Out of all the positions in League of Legends, Top Lane may just be the one that has the least amount of popularity. For the longest time it has had the reputation of being the lonely island where the wet noodles duke it out until their team needs them for big objectives or teamfights. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore as Season 10 has ushered in a golden age of League of Legends where Tanks, Bruisers, and all around Fighter Champions can prosper in the Top Lane. More importantly, these types of Champions can and will help you climb the ladders of solo queue! Out of the mass of Champions to play Top Lane there are 5 stand out individuals that are dominant right now and I will break down the “why” behind each of them. Please note that these are not in any particular order, that part is up to you to play and decide.

WUKONG

When it comes to straight up dueling and all around outplay, Wukong is unmatched right now. The funny thing is that if I were to say that a month ago, it would be taken as a complete joke but Riot went all out on his kit and reworked it into an unstoppable monster. His Jungle is strong but at the moment he shines the brightest in the Top Lane where his potential to outplay and win lane is too good to pass up.

Wukong dominates the lane by providing high burst damage early that is complemented by great gap closing with his W, Decoy, and E, Nimbus Strike. He can also hold out in extended duels or fights with his Passive which allows him to stack armor and healthy regen based on how many attacks himself or his clone made from W performs. The use of Wukong’s W is crucial it can almost anything he can do, including his Ultimate, Cyclone. He has the potential to use his Ultimate in two different spots at the same time twice which makes him valuable in teamfights throughout the game. All of Wukong’s kit makes it very easy to transition early leads into late game nightmares and he just so happens to beat nearly every Champion that goes Top. The few highlight exceptions to Wukong’s glory are Maokai, Garen, and Pantheon because of their ability to also have great dueling potential. Outside of those picks Wukong will remain supreme until Riot decides to hit him with a big nerf.

MAOKAI

Another Champion that hasn’t seen a whole lot of attention until recently is the big tree himself, Maokai. Maokai does not pull punches when it comes to duking it out in the Top Lane and can go toe to toe with the best of them. You could even flex him Support if you wanted to but at the end of the day Maokai finds the most success up Top tanking blows and putting on shows.

Maokai’s kit brings a fair amount of control and duel potential that can easily translate from early to late. His build path is relatively cheap and very flexible to meet the needs of the game. Control is Maokai’s specialty for sure as his E, Sapling Toss, allows him to throw little sapling monsters that will sit in a spot until they see an enemy and chase after them. They become very unforgiving when Maokai tosses them in bushes where they deal more damage and slow the enemy's hit. This ability becomes very handy in Top Lane with all the bushes up there and controls the Jungle when going for objectives like Dragon or Baron. Maokai’s W, Twisted Advance, and Q, Bramble Smash, act as a toned down Lee Sin Insec move but reaps the same benefits and is easier to pull off so combo that with his Ultimate, Nature’s Grasp that covers a wide area with roots and you have yourself a successful engage. Maokai delivers on multiple fronts in the Top Lane and can secure victory in a wide variety of scenarios.

ORNN

The pro-play menace of the Top Lane Ornn most definitely makes this list. Ornn is the kind of Tank that can actually carry the game. There are very few Champions that can legitimately counter him in lane and extremely difficult to shut down. An easy Champion to pick up and pull off in your ranked games.

Ornn is well known for a lot of things but what sets him apart from most tanks is his Passive, Living Forge. Living Forge allows Ornn to shop anywhere on the map and once he reaches level 13 he can upgrade a wide variety of core items. Level 14 is when Ornn can upgrade his allies items and every level after that gives him one charge to upgrade another teammate’s item. This helps immensely for any carry especially since two of those core items that can be upgraded are Rabadon's Deathcap and Infinity Edge. Outside of his passive is a very CC oriented kit that is meant to kick off big fights and put up a nasty frontline.

Ornn’s Q, Volcanic Rupture, and E, Searing Charge, combo creates a massive knock up but even if his Q is on cooldown, Ornn’s E works on walls and structures as well. We all know Ornn’s iconic Ultimate: Call of the Forge God and the crazy CC it can deliver but it can be tricky to set it up so practice it a few times. What makes Ornn’s 1v1 so strong is his W: Bellows Breath where he moves forward becoming Unstoppable while he spits flames dealing percent health as Magic Damage. Anyone hit with that last bit of fire from Ornn’s W becomes Brittle and his next autoattack on them will apply knockback. Trading with Ornn is a nightmare to do for any Champion because the follow up can be very punishing for them. Playing Ornn is more than just tank duty, it’s an opportunity to carry from a whole new point of view.

DARIUS

Taking a step away from the pure tanks, we have one of League of Legends poster boys Darius. This juggernaut has devastating lane dominance and can turn any 1v1 or 1v2 scenario in his favor. The skill in the Champion isn’t so much kit but rather in how you pick your battles and positioning. It’s borderline high risk high reward as he has a few more counters against him but the good greatly outweighs the bad.

You pick Darius having full intention of winning lane so make sure you're not up against anyone with range or a better 1v1 aka Quinn, Vayne, Kled, or Wukong. Outside of those Champions, winning lane and getting a lead become much more likely. Darius is good in lane because his kit allows him to outlast his opponents and then full on execute them. His passive Hemorrhage applies a bleed effect everytime Darius hits an auto attack or damaging abilities and stacks up to 5 times. The higher those stacks are, the greater the true damage will be with his Ultimate, Noxian Guillotine, that can reset if he kills with it. If Darius gets into a pinch then his Q, Decimate, spins him in a circle and any enemy hit by the blade heals him up a chunk. Darius does struggle with gap closing but running Ghost can help with that. Once in range, Darius’s E, Apprehend, and W, Crippling Strike, make for a brutal Pull and Slow combo. Positioning is also very key as Darius can still get kited so try and flank from the Jungle or bushes to ensure that you get your target.

SETT

You can’t have a Top 5 Top Laner list without having the big boss Sett show up on it. The second Sett was brought into the game he lit the entire meta on fire as people were playing him in just about every position. Now that the dust has settled, we mostly see this Champion Jungle, Support, and of course Top Lane. Up top is where he thrives the most and keeps the game spicy and fast pace until you take the Nexus.

Sett is all about duking it out and clutching up the 1v1 fights in lane. He can close gaps with his Q, Knuckle Down, that gives Move Speed when running at enemies and his E, Facebreaker, where he pulls enemies on either side of him. If he gets 2 enemies in his E, it then stuns both targets, otherwise you can still slow them. Sett’s W, Haymaker, winds up a punch in a direction that dishes out True Damage down the middle and Physical Damage on the sides. When Sett uses this ability he also gains a shield based on how much “Grit” he has stored up based on how much damage he has taken. Just when you think it couldn’t get much better, Sett’s Ultimate, The Show Stopper, has him RKO a target in the direction he is facing dealing damage to those in the area he slams and slowing them. This kit allows him to completely crush opponents in lane and can kick off a great team fight if he can get a good position on his ultimate. Picking up a Champion like Sett will take a few games to get used to but once you get the basics down, let your mind wander as to how you can fully utilize his kit because the possibilities are endless.

In this rapidly shifting meta, these 5 Champions will remain consistent as reliable Top Laners that can carry your solo queue games. They are easy to understand, fun to play, yet they force you to think a little outside the box to bring the most out of what these Champions can do. Playing these Bruiser Champions may give you the confidence to take fights that can change the pace of the game in your favor. Maybe these frontline Tank Champions might help you see a bigger picture that is required to secure a victory. Play these Champions and find the true value Top Lane has to offer! Good luck and see ya on the Rift!