Want to haunt your top lane melee enemies more than Yone is haunted by his guilt and shame? Then be sure to lock in a ranged top lane Champion.

As a ranged top laner, you’ll have an immediate advantage from the very first level against melee Champions. You’ll be able to farm with ease, poke from a safe distance, and control the waves exactly to your liking. In the meantime, your melee opponent will be left powerless. All they can do is watch as their health, mental, and chances of winning the lane gradually fade.

Sure, some consider ranged top lane players “dishonorable,” but as the classic saying goes, a win is a win. Read on to learn about the best ranged top laners in League of Legends this season. We’ll touch on their unique strengths, playstyle, and potential weaknesses to watch out for.

4. Quinn

Quinn may have a low pick rate, but don’t let that mislead you into thinking she won’t help you soar up the Ranked ladder. In the right hands, she’s one of the best top laners in the game (and as a bonus, she’s rarely ever banned in Champ select).

She can effortlessly bully melee top laners from the very first few levels, thanks to her long-ranged harass, high early-game damage, and attack-empowering passive. Her Q ability is also incredibly effective (and downright tilt-inducing). She can use it to block her target’s vision and disrupt their auto-attacks, ultimately preventing them from retaliating against her or landing last hits on canon minions.

However, Quinn’s real strength lies in her roaming potential. Once she unlocks her ultimate, she’s able to rotate from the top lane to the bot side in mere seconds. This enables her to quickly snowball her lead elsewhere. She can gank, rotate for crucial objectives, and invade, all while missing very few minions in the process.

While Quinn is a strong ranged top laner, just be aware that her kit isn’t the best for teamfighting. You will need to be strategic and flank your enemies to secure picks rather than soar into a 5v5 fray.

3. Gnar

If you’re not quite ready to fully commit to the ranged life, Gnar should certainly be worth your consideration. He can harass his enemies to oblivion from a safe distance, while still maintaining the survivability and fighting potential of a melee Champion. This is due to his unique rage mechanic, which enables him to alternate between two different forms.

This versatility means Gnar can readily adapt to suit his team comp, the game state, and his matchup. It also offers practically limitless playmaking potential.

Gnar is one of the more “safer” ranged top lane Champions, as he can tank damage in Mega form and escape unfavorable situations in Mini form with his E ability. His Mega Gnar ultimate is also a powerful AoE CC ability and can truly change the tide of any fight, whether a duel or 5v5. This is a huge bonus, considering many ranged Champions — looking at you, Quinn — struggle to stay a viable threat in teamfights.

However, Gnar is difficult to master and his rage bar does need to be managed carefully. You’ll need to practice and get accustomed to the ins and outs of his forms before taking him to Ranked (trust us — your LP will thank you).

2. Kayle

While Kayle isn’t as oppressive in the early levels as certain ranged top Champions, she more than makes up for this with her unrivaled snowballing potential. Once she’s got a few items under her belt (or we should say wings), no melee top laner, or any enemy, for that matter, is a match for her harass.

This is primarily thanks to her passive, which significantly buffs her auto-attack range and speed as the game progresses. Her resistance-reducing Q also allows her to slice through her opponent’s defenses effortlessly.

However, what makes Kayle truly worthy of the number two spot is her invulnerability-granting ultimate. This ability allows her to remain a viable threat even if she falls behind, as she can cast it on another player as well as herself. She can use it to save an ally from a game-changing misplay, strategically bait opponents to their doom, or enable another carry to live for long enough to secure kills and objectives.

If you do pick up Kayle, it’s important to brush up on your farming so that you can survive the early game. You’ll also want to be strategic with your wards and positioning; the enemy jungler is likely to see you as an easy pick in the early levels and target you.

1. Teemo

If Kayle is the angel of the ranged top laners, Teemo is the devil… and not just because he has a hilarious Little Devil Teemo skin. Every part of Teemo’s kit is designed to turn a melee top laner’s laning phase into a living hell.

He can blind them to disrupt their farming, punish their every move with his poison harass, and easily outrun them with his W ability. His passive stealth also unlocks plenty of playmaking potential — he can even use his stealth to set up cheesy ganks for his jungler.

And once Teemo hits level 6 and unlocks his ultimate? He gains a significant power spike, forcing his enemy to succumb deeper into the abyss. He can set up shrooms strategically to create a minefield, where one wrong move can send them straight to the defeat screen.

Despite his strengths, just be aware that Teemo is extremely squishy. It’s important to use his movement speed buff wisely, as spamming this can leave him vulnerable to engages, especially if his blind is also on cool down.

Remember: A Win Is a Win!

If you’re looking to dominate the top lane without having to get your hands (and armor) dirty, picking up a ranged top laner is the way to go. Quinn, Gnar, Kayle, and Teemo are all fantastic options this season.

Each ranged top lane Champion is unique in their own way, so it’s important to experiment with them all to see which is the best fit for you. For instance, Quinn can be a great choice for those who want to make an impact through roaming, while Gnar is better suited to players looking for a happy medium between ranged and melee.

ADCs like Vayne and Varus can also be viable “off-meta” picks top, provided you can master their mechanics and consistently secure an early lead in your games.