The top lane is often seen as an island in recent years due to Junglers strategically ignoring it, however, in Season 15 the top lane is one of the best lanes to gank and have pressure due to Scuttle Crab, the Grubs and Rift Herald being nearby. This is why having pressure and being a strong Top Laner is crucial if you want you and your team to do well.
Picking a dominant Top laner can be really impactful and if you’re able to do well, you can basically win top side and the top side jungle. It is also good to pick a strong Top laner as you can get kill after kill in lane, which is frankly quite fun… So in this Mobalytics guide, we will go over 5 of the best Top laners we recommend you pick in Season 15 if you want to climb fast!
1. Kennen
The first champion on our list for the best Top Laners to play in the Season 15 is Kennen. Kennen is a long-ranged champion who can bully the enemy down in lane. As the Top Lane is full of melee champions with strong all-in, a champion who can disengage and has the range advantage could be really beneficial.
He is a fantastic team fighter as well thanks to his Ultimate. In team fights, he can deal a lot of damage to multiple enemies at once, and if you can get a good Ultimate off on targets that are grouped together, you can deal a lot of damage. As Kennen, try to team fight in the jungle or around objectives as that is where teams are usually grouped closely together.
Kennen is a safe blind pick in the Top Lane, as his range advantage allows him to go even in most matchups. Whether you want to dominate your lane or make a big impact in team fights, Kennen is a fantastic choice for you!
How to play Kennen
2. Riven
The second champion on our list is Riven. Riven can be one of the most dominant champions in the Top Lane due to her strong all-in and mobility. With the recent objective changes, she can easily help her Jungler and quickly rotate if they need help. She is also one of the hardest champions to lane against when fed, as she can consistently all-in you.
During the mid and late game, Riven should be looking to balance split pushing and grouping as a team. You should apply pressure and try to fight anyone who tries to stop you. However, if you’ve taken a lot of objectives already or the enemy is consistently sending multiple champions to fight you, you may want to start grouping with your team. Try to take down the enemy backline with the help of your Jungler.
Riven has a very high skill ceiling, and playing her is really hard. You need to understand her animation cancels to get the most out of her kit and deal the maximum amount of damage. However, once mastered, you can dominate the enemy and dominate the game. If you have the skills and can put in a lot of time to master her, then you can climb in LoL very quickly.
How to play Riven
3. Irelia
Another champion with an extremely strong all-in is Irelia. Like Riven, Irelia can easily snowball and kill the enemy over and over again if they can walk too far forward in the lane. Once fed, Irelia can be extremely challenging to play against due to her strong all-in power. Not even hiding under your tower can protect you from Irelia!
Like Riven, during the mid and late game, you want to split push and apply pressure to the objectives in the side lanes. After you’ve taken all these objectives, you’ll want to just stick with your team and team fight. However, if you’re super fed, you can also just group with your team and start the fight, dish out a lot of damage and win the team fight.
Irelia’s very mechanically demanding, and it will also take a lot of time to master her. So, if you can spend time putting effort into learning her, then you can dominate the enemy and take over the game. Remember that Irelia is also a flex pick, so if you can play her Top, you can play her Mid too.
How to play Irelia
4. Olaf
Another champion with incredibly strong all-in potential is Olaf. Similar to Darius, Olaf thrives in extended trades where he can fully utilise his Passive to deal additional damage and win those trades. There is no way the enemy can stop you from running them down the lane as he has good tower diving potential with his Ultimate. Get an early lead on Olaf and you’ll take over the game.
Olaf should be played as a split pusher in the mid-game. You’ll want to group with your team in the late game and run the enemy carries down. Your goal is to stick to the enemy’s backline like glue and make them focus you instead of your carrys. Soak up as much damage as possible while dealing as much damage as possible to the enemy. If you can, try to flank in the team fight to make it harder for the enemy to disengage.
Olaf is relatively straightforward to play, which makes him great for players who are not confident in their gameplay or don’t have time to put in a lot of effort into learning a new champion like Riven or Irelia. His simplicity might not appeal to some players who want a challenge, but he could be great for beginners who want quick ELO and LP!
How to play Olaf
5. Darius
The final champion, who is far from the worst on our list of champions, is Darius. Darius is a low-ELO menace as players do not respect his Passive: allowing him to gain a huge health lead and win trades. If you want to solo carry lanes and get a ton of kills, then you should pick up Darius as he is super strong.
If you’re ahead on Darius, you’ll usually want to split push and apply pressure to the side objectives while your team groups. If you’re not strong or the enemy is grouping, then you should probably just group with your teammates. If you’re behind, just build tank items and soak up as much damage as possible to ensure your team comes out ahead.
Darius is one of the most straightforward champions in the game. He doesn’t have many unique mechanics, which makes him great for players of all skill levels. The most difficult thing about Darius is knowing when to fight and when not to. If you love fighting and like trading with the enemy, pick up Darius this year!
How to play Darius
In Conclusion
Thanks for reading our article on the best Top Laners to play in Season 15 of LoL. As somebody who plays a lot of Top Lane, I will definitely be abusing these champions to climb the ranked ladder.