Demacia has brought plenty of changes to the Rift — and not just a swanky visual overhaul. From new gameplay elements to champion reworks (shoutout to the new Cassio), there’s plenty to get to grips with and explore.

Of course, that also means the meta has received a shakeup. If you’re hoping to climb the ladder as a top laner this season, it’s important to lock in the right champions. We’ll take a look at some of the best (and worst) below.

4 Best Top Laners This Season to Climb With

First up, let’s take a look at some of the best performers this season. This includes Garen, Darius, Irelia, and Ornn.

1. Garen​

​With a win rate of 52% as of writing, Garen is certainly spinning his way to victory this season. He’s performing especially well in low elo. Take a close look at his kit, and you’ll understand why: He’s easy to play yet packed with everything you could need to carry a game to victory.

He has a reliable damage source, a silence to shut down his opponent, and even a point-and-click execute thanks to his ultimate. He excels in teamfights and is versatile enough to suit an array of comps and roles.

Garen is also more forgiving than other top lane champions. He can use his W shield to withstand hard-hitting attacks and escape dicey situations with his Q.

Plus, his passive grants him a generous amount of health regen. Since his passive activates when he’s out of combat, he can leverage this to stay in his lane for longer, allowing him to remain present on the map and create pressure even if he’s falling behind.

2. Darius​

​While Garen can help you carry your games, if you’re looking to feel like a true carry — aka slaughter all your enemies on the way to the victory screen — then Darius is a better match.

Darius is a top lane bruiser who boasts one of the strongest laning phases in the game. Very few opponents can match Darius’ early game, and when played right, he can often easily secure a kill and snowball his way to victory. This is primarily thanks to his bleed passive, which enables him to decimate his opponent’s health bar as early as the first level.

Once he unlocks his E, he becomes all the more deadly: He can pull his opponent in to prevent them from escaping his attacks. This forces them into an extended fight (and one he’ll no doubt come out on top in).

Even if Darius fails to secure a kill immediately, his presence alone creates a phenomenal amount of pressure, which he can use to his advantage to aid his team.

To top it off? As soon as Darius unlocks his ultimate, he literally transforms into a killing machine. Just like Garen, Darius’ ultimate allows him to execute his enemies. However, the main difference is that Darius’ ult resets on a kill. This enables him to use it multiple times and quickly dominate a teamfight (and even 1v5).

3. Irelia

​Irelia does take a lot of time to master, but this season? The effort involved may just be worth it. She has a 50.2% win rate and has consistently stayed a top performer throughout the latest patch updates.

She’s exceptionally mobile, boasts a strong laning phase, and can dish out healthbar-destroying damage with her Q resets and passive stacks.

Once she has a few items under her belt, she becomes one of the best teamfighters around; she can weave in and out of fights to take down the backline and land a multi-enemy CC chain with her E. Her ultimate is also exceptionally versatile and powerful. She can use it to secure picks, disrupt her opponents’ positioning, and even to initiate a fight.

While Irelia is primarily a top laner, she’s also able to perform extremely well in the mid lane (meaning you won’t have to dread being autofilled).

4. Ornn

​With a 52% win rate, Ornn is certainly forging a path to Challenger this season. While he doesn’t have a strong early game, he more than makes up for this with his mid-to-late game.

He transforms into a formidable frontline and can withstand practically any attack a carry throws his way. He can also empower his allies, control his enemies' movements with his Q, and set up game-changing fights with his E.

Not only that, but Ornn boasts one of the most impactful ultimates in the game. Aptly named “Call of the Forge God,” it allows Ornn to summon a massive AoE wave effect that can be cast twice. The first time it hits his enemies, they are damaged, slowed, and made vulnerable, and on the second time? They are knocked up, giving Ornn (and his team) the perfect opportunity to collapse and send them to the grey screen.

Ornn has plenty of strengths, and while he’s thriving this season, he can struggle if his teammates fall behind. Since he’s more dependent on his team than other champions featured here, he’s usually best suited to duo queue players.

Worst Top Laners to Play This Season

In a perfect world (or we should say Rift), we would like to say that every champion is well-balanced and has an equal opportunity to carry. But in reality? There are always some underperformers. That’s not to say you can’t still climb with them, but you’ll be in for a harder time than if you play one of the champions above.

The worst top laners to play this season are:

Trundle

Trundle’s main strength is his split pushing capabilities. However, with the recent tower changes, the current meta has shifted away from this. There’s a stronger focus on grouping and teamfighting, and unfortunately, Trundle has struggled to stay relevant as a result. His stats haven’t been significantly buffed to account for this either.

Vladimir

Vladimir boasts a phenomenal scaling. However, games are ending a lot quicker this season, often before Vladimir can unleash his full potential. His win condition is also highly dependent on his scaling, making him less versatile than other champions featured here.

That said, he is still performing pretty well in the mid lane, so he can be a viable pick if you’re a mid main with top lane as your secondary role.

Jayce

Jayce is struggling to find his footing (or perhaps aim) in this season, with a win rate of around 47%. While he can be a viable ranged champion, especially once his mechanics are mastered, he’s lacking in power with no major buffs likely to come his way.

Other ranged champions, like Quinn and Kayle, are also able to perform a similar role to him, and typically much more effectively.

From the Top Lane to the Top of the Ladder

Garen, Darius, Irelia, and Ornn are all top candidates this season. Garen is ideal for beginners or those who want more of a safety net. Ornn is a fantastic all-around tank, while Darius and Irelia are great for those looking to carry through mechanical skill (and brute force).

Champions you’ll likely want to avoid include Trundle, Vladimir, and Jayce. Again, we’d like to stress that they aren’t inherently bad; they’re just underperforming this season, and the payoff isn’t as worth it compared to other champions.

If you’d like more recommendations or have any questions about the champions featured here, be sure to drop us a message in our Discord community.