Perhaps you are a top laner yourself or you might just be interested in the role. Either way, you need to know who the best players are in this category, as they can potentially teach you a lot about League of Legends, especially the top lane!
But how does one rank players? We aren’t just talking about those who participate in championships or those who actually won them. That wouldn’t be fair at all, as there are a ton of other players who are just as competent. So instead of sorting through the team members of Team Liquid, CLG, UOL and all the others, we decided to take a look at people’s opinions on Reddit and weeded them out based on community rankings and performance. Have a look at the best top laners in League of Legends below.
Hashinshin
His name is Robert Brotz and he has been playing League of Legends competitively for several years now. His only recorded “achievement” was when he played in Dirty Nap Gaming in 2015. However, this didn’t result in much success, so he went ahead and began streaming and becoming very good at his craft in the top lane.
It opened a new door for him because people quickly began noticing his skills. He is an exceptional top laner, especially good at farming and poking. Let’s just say he’s mechanically very skilled after playing and streaming many hours of League. These are the key reasons why any person who wants to main top should watch them at least once. His gameplay is very aggressive (which is amazing for streams), so if you can learn to succeed his way then free ELO is sure to come to you!
There is one thing that you shouldn’t learn from him though… teamwork. He is absolutely terrible at it and doesn’t really bother to improve, which can send the wrong message to beginners. This can result in a lot of lost team fights and toxicity. Two things that could easily land you in ELO hell and keep you there, this might the very reason why his competitive career hasn’t quite taken off, you be the judge.
Impact
Jung Eon-yeong, a Korean player who is one of the best top laners you could hope for. He currently plays for Team Liquid and has been since November of 2017. Before that, he also played in many well-known teams, like SKT, Team Impulse, and Cloud9. But the best part is that he started out as a support in 2012. How crazy is that?
The latter part of his history is very interesting. Many people change roles, so it shouldn’t be surprising. But if you are someone who is at least a little bit experienced at the game then you should know one thing for a fact: supports need to be the best at teamwork. Because of this short phase Impact now knows how to win his lane and the game better than most opponents.
Besides that, he’s also great at everything you need to do in the lane. Farming, poking, baiting and kiting, of course. These are mechanical skills of the game that you need to learn if you want to spend a couple of games up top, therefore watching him can greatly improve you as well!
Sword
He is another Korean player, but his name is Choi Sung-won. He has only been visible in the public eye since 2015, so he’s considered pretty new. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about his history before his participation in Turquality. He spent 2 years with them, then moved on to Griffin, where he is still an active member.
He has had very teachable moments in championships. Our favorites come from the first game of the Quarterfinals in the 2019 World Championship. It clearly showcases the top laner’s role and its potential. One play which anyone can learn from happens in the 12th minute, where Sword and every single one of his teammates goes to the bot lane and take 2 kills. This can show anyone how important teamwork is in this game.
The unfortunate part is that Sword doesn’t stream. He practices privately and therefore, the only videos you can watch are the ones where he plays in championships. These games are hard to learn from though, especially when it comes to core skills. What they can teach you is when to go in and how to position during team fights.
But what everyone loves about this player is his friendliness. You can find a ton of interviews with him online and you will find out how nice he is in seconds. This is why we know quite a couple of trivial things about him, like how he hates coriander.
TheShy
Otherwise known as Kang Seung-lok is one of the best players of all time, not just right now. Some people go as far as saying that he is the best top laner. And they might be right, as he is certainly an amazing player and every single top wannabe should learn from him.
But let’s start off with his history. It begins in 2014 when he played for Anarchy. Over the years he also played in Team WE and Awe Max. Right now he is playing for Invictus Gaming. But his biggest achievement as of right now is being named the Finals MVP of the 2019 Spring Split.
So, why exactly could he be the best top laner? Quite a lot of reasons actually. But why we recommend watching him as a beginner is the most important. He knows when to pick fights and how to poke. This results in gameplay that seems pretty aggressive if you’re not that knowledgeable in the world of League of Legends. But for anyone who sees the game right, this is just simple common sense. TheShy pushes boundaries, intimidates his enemies and makes sure that the advantage he gains is used properly. He plays with great confidence in his ability to make plays happen! Many rookies commit the crime of getting ahead, then being too afraid to attack and push. If you watch him then you will quickly catch on.
But of course, this is not the only reason. He also has got the core skills down. And he can farm perfectly while also scaring his opponent away with pokes. It’s pretty fun to watch him actually.
What’re Your Favorite Top Laners?
These people are all great, but there are many more. Don’t take our word for granted, as we might have missed someone that would be a way better fit on this list. If that’s the case, then tell us in the comments, as we would love to know.
