Best Late Game Top Laners in League of Legends
Scaling Top laners in League of Legends all have one thing in common: they’re weak early but strong in the later parts of the game. The 5 best late game champions on our list vary from tanks to duelists and someone with a very adaptive build path.
You need to remember when playing a scaling champion that you shouldn’t fall behind early. It will be hard for you to scale effectively and be a nuisance in the later parts of the game if you fall behind.
Learn how to play every champion on today’s list by signing up for a free Mobalytics account to help you climb.
Best Late Game Top Laners in League of Legends
- Nasus
- Ryze
- Gangplank
- Kayle
- Cho’Gath
We talk about some of these champions in this video. You can also find other strong late-game champions in there too!
1. Nasus
Nasus is one of the weakest champions in the laning phase, but he scales incredibly well. He doesn’t do a lot pre-6 and can’t exactly hold his own against aggressive champions. However, as long as he doesn’t die and just scales, he will become a monster.
Nasus is very strong because of his Q, which he uses to last hit minions. The more minions he kills with his Q, the more stacks he gets. The amount of stacks he gets is limitless. So if he is left alone to farm, he can easily have hundreds and hundreds of stacks by the 30-minute mark.
With these stacks, he can easily one-shot squishy champions or secure towers with ease, thanks to the insane amount of damage his Q can do to them. His (most common) build path will also be hard to kill as he will be incredibly tanky and hard to take down.
Tips and Tricks:
- 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. Ryze
The next champion on our list is Ryze. There are several reasons why Ryze is good, but let us start with his build path. Generally speaking, champions with Tear are not very good early, but once this item is fully stacked, they become a little bit stronger.
Ryze has incredibly low cooldowns for his basic abilities in the later parts of the game. It allows him to spam them indefinitely and dish out tons of damage in fights. Thanks to the relatively large mana pool he will have at this stage, too, he can just spam, spam and spam some more.
Finally, something that players may overlook outside of pro play is his Ultimate which could allow his team to get picks or sneak objectives like the Baron or Dragon in the late game. Although, this can be easier said than done and has its risks.
Tips and Tricks:
- Ryze is very weak in the early game and needs time to scale. Avoid spamming your abilities until you’ve got your Tear otherwise you’ll be forced to recall early and may miss out on getting this item.
- Remember that your level 6 is far weaker than most champions as your Ultimate is a utility tool and deals no damage. Play respectfully if the enemy is stronger than you at this time.
- Your goal throughout the early and mid-game is to scale. Avoid falling behind by playing safe and respectfully until you have an item or two. Once you get into the late game, you’re going to be much stronger and have an easier time playing.
3. Gangplank
The Pirate is one of the best late game Top laners in the game. Gangplank isn’t as popular as he once was, but that doesn’t make him a bad champion.
Gangplank scales with time. The more Silver Serpents he gets, the quicker he can upgrade his Ultimate. With every Ultimate upgrade, his R becomes empowered and deals additional damage. This means the more time he gets to farm, the stronger his Ultimate will be.
The longer he is left alone; the stronger Gangplank will be. He will have relatively low cooldowns on his barrels in the late game. If you get the timing right, he can also deal considerable damage with one combo. One small combo could deal so much damage that it forces the enemy to back off from sieging.
Tips and Tricks:
- Auto-attacking your Keg Barrels will reduce the Barrel health bar by 1: allowing it to explode quicker.
- Keep an eye on the minimap at all times and be prepared to use your Ultimate to help allies pick up kills.
- Farm with your Q when possible to upgrade your Ultimate.
4. Kayle
Kayle scales throughout the game, and gets stronger with every point she puts in her Ultimate. However, until she hits this level, she isn’t really a champion.
In the early game, Kayle must focus on farming and scaling. She mustn’t fall behind early on, as it will make her late game slightly weaker. However, if she gets an early lead, she can be an absolute monster and a terror to play against later.
Why is Kayle such a monster? Because with every Ultimate upgrade, her auto attacks and damage change. She can keep auto-attacking and ultimately wreak havoc on the enemy with good kiting and positioning. Her attacks will be deadly in team fights. Failing that, she can just split push and use her insane pushing power to take the towers down.
Tips and Tricks:
- Kayle is a weak early game champion until she gets her Ultimate as it provides her with range and increased survivability. Play safe until you’ve unlocked your Ultimate.
- Whenever your Ultimate is on cooldown, you should play a little safer as you’re rather squishy and can easily die if you’re caught without your Ultimate to protect you.
- In the early game, keep the wave closer to your side of the map to increase your survivability and reduce the enemy’s ability to set you behind.
5. Cho’Gath
The final champion on our list is Cho’Gath. He scales pretty well into the late game because of his Ultimate.
Whenever he consumes something with his Ultimate, he will become bigger and bigger and get additional stats. If he has had a good game, he could get tons of stacks from various things such as champions, monsters and minions.
In the late game, he can quickly secure objectives for his team. He will also be huge and be really healthy or deal a lot of damage (depending on his build), making him a real threat in the late game.
Tips and Tricks:
- Use your Q slightly behind the enemy rather than on their current location to make it harder for them to dodge it.
- Wait for the marker before pressing your Ultimate. Don’t use it unless the marker appears.
- Whenever your Q or W is up, don’t automatically use either one of them unless you’re certain that the enemy isn’t a threat to you. Otherwise, the enemy may wait for you to use either one of these abilities and then play aggressive while it’s on cooldown.
Summary
What do you think of our list? Are there any other strong late game Top laners you would recommend? Let us know! For more educational content, head to Mobalytics!
