Best Toplaners in LoL Patch 13.14 are some returning faces, as bruisers are continuing to terrorise the realm of SoloQ.
Patch 13.14 is all about the new champion, Naafiri, who has become one of the best junglers in League of Legends, and more importantly the new game mode, Arena, which has taken the game by storm. But alongside the new champ and mode, a new ranked season has started, so it’s time to hit the ladder in order to achieve the newest rank, Emerald, and go even further beyond to Diamond, Masters, Grandmasters and Challenger! If you’re a toplaner, this list is for you, as these are the champions that are currently doing the best in SoloQ.
Best Toplaners in LoL Patch 13.14
While I usually like to include some different champions in these list, during this patch, these three picks are dominating toplane in such manner that I just couldn’t leave out any of them.
Aatrox
Aatrox received some significant buffs in Patch 13.14, which increased the scaling on his Q, as well as the damage reduction the ability gets when attacking minions, making Aatrox a bit more useful later in the game. This meant that the World Ender’s pick and win rate have skyrocketed, and he quickly become the best champion in terms of numbers according to stats site Lolalytics.
He can be picked into almost anything (except Fiora), and even his harder matchups are winnable if you know what you’re doing. Aatrox is not a simple champion, and can take a while to get used to his positioning, but he does not require micro skills akin to Kalista, for example. If you follow these steps, you can maximize your potential on the Darkin Blade:
- Your best Keystone is Conqueror, as you can stack it quickly weaving abilities and Attacks in quick succession when trading. Pair it up with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand to be prepared against any target, not just your lane opponent! For your secondaries, take Second Wind and Unflinching, swapping out Unflinching against an opponent with less CC. Your fragments should be two Adaptive Force ones and one Armour or Magic Resist pip, depending on the matchup.
- If you’re facing a ranged champion like Quinn or Teemo, you might want to use the forbidden Arcane Comet tech. As you won’t really be able to get close, you can try to poke them down with confirmed hits from the keystone thanks to your Q. Pair it up with Nimbus Cloak, Transcendence and Scorch for the extra damage and Ability Haste, as well as some movespeed after flashing!
- For Summoner Spells, take Flash as it let’s you reposition without your E while being an all around OP Spell. If you can stomp your opponent, take Ignite (also if you’re using the Arcane Comet build to proc Nimbus Cloak), but if you want a bit more laid pack match with more macro play, take Teleport.
- For your abilities, start with Q and max it, as it is Aatrox’s bread and butter. Take E second to let you trade and hit your Sweet Spots better, then W for the extra dueling power. Aatrox gets huge powerspikes at lvl 6 and 9, after he gets his ult and his level 5 Q, so try to steamroll your opponents at these opportunities!
- For your items, start with Doran’s Blade into easier matchups and Doran’s Shield when you’re facing harder opponents. For your Mythic, Eclipse is still great while Duskblade of Draktharr can work wonders if you get an early lead. Similarly, Goredrinker can be your defensive option, and Divine Sunderer is still great against tanks. Afterwards, get Black Cleaver, Serylda’s Grudge, Death’s Dance and Guardian Angel, closing your build out with either a Sterak’s Gage or a situational defensive item – but try and finish your games before your fuild build happens, as Aatrox is still an early-midgame champion.
Renekton
Renekton last received buffs in Patch 13.11, and has been one of the best picks since then. He has ain incredibly strong laning phase, and thanks to the buffs to his ultimate and E, he can hold his own later in the game as an initiator and frontliner better than before. Renekton has been featured in more than one of our Winners and Losers and Best Toplaners, and for good reason: he currently has a 52% win rate and 9% pick rate, and can be picked into most matchups without worrying about losing your lane. Renekton really is a strong pick, but with these tips, you can take him to the next level:
- For Runes, Renekton also makes great use of the Conqueror Keystone, as he can stack it incredibly fast with the proper combos. He can also proc Press the Attack instantly with an empowered Ruthless Predator, so if you’d like some more upfront damage, you can pick this rune instead of Conq. In your primary tree, you can take Triumph, Alacrity and Last Stand to maximize your duelling potential. For your secondary runes, pick Demolish and Second Wind, as it helps you survive in lane then maximize your lead by destroying towers faster. For your fragments, take two Force ones with a defensive option, just like with Aatrox.
- For your Summoner Spells, take Flash and Ignite for an opponent which you think you can dominate easily, but Teleport works wonders if you want to focus on the mid- and lategame.
- In terms of abilities, you can start Q if you want to start trading early, but if you face a tougher matchup, for example a ranged champion, you can start E as well. Afterwards, max your Q, then your E for maximum mobility in the midgame, closing it out with W. While Ruthless Predator’s damage increases with every ability level, lowering the CD on Slice and Dice provides more flexibility. Also, don’t forget to get a point into Dominus whenever you can!
- For your items, either start with a Doran’s Shield if you’re facing a poke champion, or a Long Sword and Refillable Potion to accelerate your first item. Your Mythic item should be Goredrinker, as it ties in smoothly with your kit, as well as provide extra survivability during fights, where you’re supposed to be in the midst of enemies. Afterwards, get Death’s Dance, Black Cleaver and Sterak’s Gage for extra AD and tankiness, finishing your build with a Guardian Angel or a situational tank item if you need it.
Rek’Sai
I know, I know. I have been begging you to play Rek’Sai for weeks now, praising her ability to trade, teamfight and splitpush, while Riot Games have been hitting her with nerfs since her buffs. What’s weird is that the winrate if the Void Burrower has only gone up, not down, especially in the toplane, where she sits ate 57% according to Lolalyics – which is incredible, to say the least.
Rek’Sai is a very strong champion in terms of laning, where she’s almost uncatchable if she uses her tunnels properly. She also has more than one builds, going into heavy damage, bruiser or splitpusher, so I just have to repeat what I said in one of my previous articles: PLEASE PLAY REK’SAI!
- For Runes, Hail of Blades have dethroned Conqueror as it provides more burst combined with your Q, Queen’s Wrath. Pair it up with Sudden Impact and Eyeball Collection for more damage while picking up Relentless Hunter for better rotations. For your secondaries, take Legend: Alacrity and Cut Down to get through every target with ease, while taking double Adaptive Force and a Health pip in your fragments.
- The best Summoner Spells for Rek’Sai are Teleport and Ignite. She has access to a dash that can go over walls very frequently, which also lets her close the gap to her target. While Flash can help you make surprise knockups to priority targets, this combo makes Rek’Sai a monster in lane.
- As far as abilities go, start with your W for sustain until level 2, where you take your Q. With the Hail of Blades runepage, take a second point in your Q to threaten an early kill, picking up your E on level 4. Afterwards, max Q, then E, then your W while taking points in Void Rush whenever you can.
- For Rek’Sai’s items, your strongest build is picking up Doran’s Blade, then getting a Stridebreaker to keep your targets close to you. Afterwards, get a Black Cleaver, a Titanic Hydra and a Sterak’s Gage, going into situational afterwards, like a Maw of Malmortius, a Spear of Shojin or a Guardian Angel.
- There are two alternative builds: getting Hullbreaker first then going into bruiser items, or picking up Eclipse and going a bit more damage heavy. Trinity Force can also work wonders, but you need a bit of a lead if you want to go down that road.
While all three of these champions are similar, they are truly among the other picks for the current patch. Try them out, and don’t forget to check out our other League of Legends articles!
