Let me start out by saying, I have no problem with a meta in League of Legends. I know some people dislike the idea of a meta and think that every champion should be viable. If you think this, you're not wrong, I somewhat agree. However, the simple fact is that some champions fit roles better than others. But, that doesn't stop you from trying out some out of the ordinary picks and having some fun with them in your own games.

Top-Lane Vayne - Hunt the tanks of the top-lane.

Formerly a contested AD Carry pick, Vayne has fallen out of the meta due to assassins and a mediocre laning phase. But that doesn't stop you from taking her out of bot-lane and ripping through tanks in the top. Why does Vayne fit perfectly into this role you may ask?

The pros and cons.

Pros:

- Percent Health Damage.

What do tanks like Sion, Maokai and Gnar all have in common? They love to build HP and be a frontline for the team. What does Vayne like to do? Chunk you by the amount of HP you have. Goes hand in hand, doesn't it? The more HP the enemy Sion builds, the more damage you will deal. Did I forget to mention that it is TRUE damage? True damage meaning that no amount of armor will reduce the amount of percent health damage you do. This is one of they key points that make Vayne a very big threat in the late game. 8% (At max rank) is nothing to sneeze at. 8% of a target with 3000 HP is 240 true damage, combine this with the damage your auto attacks already do, and you are a force to be reckoned with.

- Itemization.

Another reason Vayne top-lane fits so well is because her core item, Blade of the Ruined King (BoTRK) is made to destroy tanks. BoTRK provides double percent health damage. One being on your auto-attacks, the other being an active which also slows the target, allowing you to stay in the saftey of your 550 range auto attacks. 99% of the time, a Vaynes first item is BoTRK, it fits in well with the theme of taking down beefy targets in top-lane. The attack speed that BoTRK gives you drastically helps you get the three auto attacks in needed to proc your silverbolt passive. More passive procs = More damage. More damage = Happy Vayne.

- Ability to kite melee champions easily.

Most of the time you will be going against immobile, melee tanks, such as, Mundo, Sion and Maokai. Her Q (Tumble) a low cooldown, short dash allows you to stay just outside the range of these beefy guys and safely land and proc your silverbolt percent health damage, allowing you to trade both safely and effectively from a distance. Some would call it "auto-spacing", I like to call it being a thorn in the side to melee champions. Staying out of range of melee champions is your biggest priority next to dealing damage. Being able to land the shots on a Sion while he can't even touch you, makes for very obvious favorable trades.

- Suprise Factor.

We have seen it in many pro games, a player picks a weird champ, such as top-lane Cassiopeia, from Fnatic Huni at the 2015 MSI tournament. Picks that are not seen often throw your enemy off. They will not know how to play against it, giving you the egde you might need to get out of laning phase ahead of the enemy. It is a definite confidence booster aswell, knowing you have the mental advantage in the lane, which can easily help you snowball an early victory and carry your team to victory.

Cons:

- Easily exploitable.

The cons for top-lane Vayne are not that different from bot-lane. She is easily gankable, I would say more so in the top-lane. Why more so in the top-lane, you ask? Well, it's mainly due to not having a support like Thresh, Alistar or Janna to bail you out of sticky situations. You see, in bot-lane, you get ganked, Thresh may throw you a lantern, Janna might blow them back, Alistar might headbutt them away. In the top-lane it's you and your flash. That's it, no backup if you are getting ganked. Once the jungler or lane opponent blows your flash, you better believe the enemy jungler willl be back for blood the second time around.

- Harder to build damage, compared to building tank.

It's easier to get tankier than it is to build damage, on any champion this is true. Vaynes percent health damage does do alot, but it won't do alot if you can't get any items to compliment it. If you allow the enemy laner to get ahead in items, it will be like chipping at a giant, Randuins wearing, thornmail sporting, brick wall. While you can buy a Last Whisper, it is not optimal to buy Last Whisper 2nd item, though it can be optimal for your lane opponent to build a Frozen Heart, Thornmail, Sunfire or any other armor item second, as it is there job to absorb damage, not deal it.

- Can be counter picked very hard.

Like many champions in League of Legends, you can be counter picked very easily. Top lane Vayne is no different. She has quite a lot of counters, such as Jax, Teemo and Malphite. Jax can use his E(Counter Strike) to dodge your auto attacks for two seconds, giving him favorable trading. Teemo can use his Q(Blinding Dart) to negate your incoming autos for up to 2.5 seconds, losing you the trade. And lastly, Malphite can use his E (Ground Slam) to slow your attack speed by a maximum of 50%. If you were to pick Vayne early, be aware that she CAN be countered in the laning phase, aswell as champ select.

(Image courtesy of http://ambivartence.deviantart.com/)

FINAL THOUGHTS.

In the end, it's up to you if you wanna give this off meta pick a go, while she is fun and can be viable, she also has her disadvantages. If you are tired of playing the same stale picks over and over, give top-lane Vayne a go. It's a very refreshing change, in a somewhat stale world.