rune will aid him in both early- and late-game combat. Besides, the other possible options from the Resolve tree substantially increase his survivability, and thus the amount of damage and crowd control he can unleash in the match.
Still, there’s no better secondary tree for the red-bearded champion than Sorcery. While there are a lot of possible and sensible options, we believe Manaflow Band and Scorch are the best ones in the menu. They both enhance Gragas’ early-game mana and damage, making his laning phase slightly easier, which he will need to survive.
When it comes to the items, the case is much more straightforward. It’s best to build AP brusier items on Gragas, like on many others similar champions. This means going for Tear of the Godess as early as possible is crucial, so you can transform it into Archangel’s Staff early on. Besides that, Rod of Ages and Cosmic Drive are also essential, since they increase your mana, ability power, ability haste, and health.
Ability priority
Gragas’ kit remains unchanged for a few years now, and so does his ability priority. You should focus on maximizing Barrel Roll (Q) in the first place, and then follow-up with Body Slam (E). These both abilities are key for Gragas, due to damage they deal and crowd control they apply. There are simply no reasons to prioritize Drunken Rage (W) over them.
Game plan
With Gragas, the game is simple: survive early game and control teamfights. With his kit, going for early skirmishes may be tricky, especially since it’s relatively easy to counter him. There are obviously a few favorable matchups for him, like Akali, Jayce, Olaf, or Gangplank, but they aren’t popular in the current meta. So unless you’re certain you can win trades, just play defensively and farm in the meantime.
Gragas’ power spike happens when he finishes two of his core items and hits level 11. Then, he deals the most damage and starts becoming quite beefy. That is also usually when both teams start competing for neutral objectives, like drakes, where Gragas can name the greatest use of his abilities.
With his Explosive Cask (R) and Body Slam (E) combo, it’s really easy to engage onto the enemy team and break them apart. you should try doing that by flanking the opposing team in jungle corridors, or by teleporting behind their back. If both options are impossible, you should just stick to your team and try to utilize the wombo-combo once an enemy oversteps. Executing it properly should give you a free kill and an early advantage in a teamfight.
Types of top laners in League
Split-push top laners in League
Split-pushers have a weak laning presence and a weaker ability to trade damage until they get a few items. Once they get some items and can duel with their opponents, they just steamroll through the lane, taking turrets until the enemy team sends forces to stop them.
Support-style top laners in League
Support-style top laners are the beefiest tanks in the game. They can trade damage with their lane opponent reasonably well, but their main strength comes from surviving in their lane until they can build up enough tanky items to join their team in all-out team fights. There are, however, a few intriguing support-style top laners that are vastly different from others.
Top lane hypercarries in League
Finally, we have the top-lane hypercarries. These champions put out high damage in the blink of an eye and can usually hit multiple targets at once with high cleave and AoE.
