I've always been playing Garen and Pantheon top. But Garen doesn't bring a lot to teamfights and pantheon just falls off HARD lategame. I've also been playing Poppy some, but i feel shes kinda weak atm. I'm considering learning lethality J4, tank Maokai and Nasus.
What do you guys think? Solid picks or should i add/remove someone?
are all the champions I recommend new players master if they want to learn Top Lane. Poppy teaches positioning and trading. Maokai teaches the value of vision and the role of Top Lane after the laning phase is over. Renekton teaches trading and how to play aggressively. Shen teaches map awareness, tactical awareness (as in, being able to predict how to interact with the enemy team by properly reacting offensively or defensively to their actions), and improves reaction time.
Once you have mastered all of these champions, you can usually go on to play whoever you want. While you will of course need to learn every champion you play, these champions will allow you to master gameplay mechanics that span across multiple champions.
I would also recommend playing 
to learn how to deal with ranged threats when you have a lack of range (sometimes it's best to just stand there and look threatening) and 
to learn how to manipulate/freeze the wave and help a little with learning how to last hit.
While it is important to play the meta or just be really damn good at one champion if you wish to climb the ladder, I cannot stress how important it is to learn the inner pieces of League before jumping in, picking the FotM, and trying to blast someone. You will likely win many matches, but learning the various ways that LoL works will in the end allow you to win many games you would have lost.
As a plat 5 top lane main I can give you a few good suggestions. If you want a standard meta pick for right now I would suggest cho'gath, jarvin and sion because they are all solid top lane picks with good cc and engage. Now for more of a carry champ I would suggest jax/irelia because both are very similar and their kits are simple enough to understand. For your late game monster carries I would suggest Fiora and Riven but they are garbage in the current meta. Finally got some season 2 or season 3 fun play ap lulu too lane. Also if your looking for ap champs to play top I would suggest vlad swain and Lissandra as they can do well and survive laning while becoming late game monsters.
volibear's the strongest top laner in the game right now
all of these are in quite good spot in this meta and easy/funny to play (for me renekton is a bit boring champion because i like champions with more advanced mechanics, but its just my taste).
Also all of them are champions that usually engange which is primarly task of tanks/juggernauts (most common champions on toplane) (ye imo squishy champions shouldnt belong to toplane).
Darius
Shen is a solid pick for top lane. Highly recommended.
Urgot is also pretty fun to play top.
Try out Galio
