Several top laners 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, three archetypes of champions 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 several things. Sometimes, the meta shifts for no reason other than players’ tastes, but usually, there’s some 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 14.21.
- Aatrox
- Darius
- Aurora
- Jax
- Malphite
Aatrox
There are a few top laners who make for perfect picks regardless of the meta, and Aatrox is one of them. This bruiser is superb in numerous situations, including one-versus-one skirmishes, split-pushing, and teamfighting. Nevertheless, navigating him properly and carrying the game with Aatrox is far from easy due to his complicated mechanics.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Deadly in solo duels – Can carry the game if allowed to snowball – Has a massive power spike in the mid game – Monstrous late game | – Can fall off if he gets behind – Lacks engage tools |
In short, dealing damage as Aatrox mostly revolves around landing his Qs and then spamming auto attacks against your enemy. With his Umbral Dash (E) allowing him to cast The Darkin Blade (Q) simultaneously, Aatrox is a great champion to outplay your enemies in combat. However, mastering this seemingly simple combo takes time and is pivotal to your chances of winning the game. On top of that, other top laners will be aware of that combination, and will often hold their own mobile abilities to dodge it, so you need to keep their cooldowns and skills in mind while fighting.
Once you get a hang of Aatrox’s mechanics, you can easily step onto Summoner’s Rift in the ranked queue. Your goals are simple: Try not to fall behind in the early game, because if you do, coming back into a game will be tougher than on most champions. Once you enter mid game, you should have a few core items under your belt, which should make you both tanky and powerful. As a result, if you don’t get poked too much beforehand, your teamfighting prowess should be too much to handle for your opponents.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Aatrox |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Haste – Last Stand Rune two: Resolve – Second Wind – Revitalize Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Eclipse – Sundered Sky – Sterak’s Gage Each of the mentioned items above should make it to your build in every game you play on Aatrox. Ideally, you’d finish it up with bruiser picks like Serylda’s Grudge or Death’s Dance, which mainly increase your damage while also boosting your defense. Since you’re playing a dangerous top lane bruiser, you will often be the main target for your opponents. As a result, picking up more defensive items like Spirit Visage, Thornmail, or Warmog’s Armor also makes a lot of sense in certain situations. Like with every top laner, you will need to analyze where you want to take your build each game. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – The Darkin Blade (Q) – Umbral Dash (E) – Infernal Chains (W) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Warwick – Vayne – Urgot – Trundle – Irelia – Kled – Wukong |
Malphite
Another classic top laner who’s currently dominating the top lane metagame is Malphite. He possesses seemingly one of the simplest kits in the game, which makes him a perfect pick for those who are only starting their journey with League. At the same time, if played well, he can quickly turn into one of the most dangerous champions in the game.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Tanky – Strong engage – Scales well with ability power and can also deal tons of damage with proper build | – Easy to predict – Can be shut down before level six easily – Doesn’t do much in teamfights besides setting them up with his ultimate |
Before level six, there is hardly anything Malphite can do in his lane, especially since there are a lot of ranged champions popular in the role in the current meta. Make sure you don’t fall behind and keep your farm and experience up until you get your ultimate. Once you do, many opportunities open. You may look for some kills onto the enemy top laner, especially with your jungler, or head towards mid lane for a surprising gank. Your ultimate will always at least burn the enemy’s Flash, and it’s a win on its own.
In the mid and late game, you will be the one responsible for engaging for your team. While Malphite’s ultimate can be game-changing, it can be easily dodged. To get the best results, you should look for flanks, especially with your Teleport. If that’s not possible, try cooperating with your teammates who have their own crowd control tools—if you land them onto the enemy team, the fewer chance to escape they will have.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Malphite |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Sorcery – Arcane Comet – Manaflow Band – Transcendence – Scorch Rune two: Resolve – Second Wind – Overgrowth Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Health based on level Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Sunfire Aegis – Frozen Heart There isn’t much philosophy when it comes to Malphite’s armor. Your primary goal is to get as tanky as possible to survive upcoming teamfights. This means picking up items like Thornmail, Kaenic Rookern, Randuin’s Omen or Jak’Sho, The Protean. If you want to do some damage, you might get a Void Staff or Malignance. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – Seismic Shard (Q) – Thunderclap (W) – Ground Slam (E) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Gragas – Singed – Darius – Gangplank – Sett |
Jax
I know we’ve just had two classic champions mentioned on the list, but a third one is on his way, and deservedly so. When it comes to outplaying enemy players in one-versus-one skirmishes, there are arguably no better champions to pick than Jax. The lantern-wielding bruiser has a gap closer, a stun, empowered auto attacks, an ultimate which raises defensive stats, and ever-rising attack speed. And all of that comes without having a real weapon.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Terrific in one-versus-one fights – Massive carry potential – One of the best champions to flank the enemy team with | – Worthless if shut down early – Requires patience and awareness – Often counter picked if possible |
Contrary to the previous two picks on the list, Jax is suited for every part of the game. Whether it’s early before hitting level six or late in the game with everyone on level 18, Jax will make a difference every time, everywhere. The champion’s kit is easy, but it requires patience. Being able to shred through enemies is fun—unless you jump in too early and are torn down in a few seconds (though, your E blocks auto attacks, which helps a lot). In case you fall behind, your passive and AD-based builds make it easy to split push, though that requires proper vision and communication with the team. Nevertheless, regardless of the state of the game, Jax always finds something to take care of on the Rift.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Jax |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Resolve – Grasp of the Undying – Demolish – Second Wind – Overgrowth Rune two: Sorcery – Manaflow Band – Scorch Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Sundered Sky – Trinity Force With Trinity Force and Sundered Sky under your belt, you may start assessing your other build options. Similarly to Aatrox, these should be mostly bruiser items like Sterak’s Gage, Frozen Heart, Wit’s End, and so on. But since Jax also has AP converters and with Stasis being so pivotal in today’s meta, you may sometimes go for Zhonya’s Hourglass. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – Counter Strike (E) – Leap Strike (Q) – Empower (W) Once you get level four, max W first, then E, and Q in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Illaoi – Renekton – Gangplank – Teemo – Shen – K’Sante |
Darius
Old school League players likely remember how dangerous Darius was after he was added to the game back in season three. While he has received many changes since then, his kit still remains mostly the same, and Darius continues to cut through enemies, especially in the current bruiser top-lane meta.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Powerful one-versus-one potential – Immense snowball | – Easy to play around – Immobile |
There are a few champions who intend to win the game as fast as possible, since they fall off in the late game significantly. Darius definitely belongs in that group. While playing him post-30 minutes may be painful, his power spike in the mid game is so high you can singlegandedly win a lot of teamfights.
With his simple yet strong wombo combo and Hemorrhage passive, Darius can literally cut through enemies with his axe. Once you’re in range, you should always try to Apprehend (E) squishy opponents, and then apply the Q + R combo. If possible, try squeezing a Crippling Strike (W) in there, and the target will most likely end up dead unless they Flash away. However, due to low mobility, you should always look for flanks to get to enemy carries, especially in fights around neutral objectives like dragons and Baron.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Darius |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Alacrity – Last Stand Rune two: Inspiration – Biscuit Delivery – Cosmic Insight Offense: Attack speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Trinity Force – Frozen Heart |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Ghost (to increase mobility) – Flash |
| Best build path | – Crippling Strike – Decimate (Q) – Apprehend (E) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Olaf – Kennen – Gangplank – Warwick – Kennen – Yorick |
Aurora
We’ve had our fair share of classic League champions dominate the top lane, so it only makes sense to round out the list with one of the newest additions to the game—Aurora. The mage is playable in both solo lanes, though she’s truly dominating in the top lane, where her complex gameplay allows her to outplay many champions.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Exceptional in teamfights – A lot of roaming and solo potential – Great wave management | – Easy to shut down with crowd control – Can’t do much on her own |
Aurora excels in numerous areas, including teamfighting and roaming (which is why you should always take Teleport). But everything comes with a cost, and for the newest mage, it’s being reliant on your team. Aurora can deal tons of damage, has massive crowd control potential with her ultimate and can carry the game if she gets ahead early.
But, due to her kit and abilities, there is no point of building beefy items on Aurora. In fact, rushing AP is the only sensible option. Therefore, without proper frontline and support, she won’t be able to navigate teamfights as well as you may want. It’s a perfect pick for your duo queue, where your partner can potentially pick a jungler or mid laner, giving you some flexibility in both early and late game.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Aurora |
|---|---|
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Taste of Blood – Eyeball Collection – Ultimate Hunter Rune two: Sorcery – Manaflow Band – Transcendence Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Sorcerer’s Shoes – Liandry’s Torment – Zhonya’s Hourglass Like we mentioned, Aurora’s building path is straightforward: She needs to stack ability power. Liandry’s Torment and Zhonya’s Hourglass are core picks for every mage, and your fourth item should probably be Malignance. Afterward, you may choose to continue stacking AP with Rabadon’s Deathcap, or go for Magic Penetration with Void Staff or Cryptbloom. Morellonomicon can also eventually work if you’re in need of Grevious Wounds. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – Twofold Hex (Q) – The Weirding (E) – Across the Veil (W) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Kayle – Irelia – Jayce – Sion – Ornn – Gnar |
Tier list of best League of Legends top laners in Patch 14.21
While the five champion listed above are in our eyes the best picks in the current meta, the pool for top lane is massive. With 168 champions in the game, there are dozens of picks for the position. If you’re still looking for another options, we’ve created a tier list, ranking every viable top lane pick from best to worst in Patch 14.21.
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S | Aatrox, Malphite, Jax, Darius, Aurora |
| A | Illaoi, Mordekaiser, Shen, Olaf, Poppy, Fiora, Kennen, Sion, Urgot |
| B | Riven, Sylas, Irelia, Poppy, Zac, Singed, Warwick, Trundle, Renekton, Ornn, Kled, Galio, Camille, Teemo |
| C | Akali, Quinn, Ryze, Sett, Tahm Kench, Kayle, Dr. Mundo, Volibear, Gangplank, Gnar, K’Sante, Yorick, Wukong |
| D | Nasus, Pantheon, Gwen, Smolder, Yone, Yasuo, Garen, Vladimir, Cho’Gath, Rumble, Swain |
