Top lane is the third of the three basic lanes in League of Legends. While middle lane may be the host of the widest selection of champions, top lane offers many different directions to go with item builds and champion choices and has the greatest emphasis on teamwork and synergy with the jungler early on.

Top lane is typically home to bruisers, champions designed to go head-in during combat and tank much of the incoming damage, but can also be a shelter to certain aggressive AP picks such as Vladimir or Rumble. Because top laners are often the most versatile champions in a given game of League, there are many ways to spice up your gameplay. Let's take a look at some necessary details to consider when playing top.

I. Counter-Picking

The first thing to understand about top lane is that while certain champions are well-rounded and useful in a variety of situations, there are certain champions that can be succesfully countered by others who have specific kits or all-around strength. Counter Picking is the act of choosing a champion that possesses some of these strengths that may negate or give your opponent a difficult time in lane.

Let's take a look at some powerful top laners and the strategies that you can think about when choosing a champion that may give you the edge needed to snowball.

Pick: Akali

Counter: Lee Sin

There are several reasons why Lee Sin can be considered a great counter. When considering enemies that utilize some sort of stealth, Lee Sin's Tempest can be used to counter that ability as it reveals stealthed enemies. Lee Sin also utilizes great mobility with his Safe Guard which may allow him to trade with Akali and his Dragon's Rage may be a lifesaving ability if he is able to kick away Akali. The fact that he is able to reveal her stealth (thus negating much of her kiting ability in the presence of a gank), trade with her, and in some situations kick her away, Lee Sin would be a good choice to counter Akali.

Pick: Teemo

Counter: Rumble

Teemo is generally a pick similar to Nidalee. While not the most versatile or useful champion late game, the amount of early game poke available to Teemo is almost impossible to deal with and champions that rely on close range auto attacks to last hit minions will find themselves zoned indefinitely. Additionally, the fact that Teemo's Blind Dart causes them to miss their last hits means that they will be hard pressed to find an opportunity to fight back against Teemo.

As such, we need to look for a champion that can trade with Teemo, last hit at least semi-reliably from a distance, and may be able to shield some of his damage. Rumble is the perfect pick. Because most of his damage does not come from his auto-attacks, Blinding dart is ineffective against him. Additionally, his Scrap Shield gives him the movement needed to match Teemo's Move Quickly and his Electroharpoons and Flamespitter does massive damage that Teemo cannot match.

Pick: Vladimir

Counter: Irelia

Vladimir is a champion that you have to think about a little more. As one of the only top laners with reliable self sustain and ranged harass, Vladimir is a pain to deal with in lane and hard to push out. Additionally, his Sanguine Pool and Tides of Blood make it so that the lane is constantly pushed against you with retaliation being difficult to execute. Vladimir is primarily used to bully enemies out of lane and accrue a large amount of gold and items to the point where his insane damage late game is unleashed.

To stop this, we need to find a champion that can sustain relatively well and perhaps poke back at Vladimir or preserve through his damage. Irelia is the first choice that comes in mind. While, indeed, she is still a close range fighter, last hitting is not as difficult for Irelia as her Bladesurge allows her to dart back and forth and last hit under turret. The sustain from Hiten Style and Transcendent blades also allows her to persevere through Vladimir's damage and she can use Equilibrium Strike to engage on Vlad and catch up to him with Bladesurge should he attempt to run away with Sanguine Pool. Late game Vlad will have a difficult time trading fully with Irelia without the help of his allies.

Those were just a few examples of the many counter picks you can initiate when playing top lane. Try to think about the enemy's strengths as well as their weaknesses. If they are melee fighters, you can attemp to bully them in lane with a ranged harasser. If they are tanky and a block in lane such as Cho'Gath or Singed, you may want to think about a champion that focuses on creep score and relies on their late game. If they are a sustain-based champion, try to match that. Counter picking is the first step to winning top lane.

II. The Early Game

The early game is something I cannot stress enough for a succesful stay as a top laner. Because of the recent prevalence in early ganking, especifically at level 2, it is of cruicial importance for top laners to pay attention to how they approach their early game. Junglers such as Shyvana or Lee Sin that have the option of directly starting at their Red Buff because of their lack of mana dependency can opt to gank top or bottom lane (depending on which side they spawn on) and create a quick deficit in health or potions for the enemy player.

The reason I stress the pressure that junglers usually apply to top lane early on is because of the lack of map control you have early game. Because bot lane has the support to ward their bushes and provide heals or shields early on, level 2 ganks are a slightly more risky endeavor to engage in on the bottom lane. Top lane, however, where champions usually begin with the normal boots + 3 HP pots start, have no option to ward their lane, making them incredibly susceptible to ganks from the jungler.

This early game action is a huge issue for many reasons. Top laners snowball the hardest off of kills or mistakes that your enemy make. Itemization and sustain is huge in top lane, and if you are chunked early on by the enemy jungler, your laning opponent can now utilize that deficit to zone you.

On the other hand, if you notice that the enemy jungler will be completely unavailable for early ganks or useless at that point (such as Jungle Diana or Warwick), compare the kits between you and your enemy and check their AD/AP bonuses from runes and masteries. If you have higher damage, you want to trade early on and try to create that deficit which invites jungler presence and can nab an early first blood for you. Champions such as Riven, Darius, and Lee Sin all have the ability to trade pre-level 4 because they have some sort of slow, shield, or ranged harass that they can use and negate the return damage.

II. The Mid Game and Builds

Bruisers and mages tend to shine the most during the mid game. Bruisers typically have kits that provide them with good base damage but poor scaling. A great example of this is Olaf. Early on and during mid game, his true damage will chunk a huge portion of your HP and you may find difficulties laning against him, but it is careful to remind yourself that other than the damage bonus for each point skilled on Reckless Swing, it does not scale with any stat and will fall off late game.

As such, for these champions that may fall off later into the game, try to focus on engaging with the enemy or setting up kills on other lanes if you can push your lane well. Warding the enemy jungle can allow you to position yourself with the team to still blue or red buff, and carrying teleport as a summoner spell may allow you to assist with ganks on the bottom lane.

Even such, one of the reasons top lane is such an addicting and fun choice is because of the variety in item choices you can use. Let's discuss a few varieties that you can consider.

A. GP10's

While recently nerfed, GP10 items are still valuable additions to champions that can benefit from earlier regeneration or health and scale better into late game. For example, champions such as Shen who rely on split pushing rather than pure offense can benefit from an early Heart of Gold as it increases his durability. On the other hand, if you're more of a mage or mana dependant top lane such as Singed or Cho'Gath, you may use a Philosopher's Stone for the extra health and mana regeneration, both of which will help you greatly in sustaining and farming your lane.

GP10's are a viable choice if you feel that your team can force stalemates and resist the temptation of risky fights for global objectives. The late game benefits of these items include increased gold income and a headstart on building these items into higher tier items such as Shurelia's Reverie or Randuin's Omen.

B. Early Advantage into Straight Offensive

For an early advantage, physical bruisers may opt to go for doran blade stacking into their main offensive item. A prime example of this is Riven, one of the most reliable bruisers currently available to top lane. With two doran's blades and a vampiric scepter, Riven has already started her build into a Bloodthirster and has the extra health and damage to facilitate her capacity to all-in her enemy with her ult and ignite.

Buying Doran's early may slow down your farming and gold slightly, but it allows you to trade harder with your enemy and bully them out of lane. The additional HP is also intimidating and may help you survive should you get ganked. The doran's blades also forgoes your necessity for lifesteal items and allows you to rush your big offensive item. In this case, Riven can go straight into a bloodthirster.

C. Immobility through Lifesteal

Wriggle's lantern is becoming a less and less popular pick, but it still remains a valuable consideration for top lane. Consider getting this item if your champion can benefit from the huge lifesteal this item provides or seeks to push lane hard. Teemo, for example, benefits from Wriggle's Lantern because it allows him to trade with his enemies from a distance and regenerate his health quickly from minions should he take minion or enemy aggression.

Another example is Udyr. Because Wriggle's Lantern so well accentuates his Turtle Stance, you may find trading with Udyr nearly impossible in the top lane because of the massive healing and defense that he is capable of acquiring with Wriggle's Lantern.

D. Revolver..and Haunting Guise?

The Hextech Revolver may be a familiar name to League players. Many mages that do not rely on mana opt to go for this item because it accentuates their healing and allows them to trade safely because they do not have to fear about depleting a mana pool. However, while the Revolver remains a great and cost efficient items for top lane mages, Haunting Guise has become a new and important item for top lane mages to consider.

It has been used by Pros with success on champions such as Vladimir and Rumble should they seek to go more aggressive during earlier levels. Haunting Guise provides cheap magic penetration and health, two items which help these squishier mages hold their own and deny the magic resistance that enemy bruisers typically acquire through Null-Magic Mantles or Mercury Treads early on. You may want to consider picking up a Haunting Guise if you're a more aggressive player.

III. Warding

Like any other lane, top lane requires proper warding and vision, perhaps even moreso than other lanes because top lane snowballs the hardest. Let's examine some places where warding is key to see a gank coming from a distance off.

This first spot is probably the most important for both Blue and Purple side. On blue side, it allows you to see the enemy jungler after the finish their red buff or should they attempt to come through lane to gank you. On purple side, it gives you a few seconds to see that you're being targetted from behind and allows you to attempt to examine your positioning.

The second spot is equally important for both sides. Placing a bush here at the entrance into the river allows you to see junglers that come for quick level 2 ganks after the blue buff (Skarner or Alistar). Placing the ward lower in the river is also crucial instead of limiting yourself to the bush area because it gives you a few more seconds to react should the mid decide to come as well.

The last spot is not a huge necessity if you have no extra wards to spare, but it may be useful because of the recent prevalence and success of lane ganking. This ward shows the proper positioning for Blue side, simply reverse the bush put in for purple side. This ward will allow you to see lane ganking from junglers that enter directly through lane. If you have a wriggle's lantern or picked up some extra wards, this spot may save your life if you notice the enemy uncharacteristically pushing.

IV. Late Game Priorities and Focus

Late game is a wildcard for the top lane. Bruisers and Mages like Irelia and Vladimir reach the height of their potential whereas other champions such as Lee Sin or Olaf start to decline. Regardless of this, however, it is important to understand the priorities for bruisers.

Bruisers were nicknamed as such for a reason - they are capable of taking a lot of abuse due to their higher attack and defense base stats and the protective stats granted by items they typically purchase (Guardians Angel or Frozen Mallet). This allows Bruisers to shield themselves from the brunt of the damage during a team fight and absorb much of the CC that would otherwise be used to destroy your carries. Bruisers with any ability to close gaps or assassinate enemies should always go to the enemy carry first, as you'll find that for much of the game they will be unable to trade fully with you and your armor.

Bruisers and mages both exemplify this understanding. Akali, an assassin, has the stealth and gap closing abilities to chase down enemy carries and burst them. Olaf, your typical bruiser, is able to shrug of CC and peel from the enemy and go straight for the carry as well, matching their damage with his combos and heightened lifesteal. The list goes on as you can examine each top lane and their respecitve strengths, but almost all of them can provide a barrier for their carry and dish out a great amount of initial damage.

Again, thank you for reading this guide and I hope you learned something that will assist you in the top lane!