Poppy, the Keeper of the Hammer, is a versatile and unique champion in League of Legends. While primarily recognized as a tank, her playstyle is adaptable, allowing for both offensive and defensive approaches. This guide aims to provide an in-depth look at playing Poppy in the top lane, covering everything from runes and itemization to matchups and team fighting strategies, using insights from professional League of Legends player Licorice to reinforce key ideas.

Runes and Masteries

Primary Runes: Resolve Tree

Grasp of the Undying: This is the cornerstone of Poppy’s kit in the top lane. It provides sustain and allows her to trade effectively in most matchups. Licorice strongly recommends this rune, stating, “Always go Grasp.”
Demolish: Poppy’s ability to pressure turrets can be enhanced with this rune, especially if you’re in a favorable matchup where you can push the wave.
Bone Plating: This rune is crucial for reducing the burst damage Poppy takes during short trades. It allows her to tank some of the more aggressive laners who rely on quick, high-damage combos.
Overgrowth: This provides scaling health, which synergizes well with Poppy’s tanky nature and increases her effectiveness in extended games.

Secondary Runes: Inspiration or Sorcery

Licorice advises against taking Shield Bash, mentioning that it’s a “bit of a bait Rune on Poppy.” Instead, he suggests flexibility in the secondary tree:

Inspiration: This tree offers Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight, which are excellent for sustain and Haste.
Sorcery: Nimbus Cloak and Celerity can provide extra mobility, which is valuable for engaging or escaping in crucial moments.

Summoner Spells

Flash: Essential for nearly every champion, Flash provides both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Teleport: This allows Poppy to impact the map, provide support to her team, and return to lane quickly if pressured.

In certain matchups where kill pressure is high, you can opt for Ignite instead of Teleport to secure kills and snowball the lane.

Abilities and Skill Order

Ability Order

Q - Hammer Shock: Maxing Q first gives Poppy strong trading power and wave clear. It’s her primary damage tool and can significantly chunk down enemies.
E - Heroic Charge: This should be maxed second. It’s crucial for engaging and locking down enemies, especially when they’re near walls.
W - Steadfast Presence: Max this last. While it provides great utility, especially against champions with dashes, the scaling is not as impactful as her other abilities.
R - Keeper's Verdict: Put points into this at levels 6, 11, and 16. This ability has the potential to completely alter the course of a fight if used correctly.

Combo and Trading Patterns

In the laning phase, look for opportunities to use your E against a wall, followed by a Q for burst damage. If they try to escape with a dash, use W to block their mobility and secure a favorable trade.

Licorice highlights the importance of engaging at the right time: “As soon as you see someone important walk next to a wall, you just stun them and you just go from there.” This indicates the need for precision and timing in utilizing Poppy’s E effectively.

Laning Phase and Matchups

General Strategy

Poppy’s laning phase can be straightforward against melee champions but requires careful positioning and awareness against ranged or poke-heavy opponents. In favorable matchups, look to establish dominance early by using your E-Q combo against the wall, forcing the enemy to play defensively.

Tough Matchups

Licorice points out that certain matchups can be extremely challenging: “There are some Poppy matchups that are just really challenging to play, like Kennen and Rumble, come to mind in matchups where it's like, you really can't do much of anything.” In these lanes, you must adapt your playstyle:

Kennen: His range and ability to poke with Q make it difficult for Poppy to engage. Use bushes and defensive positioning to minimize poke, and only look for trades if he overextends.
Rumble: His consistent damage and zoning abilities make it hard for Poppy to farm and trade effectively. Licorice advises an aggressive approach: “If you are playing those matchups, I'm especially in solo queue, I'm a big believer of just trying to fight to the death ASAP.” Engage early and often, attempting to exploit any mistakes he makes.

Playing from Behind

If you find yourself falling behind, Licorice suggests shifting your focus: “Generally, you're just going to be playing more around your team when you're behind. So you're going to be playing more of a defensive role, protect the people who are fed and stop the enemy carries.” This means being more selective with your engagements and looking to peel for your team rather than initiating fights.

Mid to Late Game: Roaming and Objective Control

Roaming

Poppy has excellent roaming potential, especially after acquiring her first item. Use the element of surprise with Teleport or by pushing the wave and then roaming mid. Look for opportunities to use your R to turn skirmishes into favorable situations for your team.

Objective Control

With her W and ultimate, Poppy excels at controlling objectives. Use W to deny enemy dashes and force unfavorable fights for them. Her ultimate can be used to knock away the enemy jungler during dragon or baron contests, effectively securing the objective for your team.

Teamfighting

Engaging and Disengaging

Licorice emphasizes the importance of using Poppy’s R to create a numbers advantage: “I think the best case scenario for Poppy is that you start the fight by ulting someone out. But, of course, you can't always do that. But if you can ult out a back line and then engage at the same time, that's always going to be optimal because you just get a free 4v5.” Look for opportunities to knock away the enemy’s primary engage or their highest damage dealer.

Peeling for Your Carries

If your team’s composition relies on a hyper-carry, your role can shift to peeling. “I'm not a huge fan of standing directly on top of my carry and protecting them, but there are games where, if your carry is really fed then sometimes that's your job,” says Licorice. In these scenarios, use your W to block dashes and your E to pin down assassins or divers who threaten your carry.

Identifying Your Role

In team fights, you need to adapt your playstyle based on the game state and your performance. If you’re ahead, look to engage and disrupt the enemy backline. If behind, focus on protecting your carries and denying the enemy’s engage tools. As Licorice notes, “If I'm playing Poppy against Renekton and I fall behind, my job is mostly to keep Renekton off my carries.”

Itemization

Core Items

Sunfire Aegis: This item gives you the tankiness and damage needed to be a frontline threat. Its passive burn effect is excellent for extended fights and pushing waves.
Winter’s Approach: An essential item to keep Poppy in the fight and provide her impactful utility.
Frozen Heart: This item’s attack speed reduction is invaluable against auto-attack reliant champions. Its mana and armor stats synergize well with Poppy’s needs.

Situational Items

Force of Nature: If the enemy team has heavy AP damage, this item is a great choice for its magic resist and movement speed.
Spirit Visage: Pair this with any healing support or if you have significant healing runes for greater sustainability.
Gargoyle Stoneplate: Perfect for team fights when you need to survive longer and absorb as much damage as possible.

Winter's Approach is a core utility item for Poppy.

Conclusion

Poppy is a unique and adaptable top lane champion, capable of being a disruptive frontline presence or a staunch defender of her backline. Her effectiveness relies on precise timing, smart positioning, and the ability to adapt to various game states. Whether you’re looking to dominate the lane or support your team in crucial fights, understanding Poppy’s strengths and weaknesses is key to mastering her playstyle.

Licorice’s insights provide a valuable perspective on playing Poppy, especially when facing difficult matchups or when determining your role in team fights. By following the principles and strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a formidable Poppy player in the top lane.

We’d like to thank Licorice for taking the time to sit down with us right after the LCS playoffs to share his insights on Poppy, the Keeper of the Hammer!

If you’d like to hear and see more of Licorice, check out his socials:

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