This list of Top Laners may be outdated. We’ve updated our list of the best Top Laners for Patch 14.6, which you can find here.
5 S-Tier Top Laners to Climb With in Patch 14.5
The Top Lane has more impact than ever nowadays after the changes that came to the objectives in the top side of the map. Now having a strong Top Laner is more important than ever as it allows your team to prioritise top lane objectives to gain an early lead.
In this Mobalytics article, we will discuss 5 of the best picks you can play in the Top Lane to help you climb in Patch 14.5 of League of Legends. If you want to learn how to play any of these champions or any other champion in League of Legends, head over to the Mobalytics’ Champion Page for tips and tricks for every champion in LoL!
Don’t see your favourite champion on our list? See where we rank them on the Mobalytics TierMobalytics Tier List for Patch 14.5.
1. Darius
The first champion on this patch’s best Top Laners to climb with will be Darius. Darius is a low ELO monster who can dominate any lane opponent. His simplicity is ideal for lower-ranked players or players just learning the role.
Thanks to his Passive, he can usually out-trade many champions as the bleed will damage the target more. Going for an extended trade on Darius is key to gaining a significant advantage early on. If you want to abuse Darius this patch, try to limit test on him. Look to fight frequently and go for extended trades whenever the enemy overextends.
Darius Mid-Patch Stats:
- It seems Darius is not getting any direct nerfs or buffs in this patch.
- Darius’s win rate in patch 14.4 was 51.4%.
- He had a 9% Pick Rate.
- And had a 12.4% ban rate.
- In Emerald+, Darius was played 209.000 times.
2. Gragas
One of the newest champions hitting our list this week is Gragas. Gragas is a strong laner with lots of poke and all-in potential. When he builds AP items, he can deal considerable damage to any champion whom he lanes against.
Gragas is not only good during the laning phase, though. Outside of the laning phase and team fights, he can be strong thanks to his large AOE Ultimate, which can be used to get picks. If he is ahead and goes AP, he can deal considerable damage to all the squishy champions he hits with it. Just make sure not to knock the enemy tank into your team.
Gragas Mid-Patch Stats:
- Gragas isn’t getting any direct changes on this patch.
- Gragas had a win rate on patch 14.4 with 52.7%.
- He had a 4.5% Pick Rate.
- On patch 14.4, Gragas had a 2.3% ban rate.
- In Emerald+, Gragas was played 105,000 times.
3. Vayne
Coming in at number 3 this patch, we have Vayne yet again. Vayne has been one of the best picks in the Top Lane for some time now as she is a direct counter to many of the champions also dominating the Top Lane.
Vayne is a ranged champion and as the majority of current strong Top Laners are melee, she can abuse them whenever they walk up to last hit or farm. If you can, try your best to auto-attack them as much as possible, to reduce their chances of getting CS and XP. Doing so will result in a large lead.
Vayne Mid-Patch Stats:
- Vayne is getting some direct nerfs this patch. However, I still feel as if she is going to be a very dominant champion even with these nerfs.
- She had a win rate in patch 14.4 of 53.3%.
- Vayne had a 3.5% Pick Rate in the Top Lane.
- Vayne also had a 14.8% ban rate. But, we need to remember that she is played in multiple roles, so her ban rate is a bit skewed.
- And in Emerald+, Vayne was played 83,000 times.
4. Maokai
Even though Maokai received some changes in previous patches, he has still shown to have an incredible win rate. He is a formidable opponent in every single matchup he gets picked into. It’s also important to mention that he can be potent in the lane if he gets a small lead. Looking for a tank that has strong skirmishing power? Then Maokai might be for you.
Maokai has a lot of tools built into his kit that can help him and his team make plays and get picks. During the mid-game and in team fights, he can catch enemies out with either his W or Ultimate. As his Ultimate is large and can lock down multiple enemies at once, flanking the enemy could be the way to go.
Maokai Mid-Patch Stats:
- There are some Maokai nerfs coming in. However, they should be for the Support role. Nonetheless, these will negatively impact him in the Top Lane. However, just like Vayne, I feel that he is still going to be quite good even with these indirect changes.
- Maokai win rate in patch 14.4 was 51.5%.
- Maokai had a 0.5% Pick Rate.
- Maokai had a 36.6% ban rate. But we must remember that he is played in many different roles, and he is a really dominant Support. So his ban rate is mostly from people in the bottom lane banning him!
- In Emerald+, Maokai was played 13,000 times.
5. Aatrox
Aatrox is the final champion we recommend you pick to climb this patch in the Top Lane of League of Legends. He has a great playstyle and can allow you to dominate the enemy Top Laner to get early kills and snowball.
He seems to always have lane priority, which is great in the current meta because it can help your Jungler take the grubs in the top pit. With lane priority, you can quickly rotate to help them, or take the objectives with them if need be. Did you get a small advantage early on Aatrox? Good, you can snowball that lead into a huge mid-game lead and become unstoppable.
Aatrox Mid-Patch Stats:
- According to Riot pre-patch notes, there doesn’t look to be any changes to Aatrox this patch.
- Aatrox win rate in patch 14.4 was 49.8%.
- On patch 14.4, he had a 13.4% Pick Rate.
- Aatrox had a 14.1% ban rate. This is quite high, and it’s because he is so annoying to deal with in lane.
- In Emerald+, Aatrox was played 313,000 times.
Final Thoughts
This about sums up our article for the best Top Laners you should be playing on Patch 14.5! We hope that you enjoyed and will use our recommendations to help you get ahead this patch. Let us know what other articles you would like to see next.
Want to see what other champions will dominate this patch? Head over to the Mobalytics Tier List for Patch 14.5.
