Ranged Champions are ruining Top Lane: How do we fix this?

Wînter Fox··5 votes·1,476 views

As we all know by now, ranged champions dominating top has been ruining the lane and indirectly, all of Summoner's Rift [LoL Article - On Top Of Things: Three Strange Top Laners In China]

  • It's the reason why Shen, Garen, Darius, etc. are never seen anymore.
  • It's the reason why assassins are running wild and fill 5/6 ban picks every game.
  • It's the reason why burst damage is king, and Youmuu's and Zhonya's are necessities every game.

There's nothing that's become more cancerous than some Diamond deciding to try Vayne top lane, and now its become a malignant tumor. Poke comps are dead. Teamfight AoE comps are dead. The only strategy that exists is burst or be bursted, with Zeds and Fizzes skulking in bushes just waiting for you to bend over.

So since we know the issue G&B, how do we fix this and get our front line back?


I was thinking of creating another Doran's item, similar to item 1054.

Doran's Guard (Melee only) +10 Armor UNIQUE Passive: Every time a minion is killed, produces a 40 health shield that blocks ranged single target attacks from champions. If shield is broken does 20 damage to attacker.


This may be OP as hell, but the point is to discourage ranged auto-attack harass when melee champs go in to last hit. The shield is produced when last hitting so we won't have to worry about Thresh abusing the item bot lane. It only blocks ranged autos so it's not useful against other melee champs. It won't block spells so mid lane Mages won't be affected too much. Something like this will lure champs like Sion and Nasus back to top, which means a melee champ is necessary as a counter. Let me know what you think!

26 Comments

Kuroi865 votes

As we all know by now, ranged champions dominating top lane has been ruining Top Lane and indirectly, all of Summoner's Rift.

Really? Didn't seem that big of a deal to me.

Heck most bruisers wreck marksmen early, granted mages can be a hand full.

EndlessSorcerer4 votes

Out of curiosity, what stops ADC's from purchasing this item in the bot lane so that they can free-farm? From the values on the shield early and it refreshing after every CS, it looks like it would pretty much prevent any autoattack harass early game and just let the ADC free-farm without issue up early in the game.

Also, I don't this Nasus every really left top lane. Against most ranged (squishy) champions, he could just call for a gank and wither them to force summoners or get a kill until he is capable of surviving by himself.

Wînter Fox2 votes

Nothing. But it's not all that different than Janna's shields or Nami and Sona topping off the ADC. It also means they have no damage or life steal and in this case the best counter is to all in.

Tsunday2 votes

Except there is a huge difference. Nami/Sona heals cost a lot of mana, Janna's shield has free AD on it and requires good timing to block damage. Not only that but all of those have a longer down time than a last hit of a minion.

Wînter Fox1 votes

All in is still a great counter option. At least in bot lane there are options to get around it with 2 champs, unlike the oppressive state of ranged champions dominating top.

Edit: even better, we'll just make the item melee only. Updated!

Tsunday1 votes

All ins are normally a stupid idea if you're both around full HP. You want to wait until the enemy is like at 50% or so in botlane unless you guys are already way ahead of the enemy botlane and you know where the jungler is.

hawkman58792 votes

While my opinion on the matter is somewhat different, the item you suggest would be fine if it didn't deal damage back to the opponent. Getting protection from ranged characters are fine but dealing damage to them just for picking a champion is wrong and OP.

DrNova2 votes

Let them push, call jungle, win.

But aside from that, ANY adc could go top lane if they wanted to. Maybe the meta is slowly shaking up.

Talamare2 votes

Slightly increase base HP/5 on melee champions and give them an additional 100 hp at level 1

RWCJ1 votes

Jax and Rengar easily destroy ranged top laners.

RWCJ1 votes

Jax and Rengar easily destroy ranged top laners.

Raptamei1 votes

Stop trying to enforce the meta.

-1

Wînter Fox7 votes

It's not enforcing the meta, it's opening up options for non-ranged champions to actually see the light of day so different overall strategies can be used.

Raptamei2 votes

{quoted}

It's not enforcing the meta, it's opening up options for non-ranged champions to actually see the light of day so different overall strategies can be used.

Or buff non-ranged champions or add turn rates to make them viable.

If the sniper rifle in a shooter is OP, don't add anti-sniper body armor, but nerf the sniper rifle or add spotlights to sniping spots.

Wînter Fox2 votes

Why would you try to buff/nerf 30+ champions and potentially screw up their viability in other lanes and roles when you can just add one item to help out melee champions? My intention isn't to push ranged champions completely out of top lane (although I admit it may have come across that way) - it's to even out the lane and give tanky melee champions options and a place back in the game.

killd0zer3 votes

add turn rates

I love how everyone keeps saying this like it wouldn't completely destroy the current game balance.

Anidan2 votes

Shaco would love turn rates, oh so much.

Also, almost every skillshot user ever would love it, too. Which for some reason, is seemingly most of the roster. Because reasons.

killd0zer1 votes

I'm sure lots of champions would love it and a lot would hate it; that really wasn't the point.

Adding turn rates would 100% fuck up balance as it is and people keep spouting it like it's some easy change that hasn't been suggested.

Anidan1 votes

It feels like it wouldn't be much worse than Riot's current "add mobility to it" philosophy, but eh. It would overall be terrible either way.

Raptamei1 votes

{quoted}

I love how everyone keeps saying this like it wouldn't completely destroy the current game balance.

Viktor DESTROY, THEN IMPROVE!

Sire Hippington1 votes

no, no turnrates. One of the main reasons i prefer lol to dota are turnrates. Dota just feels so clunky compared to lol, it's pathetic. One of the great things about lol is that it feels smooth and fluid, don't ruin that. there are other ways to help melees vs ranged.

BlackRaven1 votes

uh release gnar? DURRRRRRRRRRRR you had the answer all along.

Wînter Fox2 votes

Not sure if troll...Gnar is obviously ranged and part of the overall problem.

kokopelli21 votes

Lmao i literally pick garen darius and shen to counter vayne and quinn top XD

Wînter Fox1 votes

So are the downvoters ready to discuss their alternative viewpoint now?

Sara Leah1 votes

ok, the melee that has a ranged attack like gangplank would benefit from this also? how does this make darius or olaf more balanced in lane?

I can agree to this to an extent but many things need considered there are many champs that can and will abuse this item.

I use teemo vs many melee tanks top simply cause his blind saves me from 1 hit and the dot poison chips them down. I have also used lux, soraka(old skillset), gangplank when free( really considering purchase he is fun), voli, nasus etc with varying results. it all comes down to matchup and adaptability. however even with bad matchup I still manage to DEFEND for 9+ minutes vs 1 v 1-2... its not always about offense.

in closing... if you are having problems with a bad matchup figure out a different approach, use same approach get same results.

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