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Toplane has degenerated into an elaborated game of rock-paper-scissor that takes 15 minutes

iTaLenTZ·12/21/2019, 11:35:44 PM·91 votes·18,150 views

When all it really takes is 10 seconds in champ select to determine the winner and loser. Whoever has to pick first is guaranteed to lose the lane and most probably match. You basically don't get to play the game at all but instead are taken hostage for 15 minutes until the nightmare ends. You don't get to farm, you don't get to do anything and are at the mercy of the junglers. That's toplane for you brought to you by Riot's balance team. Have fun.

111 Comments

Vonyalo12/21/2019, 11:44:17 PM27 votes

Hasn't it been always like that? You either play cancer top champion or watch your team either win or lose. Sad lane. Never gonna play that role again.

Sire Hippington12/22/2019, 12:01:23 AM21 votes

Lose lane? usually, yes. Lose Match? Hardly. Unless one of the toplaners gets INCREDIBLY fed, it just doesn't matter what happens there. What matters is how the rest does in the 4v4 and dragoncontroll. That doesn't make toplane any more enjoyable thoguh...

Mianta12/22/2019, 6:49:35 AM19 votes

On this point, the only major frustration is when you have to surrender your lane entirely and your team ignores it, letting the enemy toplaner take tower after tower. I've played so many games where all I can do is stall their split push while my teammates are wasting time failing to take control of the map & get objectives. Especially worse when our comp can't win the 4v4.

Düff McWhalen12/22/2019, 12:13:40 AM18 votes

Just play Tryndamere and push push push. No matter how much you die you will always get a kill or a tower. It's like inting Sion but you do damage instead of take it.

The ONLY way to stop you is for them to camp you and even then you're GOING to get those towers. Meanwhile your team has free reign to exploit as many 4v3 advantages as they please.

xHeimtechZX12/22/2019, 1:04:59 AM7 votes

Yes, if the enemy knows the matchups. For example, I chose Yorick, my enemy chooses Darius. My win condition for that lane is to stay safe before lv.6. Then after lv.6, I can do stuff. I'll win late game because Yorick is a much better split pusher and he kills towers faster than Darius (who has one of the worst attack speed in the game). So, I let him win lane, our team win late game because we scaled better late game. Master Yi is a late game champion that destroyed the enemy team, I did my job destroying 6 towers for the win. Was surrendering my lane pre-lv.6 fun? Well, yes...Darius was greedy so he tried tower diving me lol. Plus its Darius so that's always a fun lane. Anyways, LoL is a team game. It will always depend on the entire team. There might be one player that really carries the game, but that can be very hard to do if the enemy has coordination and does very little mistakes. Top lane has the potential to carry the game if they're fed enough. Top lane just feels worse because you're the isolated lane that interacts less with the map during laning phase, but you still have the option of going into the jungle to steal enemy camps, roaming to mid, or teleporting to bot lane. It feels worse now because Drakes have more impact on the game and top lane usually don't interact with Drakes during early game. I've roamed to bot before to help and then help with Drake in some matches.

Z3SIeeper12/22/2019, 8:25:52 AM5 votes

Really depends on your pick. There are some top lane picks that are generally "safe" into all matchups as in they aren't too hampered in bad matchups and then there are counterpicks that have hard counters.

First picking stuff like Shen can be picked into anything without much consequence while first picking say Teemo is just asking for a bad time.

Cptn Han SoloQ12/22/2019, 9:23:53 AM4 votes

Rock-Papper-Scissor is in fact a way more difficult version of toplane, as both sides choose at the same time. Every Toplane that gets second pick either counterpicks u in one of the impossible matchups any champion seems to have, or is straight up trolling his team by throwing away such an easy advantage. Or just Morde and win everything because why not.

Great Ozymandius12/22/2019, 4:21:44 PM4 votes

It's always been true to some extent. But in prior seasons you could pick a champion that would lose lane but win the game through superior teamfighting. The problem with S8/S9/S10 is that it doesn't really work anymore. The game is all about bursting the enemy down and it is very homogenous. If you lose lane, you can't burst the other team down fast enough and they can burst you down much faster, and nothing else matters.

DunkProphet12/22/2019, 11:51:41 AM3 votes

Four matches ago im in a countermatchup and for the first time in my life I genuinely ask for help from my jungler instead of using the help ping The response comes from Nautilus support 'Shut the fuck up your a toplaner nobody cares your lane is irrelevant'

Oh ok sorry please continue having fun sorry for interrupting you master

VampiricLlama12/22/2019, 7:44:00 PM3 votes

Or you could join the dark side and become a one trick, then get your mechanics on something like Akali Darius Fiora Irelia Kled Renekton Riven Yasuo up to the point where if your opponent plays rock to your scissors, you cut them in half anyway because your scissors are made of titanium and powered by hydraulics.

Beacon Academy12/22/2019, 9:23:59 PM3 votes

Lets be real though... Riot's balance team are never going to fix it.

So I don't think there is a solution other than some weird ass pseudo-blind pick/draft lobby that have same roles from both teams picking at the same time.

But I think that'd be unpopular.

LaterToTheRace12/22/2019, 6:26:24 PM3 votes

It's because riot mindlessly buffs fighters, simple as that. The fighter class has to be buffed HARD to allow them to assassinate targets in teamfights without being bursted down instantly. Not to mention the average 0 mana costs in the class as well. When riot nerfs fighters we'll actually see a better top lane.

Marksmen are an issue too, but they have too much agency in the game right now as is, and that will not be addressed within the next two seasons.

Cloud27312/24/2019, 5:07:04 AM2 votes

Revert the teleport nerfs. Then top laners can actually influence games again. Nerf the lane bullies like Teemo, Jax, Tryndamere, Wukong, etc. Then top lane will be healthier. Problem solved.

Death by Glamour12/22/2019, 10:06:11 AM2 votes

Toplane has been a mess since the renekton bar ceased being a thing

XJ9999999999999912/22/2019, 11:17:11 AM2 votes

funny how counter picks are a huge thing in LoL despite riot trying not to make it a thing.

Arammus12/22/2019, 12:38:21 PM2 votes

i dont get why everyone says this... im not a toplaner but from my experience in platin, usually someone goes irelia, gets tri-force and then just facerolls. no matter if firstpick or not.

Deceased Kebab12/23/2019, 1:10:32 PM2 votes

Just play nunu top, he snowball in every game.

The thigh guy12/22/2019, 8:41:53 AM1 votes

Welcome to adc for the past 5 years?