5 Least Picked Top Laners in Professional League of Legends
Do you often see your favourite Top laner in pro play? You’d be surprised how many champions never get played in professional League of Legends. There are various reasons why a team may not play a certain champion, for instance, their lack of team play, how many resources they need or team build.
I don’t know about you guys, but I find it slightly boring watching the same champions being played over and over again in professional League of Legends, but I understand why they do it.
In today’s Mobalytics article, let’s break down and talk about the five champions you’ll never find in professional League of Legends. If you want to learn how to play any of the champions on the list, head over to the Mobalytics site.
There are many champions that may have been played in alternative roles in professional League of Legends. Because of this, we will only include traditional laners in our least picked articles. All of the stats are taken from GOL.GG., and the filters we are using are for all seasons and worldwide.
5 Least Picked Top Laners in Pro League of Legends
- Nasus
- Vayne
- Cassiopeia
- Pantheon
- Yasuo
1. Nasus
Nasus is a champion that needs to be left alone. They don’t do too much early on but focus more on last-hitting minions and getting stacks. The late game is where Nasus truly shines. Because of his playstyle, Nasus is never exactly picked in pro play.
Pros do not want a Nasus in their team because it basically makes any early skirmishes in the top side of the map impossible. He is frail early and cannot offer much to his team in early fights. Furthermore, in the mid and late game where there are usually 5v5 fights, he might not really be present as he is usually played as a split pusher and just draws attention and pushes.
In Solo Queue, however, Nasus is much stronger because teams are far less coordinated in Solo Queue which allows him to take objectives while the enemy has a dance-off somewhere else on the map.
Quick Tips
- Stacks mean a lot for Nasus, but surviving the laning phase is more important. Be prepared to give up a few stacks in order to keep your health bar topped up.
- As Nasus isn’t very strong in the early game, try and avoid fighting. If you get killed early on or blow Flash, you’ll be vulnerable and will fall behind.
- Nasus is a late-game monster and should look to split push during the mid and late game. But, if your team needs you in team fights, be prepared to group and help your team.
2. Vayne
You never see Vayne being played in the Top lane of pro play. In fact, you don’t really see Vayne picked very much at all lately. Vayne is a strong Top laner, but only in the right matchups. She is annoying to deal with early, but outside of the very early game, she is easier to handly.
Pros will not pick Vayne in the Top lane as they will usually pick champions that offer their team a lot of play-making potential. Vayne doesn’t really offer her team a lot and mostly relies on her team to play around her. She is high risk- high reward. There are much better Top laners to pick over her.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend picking Vayne in the Top lane in Solo Queue, but she is good in certain matchups. The problem is that unless you’re excellent mechanically on her, it can be hard for you to do anything.
Quick Tips
- Stay safe in the early game and do not fall behind. Farm what you can and get as much gold so you can become strong in the mid and late game.
- Try to always auto-attack the enemy 3 times so you get your Passive proc off with your W. This will make trades more favourable.
- Watch your positioning in team fights and be prepared to use your Q defensively rather than towards the enemy.
3. Cassiopeia
Snake lady is an interesting champion that isn’t really played much in pro or Solo Queue. Cassiopeia has a lot going for her, but she isn’t picked in the Top lane due to her lack of mobility and the fact that she relies on blue buff.
Whilst mobility isn’t everything for pro play, there are other factors in play. She requires a lot of resources to get ahead. Something else to keep in mind is that she is an AP champion, and neither is she a tank. The team will have to pick AD in the Mid lane, and need someone else to go tank.
She is much better in the Midlane than the Top lane, but she isn’t a bad champion in Solo Queue. Would I recommend you main her? No, not really, but she can carry if you’re a mechanical genius.
Quick Tips
- In the early game, always keep an eye on your mana pool when trading as it goes quicker than you expect when trading with the enemy.
- Only commit to a trade with the enemy when you’ve successfully landed a Q. You can follow the initial Q with multiple E’s afterwards for a favourable trade.
- Cassiopeia has strong all-in potential at level 2 with her Q and E spam. If you’re in a strong matchup and against a squishy champion, you should try to get an early lead once you get the level up.
4. Pantheon
Pantheon is a strong champion in many roles, but he doesn’t see much play in the Top lane regarding professional League of Legends. You’ll commonly find him in the Support role, but that’s rare too.
One of the many reasons Pantheon isn’t seen is that he doesn’t offer his team many things. He doesn’t exactly have a useful Ultimate that can be utilised effectively and consistently. Yeah, he’s good at getting picks, but he will most likely die once he goes in.
Pantheon isn’t that good in Solo Queue right now either. He doesn’t have much carry potential and basically lacks an Ultimate. If you’re proactive with your roaming, he might work for you, but there are far stronger Top laners around.
Quick Tips
- At level 6, if you can’t kill the enemy Top laner, try and use your Ultimate from base to assist either your Mid laner or the bot lane.
- Pantheon is a strong early game champion. Try and abuse your strengths to get early kills by skirmishing heavily with the enemy from the beginning of the laning phase.
- During the mid-game, try to split push while your team groups. You can then use your Ultimate to impact the fight while an enemy is left in the side lane: making a team fight 5v4.
5. Yasuo
The last champion is Yasuo. While Yasuo is one of the most picked champions in LoL, his popularity doesn’t transition well to professional play. However, a fed Yasuo just like in Solo Queue can be a real terror and hard to deal with in pro play, thanks to his mobility and utility.
Yasuo is rarely picked in the Top lane because he is a champion that needs a lot of resources. Yasuo is also a carry, and many teams prefer to have someone in the Top lane that tends to give their team more utility or can be a super soaker and take a lot of damage.
Unlike pro play, Yasuo is a good Solo Queue champion, but I wouldn’t recommend him in the Top lane. I’d suggest playing him in the Mid lane instead as there are far less counters to him in the Middle lane.
Quick Tips
- Weave through the minion wave with your E while always leaving at least 1 minion untouched so you can get out after trading.
- Wait for the optimal time to use your Ultimate. Don’t just engage whenever anyone gets knocked up as you might be going in 1v5.
- Refrain from using your Windwall unless you need to use it. You never know when it will come in handy to protect you from incoming ganks or global Ultimates.
Finishing Thoughts
Are you surprised to see some of these champions on the list? Let us know your thoughts on why some of these champions never get played in pro play. As always, you can find tips, counters and much more information on all of these champions with their Mobalytics champion page.
