The Death of Top Lane

ziggypoon·Aug 24, 2015·2 votes·1,051 views

So, I recently played a game as Singed top. I know right, Singed! I faced a Fiora (I got smashed) and couldn't do a single thing with Fiora's new kit. I know I played poorly, but then someone pointed out that I was playing Singed. Why should players be at a disadvantage if they want to play champions that aren't in meta? Seriously, when was the last time you saw Dr. Mundo, Aatrox, Singed, Trundle, Galio, Malphite, etc? As a follow-up question, did they win? I hope Riot figures out a way to make things balanced, but for now if you want a win, just play Fiora, Darius, or Morde and face-roll the keyboard.

P.S: We did win the game (due to other lanes destroying). This post was more or less to emphasize the huge handicap champions who aren't in meta face.

17 Comments

MasterIckolasAug 24, 20152 votes

I hate the Meta. I hate how people play the "good" characters in their expected lanes and never try to do anything new since the whole "if its not broke don't fix it" mantra. Works in real life, but this IS a game where you can change thing and the worst you'll get is a loss.

Hell, I main Ahri before I found out about her 10% pick rate. Doesn't stop me from trying new builds on bots. Hell, tinkering with an absurd Jungle Ahri build since I think if I could find the right order and build it would be scary as hell to have a Ahri jungleing.

Slamurai JackAug 24, 20152 votes

I play Dr. Mundo top quite often and find myself winning lane against champs like Riven or Fiora rather often. It's not that hard, you just need to play better.

azrolatorAug 24, 20152 votes

Sorry. I had assumed she had already leaped to you in the first place to engage.

Lord DusteonAug 24, 20151 votes

There's the problem. You picked one of the weakest laning champions in the game and tried to lane instead of proxy farming. This isn't really that weird; it would be like playing Heimerdinger against, say, Zed/Xerath/Syndra/literally any mage or person with good poke and complaining you lost lane. Yeah you lost lane; the champion you picked sucks in straight laning and normally relies on proxy and you decided to try laning instead of the superior option.

ziggypoonAug 24, 20151 votes

I did decide to proxy (after I died more than a handful of times) and things worked out much better- you're definitely right. My only issue then would be you are either FORCED to play super passive or proxy. Which if you proxy, the jungle/mid can assist top and punish you. In that case, you're no better off just sitting in lane, missing out on cs because Singed can't contest Fiora atm.

DreamspitterAug 24, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lord Dusteon,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=WiZMlaGm,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-08-24T01:01:41.644+0000)

There's the problem. You picked one of the weakest laning champions in the game and tried to lane instead of proxy farming. This isn't really that weird; it would be like playing Heimerdinger against, say, Zed/Xerath/Syndra/literally any mage or person with good poke and complaining you lost lane. Yeah you lost lane; the champion you picked sucks in straight laning and normally relies on proxy and you decided to try laning instead of the superior option.

What do you mean by proxy. I remember that suicide proxy singed deal some years ago, but they nerfed/"fixed" that.

Lord DusteonAug 24, 20151 votes

{quoted}

What do you mean by proxy. I remember that suicide proxy singed deal some years ago, but they nerfed/"fixed" that.

You go between their outer and inner turrets and just use your Q to farm. You buy wards, and if people come you either suicide before they hurt you (meaning they wasted time for no gain) or lead them on a long merry chase (wasting lots of time for little to no gain). You negate most of the laning strength of the enemy (as they have to chase you to even hit you and give up CS to do so) and get free farm.

It's the main way to use Singed, as it annoys the crap out of the entire enemy team and either forces 2+ people top regularly (giving your jungler free control of mid, dragon, and bot) or forces them to let a Singed free farm. As a note, this does not work well if the enemy laner outscales or enjoys a farm lane immensely (don't want to proxy a Nasus much, as you just gave him free Q stacks).

TrebbiAug 24, 20151 votes

Uhm, you cant avoid champions being better or worse against some other champs and some champs will always be perceived as either good or bad.

Irelia BotAug 24, 20151 votes

WHile I personally hate having to deal with singed I was an Irelia main in season 3 when she really did suck and I know the "OMG you are playing that weak champ" mentality that many players have about thigns they do not see in the LCS.

You have 2 real choices if you continue playing.

1 Become a meta sheep. 2 Stick with what you like to play through good times and bad.

MatezoideAug 24, 20151 votes

The Meta doesnt mean a champion is weak. It just means that the popular champions will counter him.

For example, lets take a meta where Assassins are highly popular. By default, immobile ADCs and Mages will be weaker in those situations because their counters are stronger. It is all about match up.

You didnt have issues because you were playing Singed. You had issues because you were playing Singed against one of the best champions in the game who happens to have an advantageous match-up against him. On the other hand, Singed will become comparatively stronger when champions he counters gain popularity.

Taking another example. In Pokemon, Weavile was on the Bonderline tier due to being out-classed. When Greninja was banned to Ubers, Psychic and Grass types became better and got a major rise in popularity, while his checks like Keldeo fell out of flavor. As a result, Weavile went from being a niche pick to one of the strongest pokemon in the OU metagame despite not going through any chances.

Regardless, people tend to understimate unpopular champions. The person that said you lost because of Singed is likely a LCS sheep that follows what the pros do and consider a grand total of 15 champions to be ''Viable''.

LuggAug 24, 20151 votes

Singed is actually one of the stronger tops at the moment. Build item 3116 and start stomping.

insaiyanbaccaAug 24, 20151 votes

Last tone I saw singed was when I played him and I won cause singed is one of my best picks.

SS EnforcerAug 24, 20151 votes

I wouldn't necessarily say that singed is underpowered, he's just a different champion. While Fiora is playing against a Singed, which seems an easy matchup at first, remember, you are playing against a fiora! The whole kit of fiora is getting in, doing damage, and safely getting out or dying. You can use this to your advantage, because after all you have a spell that counters these kind of mechanics. Whenever you feel like fiora will go in on your because she has a good vital to hit, or simply the trade is favorable for her, just turn around and poison her. A cloth + 5 pot start wont hurt you either. With a defensive build paired with a bunch of sustain and extremely defensive play, you can survive that toplane, and chances are that you're going to be more useful than a fiora in the lategame.

ziggypoonAug 24, 20151 votes

I definitely agree with Singed being a different champion. The trades and counter mechanics are kinda off in this particular match-up imo. Normally, you could toss Fiora or just turn around and let her dance in your poison, but her Reposte (if done correctly) voids the fling, and her lunge gives insane attack range, so one cannot merely turn around and poison her- she will out range you.

azrolatorAug 24, 20151 votes

Not sure why you just didn't toss her, glue her and walk away. seems like you would be coming out of trades okay.

ziggypoonAug 24, 20151 votes

Because if the Fiora knows what she is doing, she will Reposte the fling, stunning you. If you do fling her, she can leap to and slow you.