League of Legends is an ever-changing environment where each small change can influence the entire game. Patches are necessary to keep the game afloat and alive, and players do have a knack of getting lost in all the changes sometimes. That is why we’re here, bringing you this tier list of the best Top Lane Champions in the current patch.
We’ve compiled this list by sourcing information from the most reliable League of Legends tier list website u.gg, and we thank them for their active service to the community.
Key takeaways:
- Details of why each Champion is strong currently.
- An in-depth look at the current Top Lane meta.
- An Overview of Patch 13.6
- …and more!
Let’s go!
show
6. Malphite
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 52.38%
Pick Rate: 12.8%
Ban Rate: 21.1%
The Tank Meta will never fully disappear from League of Legends. This is in part due to how Tanks are generally designed and how they utilize in-game Items. Itemization changes made a couple of Seasons back significantly revolutionized build paths, and Tanks profited the most.
Malphite in Patch 13.6 is one of the most formidable Top Lane Champions, easily capable of singlehandedly winning games. Now that might sound weird, considering he usually builds full Tank, but hear us out. Malphite can have nearly 300 Armor long before the clock strikes 20. While Armor is his forte, he also has the knack to stack up hundreds of Magic Resist as well, if that happens to be necessary.
Using the current Tank Meta Items like Heartsteel, Malphite can also stack a ton of HP. All of this combined makes him virtually invulnerable to damage, and only a handful of Champions could ever hope to bring him down. As things stand, Malphite is a beast in the Top Lane, reflected in his insane 52% win rate. Champions in League are designed to gravitate between 49 and 51% win rate at the lowest and highest, respectively, and we can see Malphite is well beyond that.
We recommend all Top Lane players give Malphite a go while he is at his peak strength. A nerf will come in the coming patches, so capitalize on the opportunity while it is hot.
5. Darius
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 50.05%
Pick Rate: 7.8%
Ban Rate: 20.2%
Darius has always been among those Champions known for dominance and Lane bullying, so having him in S+ tier is no surprise. He’s consistently gravitated around this zone for a while now, and there’s not much special to mention about his stats that hasn’t been said before. Nevertheless, we will take a detailed look at what makes this amazing Champion tick.
Darius probably has the strongest pre-6 in the entire game. He can easily dish out insane damage without taking a hit himself. With that broken passive that ticks down HP as if it were ignite, and along high base damage and a God damned heal, domination for Darius is a piece of cake. However, once stuff moves past the early game, things start getting rocky for Darius.
Currently, he is much better in the mid and late games than he was a few years back. It used to be that Darius, like Renekton, would crush enemies in the early game but fall off entirely by the end. This is no longer the case–Darius can maintain that strong position and advantage he gained early for as long as the game lasts. But don’t expect to be just as strong. No, Darius will get significantly weaker, but he will no longer lose the advantage. Does that make sense? We hope it does.
This potential drop off, and the players’ inability to utilize said advantage, reflects in his win rate which sits just 0.5% above Riot’s beloved 50% line. If things were any different, and Darius had more carry potential, then this number would surely be much higher.
At any rate, Darius is still a fantastic Champion to play, especially in patch 13.6. If you are a newer player, or someone stuck in a low division, give Darius a try. Low elo players tend to have difficulties facing Darius, which could prove a successful formula for your climb out of elo hell.
4. Olaf
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 52.27%
Pick Rate: 4.5%
Ban Rate: 7.6%
Differing from most Champions on this list, Olaf is one you’ll actually have a chance at playing. With a low Ban Rate of just 7.6%, Olaf should be open in almost every game you play. We see above that people fear Champions like Darius and Malphite, banning them every fifth game on average. However, they should probably fear Olaf more, as his win rate reflects just how strong he currently is.
Olaf underwent several changes over the past Season or two. While his core kit remains the same, it was tweaked here and there, and players have adapted new builds appropriately. He now has the capacity to singlehandedly dominate entire teams, easily making up for a potential bad ADC or serving as a significant complement to the team’s DPS.
Olaf doesn’t have many matchups that he instantly loses against. We would argue that he has none of that sort, except perhaps Kled which can be a nuisance for any Champion. Olaf can use his axes to apply long range pressure on his enemies, even if they are a ranged Champion like Jayce or Vayne, and he can easily face most Champions in a head to head battle.
His high base damage gives him a huge advantage in early skirmishes. His Q alone can dish out more damage than most Top Laners can in their full combo. It scales exceptionally well with bonus AD, so going full AD Olaf is a very viable option. He used to be a rare pick and very underpowered. Right now he’s a formidable beast capable of doing quite a lot, especially if he has a team to back him up.
We sincerely recommend that you give Olaf a try, since he is a fantastic Champion right now. The things we’ve seen this Champion do in Season 2023 have been guttural, and we hope you achieve those same feats.
3. Fiora
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 50.27%
Pick Rate: 6.4%
Ban Rate: 15.4%
In the opinion of many (including Nemesis, one of the world’s finest), Fiora is the strongest Top Laner in League of Legends. However, she has that one problem that most good Champions do: she’s tough to play. Only a handful of players in the EU and NA servers know how to utilize Fiora to the fullest. Korea, on the other hand, has a lot of them. But then again, those guys are on a whole other level.
Fiora in the current patch is just as strong as she was in the previous. She is consistently good and has sat at the S+ tier for God knows how long. Able to dish out so much damage from level 1, she is nigh unstoppable in the Top Lane. However, she has many counter-picks that can contain her effectively.
Her high skill cap makes her a fantastic pick for one tricks and those with high mechanical skill. However, it also lowers her overall win rate because players simply don’t know how to utilize her. Many pick her and go head in thinking she’s just as easy as other Champions, only to find out she’s anything but.
If her skill cap were any lower, her win rate would surely be higher. Or maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe she is strong just because she has such a high skill requirement. Whatever it is, Fiora is still a fantastic Champion that outmatches most others in the game.
She’s also the best anti-Tank machine, alongside Vayne, so keep an eye on her if you encounter the first entry on this list. He’ll probably still beat you, though.
2. Jax
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 50.12%
Pick Rate: 8.4%
Ban Rate: 18.9%
Jax was always a strong Champion. Everyone would call you a noob player for playing the noob Champion, Jax. They’d also scream noob at you if they saw you playing Master Yi. These two together served as branding irons that immediately painted you in the worst light possible were you to pick them.
Jax recently underwent a slight rework to his Ultimate and E abilities. His Ultimate especially was buffed and changed in the way that people now hate Jax even more. It deals obscene damage, allows him to hit that bonus attack ever 2nd strike instead of 3rd, and it gives him more defense than ever. Riot Games certainly know what they’re doing; we shouldn’t question it.
He gravitated around the S tier for a while, but is now rightfully propelled into S+, considering how much stronger he is than before. He can easily 1v1 any Champion in the game before level 6, including those that were previously his hardest counters. Champions like Teemo are now entirely powerless against his %HP damage and low cooldowns. It used to be the other way around, where Jax was entirely useless if faced against Teemo or similar matchups.
The changes made to his kit were very slight but impacted him so significantly that he is now probably the strongest Top Lane pick, period. This is a perfect example of how little tweaks can turn Champions into pure beasts. Riot Games will likely retract some of their changes made on Jax soon, as he si proving to be too strong for anyone’s liking.
While he is still this strong, we highly recommend you give him a try. You see, Jax is very easy to learn and has the most straightforward kit imaginable. This, combined with his strength, makes him perfect for low elo climbs. Hell, he’s strong even in high elo.
Just play him, ok?
1. Mordekaiser
Tier: S+
Win Rate: 51.02%
Pick Rate: 6.4%
Ban Rate: 7.9%
No one’s favorite lord of the dead, Mordekaiser was always an S+ tier Champion. In Platinum and higher, Mordekaiser is one of the best picks at the moment overall, even when we don’t isolate the Top Lane. He’s capable of going full Tank while still retaining an insane damage output that is rarely outmatched by other Champions.
His capability to beat you senseless without purchasing any damaging items is actually hilarious. We laugh at Champions like these since they shouldn’t exist. But they do, and we have to highlight them for their absurdity in power. His Ultimate alone should be nerfed into the ground, but it probably never will, and thus Morde will likely never step down from his ethereal throne.
The only part of the match when he isn’t too strong is before level 3. That takes an entire five minutes to achieve, so it doesn’t matter. Even if you were to beat him down during those early parts of the game, he’d still be able to comeback without any issue whatsoever. Once he ults you, chances are you’re going to die, no matter if he went 0/10 and overfed you and your Jungler both. It’s incredible how much potential this Champion has, and Riot doesn’t give a damn about it.
We’ve seen players abuse this for the past couple of Seasons, but he isn’t a popular pick, thank God. We have no idea how he isn’t more popular among Platinum+ players, considering that he doesn’t take any real skill to play. All he has to do is stand next to you and you’ll die on your own. Truly the pinnacle of Champion designs.
We’d recommend him to you, but we hate him, so do as you like.
Conclusion
Each patch brings something new to the Summoner’s Rift table. Small changes can make or break the game, and players tend to be confused with what’s going on. Tier lists are a great way of summarizing what is good and what isn’t, and the Champions above are patch 13.6’s best Top Laners. The consensus is in your hands, however, so let us know if you disagree with these rankings. We love interacting with you!
(5 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading…