Top lane has been like Rock Paper Scissors

RenownedWheat42·Jan 18, 2018·7 votes·1,124 views

In the few games I HAVE played top (which has been all of my games in the last couple days) top lane has just been a counter-fest dependent on who picks first.

Not exactly complaining because I love the champs I'm playing (Nasus, GP, Kayle, Yorick) but I think this is the most extreme I've ever seen counterpicking. When I played any other role it was important but not the single deciding factor on how the lane went. That seems to be what top is to me lately, anyway.

17 Comments

Bottom LanerJan 18, 20188 votes

Malphite https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/c/c4/Tower.png/revision/latest?cb=20141120045510 Camille sounds accurate

DrAtomMagnumMDPhJan 19, 20181 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lunari Loli,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=imVu6akO,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2018-01-18T22:59:18.856+0000)

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/c/c4/Tower.png/revision/latest?cb=20141120045510 sounds accurate

XD have my upvote.

SirsirAug 8, 20191 votes

I MISS THE KAYN ANNOUNCER! "Are these things made of tissue paper?"

SpoofghoulJan 18, 20187 votes

i just pick my ''toplaners'' into midlane

The tilt that ensues when the enemy ''counterpicks'' and finds out they been trolled is hilarious

i mean Sion mid with comet is hilarious, he shits on every meta midlaner lol

Grab your comet Get your ulti cdr to make sure you can generate even more chaos post 6 and ofc kill your opponent more often Get Your CDR rune for early cdr and more AD later combined with ulti cdr rune lets you ult very often early on to crush these demacian plebs Grab scorch for more aids poke in lane or gathering storm if you want more damage for later good now you have infinite scaling HP and AD suck on that Do not forget to grab summoner 14 for lane kill pressure

And just counter buy your first item for maximum tilt since they won't be able to kill you

Just use some proper wave management to force them to stick into a dead midlane where they cannot possibly do anything but get either poked out of lane or get killed if they stick around

Mages are just screwed since they lack sustain a couple E's puts them in kill range just E into ult they have no mobility

Assassins cannot kill you or outshove you and if they roam follow with ult

While ulting to the other lane they can't even ambush you unless they want to die and if they don't you get there first and they will be too late to help Also works if you get ganks escape with ult into other lane and kill those worms proceed to trade turret + 2 kills + drake for 1 turret at the most

Also you are midlaner so you can build damage item 3047 for pesky auto ~~cancers~~ attackers item 3068 or item 3065 as first item depending on matchup might not even have to finish full item as long as you got enough defense to troll your enemy it's K finish the rest as the situation requires Then proceed to grab in any order that suits your needs item 3748 for damage and easymode farming also dat burst item 3142 More damage and more roaming very useful if you get killed too make them regret item 3071 More damage and cdr makes passive even better

You will get over 6k health because you are farming demacian plebs and those give 10hp per takedown !!

Zero Skill TankJan 19, 20181 votes

Most meta toplaners have easy time on mid, because most mages are in a pretty bad shape. They are still played, because magic damage became virtually non-existant in lanes other than mid - only notable exception being Eve - so NOT picking a mage means you will usually end up with full physical damage team, but when it comes to winning the lane they lose to pretty much every non-mage.

SpoofghoulJan 19, 20181 votes

well it works with sion

because he has xerath levels of poke

it could definitely work with mobile fighters as well because of easymode engage

what is required though is the ability to shove as easy as your enemy

mages are definitely not weak the lack of mr made them really powerful and they have range + waveclear for safety and poke

but if you can easymode engage them or poke them twice as hard as they can poke you while ebing able to shove just as hard then you can win easy,

HalcyonDwellerJan 18, 20186 votes

Part of the trick to winning consistently in top-lane is finding ways to work around those counters by out-farming your opponents. If you use back timings and minion wave management effectively you can out-play even opponents who hard counter you. It will be harder to win, but it's still possible.

Check out SoloRenektonOnly on youtube, he has a series of videos just for teaching wave management and back timings and other laning skills for playing top-lane.

SpoofghoulJan 19, 20181 votes

VERY IMPORTANT !!!

This is what wins pretty much any lane

Athenes LuluJan 18, 20183 votes

I don't think it's even rock-paper-scissors. Because if it is, then it would actually be balanced.

NeoxxxAug 8, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=Athenes Lulu,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=imVu6akO,comment-id=0005,timestamp=2018-01-18T23:24:44.056+0000)

I don't think it's even rock-paper-scissors. Because if it is, then it would actually be balanced.

It is rock paper scissors, expect one of the sides knows the other's pick. Not my words.

TehNACHOJan 18, 20181 votes

...Well yeah, that's the nature of Top Lane. The isolated long lane, a 1v1 the vast majority of the time, which depending on the meta contains the least complicated macro mechanics in the early game.

Other roles avoid it by being a 2v2 or trading lane presence and roaming potential or not necessarily fighting directly against each other all the time, but Top Lane has none of these release valves. Of course Top Lane feels the most Rock Paper Scissors out of all the lanes.

RenownedWheat42Jan 18, 20181 votes

I haven't played top lane in years, and the last time I did was when I'd just started the game. So that all feels a bit new to me. Split-push fest over anything else, enemy laners even ignoring me as I'm pushing down their inhib turret - that's all kind of... odd.

TehNACHOJan 18, 20181 votes

Yeah, top lane is a cross between the forgotten sibling and the weird uncle in many regards.

Granted though, the whole point of being a Top main or a Mid main or a Jungle Main or a Bot Main is that every different role is supposed to feel and be different. Work with Top Lane's quirks, instead of complaining about it.

RenownedWheat42Jan 18, 20181 votes

I said in my OP I'm not particularly complaining, because I love the champs I'm playing anyway. It's just an observation.

Brain Errör 404Jan 18, 20181 votes

I loving playing vs Malphite as Riven... it use to be as long as I didn't actively fight the guy, I'd win. Now he straight up comes into lane, looks at me and if I'm too close to him, he fucks me up. Feels real fun... and I can't bother wasting a ban on that guy cause they're are worse offenders.

IfnethJan 19, 20181 votes

Wow, this sounds awful. I wish I could say more, but I just play Poppy top for fun in norms.

ShahamutJan 19, 20181 votes

Top lane is a hard counter fiesta that is ultimately decided by which jungler wants to ruin top lanes day. It feels like there is so little skill expression. My adc friend says though there are "counter picks" in bot lane, there are no "hard" counters. Wish top lane felt that way.

Did you pick immobile melee? Ranged poke says you don't get to play. Did you pick ranged poke first? Wave clear tank won't die and eventually all ins and kills you. First pick a tank? GP and Nasus will gladly take the free farm to out scale you in 10 minutes with klepto+gold gen. item, or you can face Gnar.

Picking first in top lane is ALMOST suicide. The only thing that shakes this up is jungler presence. Because they all deal obscene amounts of damage early or they aren't viable.

Done ranting. But yeah, top lane meta = get carried of you ask me. So play what you enjoy, your lane doesn't matter in the long run.