How aggressive should I be in the top lane?

TheyCallMeAP·1/29/2019, 10:31:14 PM·1 votes·997 views

How aggressive should I play top lane? I usually play very passively during the laning phase and try to draw the other player under turret or bait them into a gank to get my kills. I usually get trolled or sometimes flamed for it, which doesn't make sense to me because I am always even or ahead in CS and I don't lose lane. At the same time I do feel like sometimes I do play a little too passive and miss out on kills I could have gotten, so I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to play aggressively top lane and win trades without overextending so I can start getting kills during the laning phase as well.

4 Comments

Shahamut1/29/2019, 11:23:49 PM2 votes

To follow up on what has already been stated: It depends on the MATCHUP.

Not just your champ, but also the opponents. It depends on their jungler, and also yours. You have to consider several things when determining aggro:

The matchup- Who wins an all out brawl? If you have a champion that is strong early, or has the 1v1 advantage, you should definitely look to play aggressively, zoning them from cs and looking for trades/all ins.
The Minion wave- Does your opponent have a giant minion wave pushing to you? Don't fight them in it. Early game especially, minions do a TON of dmg. Try to thin the wave to make it even or wait and let the wave hit tower and pick up cs there. Do you have a giant wave? Try to bait them into fighting you in it.
Where is the enemy jungler- If the enemy jungler is on the bottom half of the map, you can play as aggressive as you like and still feel safe. If you think he is top side, get wards down, and make sure you have an escape plan for if he shows up.
Where is your jungler- Is your jungler clearing top side? freeze wave near tower, try to bait them in and ping for a gank. (This is a thing that irritates me: Dont spam ping your jungler when he is on the opposite side of the map. You are ultimately responsible for your lane).
Do you and your jungler win the 2v2- Sometimes, if you know their jungle is top side, and yours is also top side, you can bait out the gank from the enemy and counter it with yours. The better you know the matchups, the better you can execute on this.

A lot to think about, but you can do it. gl on the rift

420 grams1/29/2019, 10:37:29 PM1 votes

Depends on your champ

SuicidePlank1/29/2019, 10:39:27 PM1 votes

Know where the jungle is? If not, get deepwards and vision in the important places. Go aggressive if he isn't top or if you can surely 1v2.

If you don't know where he is or he most likely is bot, don't even dare to cross river line cuz the jungler will show up. Now it only depends on your jungler to do either drake, dive bot or mid or atleast invade. (Depends on elo)

Doge20201/29/2019, 10:59:53 PM1 votes

Depends on your champ

If you are playing Nasus then you might want to not fight at all. But if you are Quinn, you usually want to go in on the melee champ when your e is up or the opportunity presents itself.

Try and find that sweet spot for you in trading. The best times are when the enemy used a vital ability for trades (such as darius missing e in a Quinn matchup) or when your jungler is about to gank. Most players will get distracted and not look at the Minimap when in a trade, you can take advantage of this by engaging on the enemy laner just before your jungler would enter their vision/nearby warded area.

For farming, MAKE SURE YOUR GET CANNON MINIONS. But of course make sure that you can get the cannon minion without dying. If you are low and the enemy is standing near (in this example you are a melee and the enemy is ranged/has CC) don’t go for the cannon if you don’t have any ranged abilities ready, you will easily get killed and that can snowball the lane for the enemy.

Now with the overextending part: make sure you have wards set up in the river bush and the Tri bush near the red side top lane tower. If you are on the “red side” of the map, place a control ward in that Tri brush and a regular ward in the brush right on the edge of the river. If you are blue side, or any side in general, only place a control ward in the river brush if you are pushing and is putting pressure in the lane. If you aren’t pushing/putting pressure on the lane then the enemy can walk down and clear the control ward, which would be a waste of gold.

When you are overextended pay a lot of attention to your map and to the behavior of your laner. If he is getting more aggressive and you have no wards up, it is safe to assume that the jungler is near and you should back up. If the jungler is missing and you are overextended, always assume he is in the top lane jungle and play cautiously until you see him again. If he shows in the bottom portion of the map you can play more aggressive if you want. Also pay attention to the location of the enemy mid laner and say a friendly (key word is friendly) reminder to your midlaner to always ping MIA if their laner isn’t visible. Of course you should always do the same for your MIA pings too.