You have already probably seen our Most Difficult series that is going on, and today on the menu we have Top Lane.
Introduction
Like every other lane in The League of Legends, Top lane has it’s positive and negative sides. You feel quite isolated while you are in the top lane and usually in lower tiers you won’t receive as many ganks as you would like from your jungler. You are also expected to have a high farm, tanky build, a lot of damage, and the ability to split push, as well to be there when teamfight occurs.
Not everyone can play top lane. It takes a special kind of person to go and be alone almost the entire game. Even in the later stages of the game, Top laners usually just split push and end the game in that way.
To be more involved in the entire process of the game, especially in teamfights, most top laners take Teleport as their summoner spell.
In the early days of League of Legends, Top lane wasn’t that special. Since there were no rules, jungle was a write off and usually two people would go top. Things changed over time and top lane became a special place for a certain kind of player that really liked to feel appreciated and think that they carry the whole game. Just kidding, but I’ve met a lot of those brilliant minds.
To play in the top you need to have some special skills and a large champion pool to pick from. Usually they are bruisers and tanks, but we can find some AP champions in there as well.
The top lane became immensely popular once the Bruiser META was popular in League. It was truly a horrible time for us normal players since Bruisers were unkillable and one fed bruiser could just carry the whole game. Mind you, usually those kinds of champions are the ones that are also the easiest to play.
I am afraid to tell you, but from what I’ve heard and seen, looks like that the Bruiser META is making a comeback and we can expect the shift in the couple of next patches.
Anyways, if you have already see our ‘’Easiest Top Laners’’ article, and you found it useful, then I think I have a treat for you. Maybe you are among the people that really seek the challenge and don’t want to play the easiest champions, but rather master those more difficult ones in the game.
You have came to right place as I will now list Top 3 Most Difficult top lane champions to play in League of Legends!
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3. Shen
Shen is an amazing champion capable of changing the tides of the game in a split second with one well timed and positioned ultimate. He has loads of benefits since he is incredibly strong for a champion that should not have any damage at all, due to him being a tank unit. He doesn’t use mana, but rather energy, so that means that you are not tied to the items and runes that generate mana. Because of this you can focus on some other stuff that will bring you more dmg and defensive stats. He has one of the best ultimates in the entire game, but it does come with it’s price, and that is an incredibly long cooldown. You need to have great map awareness to play Shen since his ultimate will be absolutely useless to someone who doesn’t know when or how to use it.
One Finish player became popular because he only played Shen and he managed to improve his rank from Bronze all the way to Challanger. Speak of the op champion, ha?
Shen’s abilities:
P – Ki Barrier
INNATE: After completing an ability’s effects, Shen shields himself for 50 − 101 (based on level) (+ 14% bonus health) for 2.5 seconds. If the triggering ability successfully affected at least one champion, Ki Barrier’s cooldown is reduced by 4 − 7.5 (based on level) seconds.
Shen’s power manifests as a Spirit Blade that he can control with his abilities.
Q – Twilight Assault
ACTIVE: Shen recalls his Spirit Blade to his location. Enemy champions within its path are slowed for the next 2 seconds while moving away from Shen.
Once it arrives, Shen empowers his next 3 basic attacks within 8 seconds to gain 75 bonus range and deal bonus magic damage.
If the Spirit Blade collides with at least one enemy champion on its way to Shen, the empowerment is enhanced, dealing increased bonus magic damage and granting Shen 50% bonus attack speed while it is active.
Empowered attacks against monsters instead deal 100% bonus damage, but their total damage is capped.
W – Spirit’s Refuge
ACTIVE: Shen primes his Spirit Blade, creating an area around it. If Shen or an allied champion enter or are within the area, or after 2 seconds, the Spirit Blade creates a protective zone around it for 1.75 seconds, blocking all non- turret basic attacks that hit Shen or allied champions in the area.
E – Shadow Dash
PASSIVE: Dealing damage with Twilight Assault or Shadow Dash restores 30 / 35 / 40 (based on level) energy.
ACTIVE: Shen dashes to the target location, dealing physical damage to all enemy champions and monsters in his path and taunting them for 1.5 seconds.
Shadow Dash will cast at max range if cast beyond that.
R – Stand United
ACTIVE: Shen channels for 3 seconds, shielding the target allied champion at the time of cast for up to 5 seconds, increased by 0% − 60% (based on target’s missing health).
Upon completing the channel, Shen and his Spirit Blade blink to the target ally’s location, placing himself and his Spirit Blade between them and the nearest enemy champion. Shen also destroys any projectiles targeting him at the time of completion.
2. Aatrox
Aatrox is a champion that holds to ‘’A’’s in his name so he won’t be the most popular kid in school. Sorry all of the Aarons out there. He is quite a strong pick and he is the only champion that Riot games deleted from the game. He was reworked so many times that it makes me physically sick. Even now he doesn’t feel balanced at all since when he is behind in farm and kills he rarely has a chance of any kind of comeback, and when he is fully fed there is no chance of stopping him.
His in game capabilities are similar to his lore where his is decribed as an Ascended being who was corrupted and became a Darkin. A great lore that is a must read. He doesn’t use mana so you can focus on picking runes and items to increase his damage and survivability. His kit is quite AD focused so you need just a pinch of sustain to make him unbeatable.
Aatrox’s abilities:
P – Deathbringer Stance
INNATE: Aatrox periodically empowers his next basic attack to gain 50 bonus range and deal 5% − 12% (based on level) of the target’s maximum health as bonus physical damage, capped at 100 against monsters.
Aatrox heals for 100% of the post-mitigation damage dealt, reduced to 25% against minions.
Whenever Aatrox hits at least one enemy champion or large monster with a basic attack on-hit or an ability, the cooldown of Deathbringer Stance is reduced by 2 seconds, modified to 4 if he hits with the Sweetspot of The Darkin Blade.
Q – The Darkin Blade
ACTIVE: Aatrox can activate The Darkin Blade three times before the ability goes on cooldown, with a 1 second static cooldown between casts. If Aatrox does not recast the ability within 4 seconds of the previous cast, it goes on cooldown.
Aatrox performs a strike with his greatsword for each of the three casts, dealing physical damage to enemies struck within an area. Enemies hit within a Sweetspot of the area are dealt 60% bonus damage and also knocked up for 0.25 seconds. Each subsequent cast increases The Darkin Blade’s damage by 25%.
FIRST CAST: Aatrox’s first strike affects a 625 × 180-unit rectangular area in the target direction, with him centered on the back line and the Sweetspot at the farthest edge.
SECOND CAST: Aatrox’s second strike affects a trapezoidal area in the target direction, with the Sweetspot at the farthest edge. The hitbox begins 100-units behind Aatrox and extends 475-units in front of him, measuring between 300 and 500-units wide from behind to in front.
THIRD CAST: Aatrox’s third strike affects a 300-radius circular area centered on a target location that is 200 units in front of him, with a 180-radius Sweetspot within.
The Darkin Blade deals 55% damage against minions, and the knock up duration from hitting the Sweetspot is doubled to 0.5 seconds against monsters.
W – Infernal Chains
ACTIVE: Aatrox sends a chain in the target direction that deals physical damage to the first enemy hit, doubled against minions, and slowing them by 25% for 1.5 seconds.
If Infernal Chains hits an enemy champion or large monster, a tether is formed between a source within the impact area and the target for 1.5 seconds, during which the target is revealed.
If the tether is not broken by the end of its duration, the target is dealt the same physical damage again and pulled to the center of the area.
E – Umbral Dash
PASSIVE: Aatrox heals for a percentage of the non- persistent post-mitigation damage he deals against enemy champions, increased during World Ender.
ACTIVE: Aatrox dashes in the target direction.
Umbral Dash resets Aatrox’s basic attack timer, can be cast during his other abilities without cancelling them and vice versa, and may be cast across terrain with an increased dash range.
R – World Ender
ACTIVE: Aatrox unleashes his true demonic form, fearing nearby enemy minions and monsters for 3 seconds, during which they are gradually slowed by up to 99% over the duration. For the next 10 seconds, Aatrox gains ghosting and bonus movement speed, decaying by 10% of the current bonus every 0.25 seconds.
While transformed, Aatrox gains bonus attack damage and 5% increased size, and receives increased self-healing from all sources.
Scoring a champion takedown extends World Ender’s duration by 5 seconds, refreshing its effects up to the original amount.
1. Gangplank
Apart from being Illaoi’s highschool lover, Gangplank is also The most difficult Top lane champion to play in League of Legends. This may end up as a shocker to you but he definitely is when you take everything into consideration.
Before his rework he was quite an easy champ to play but ever since Riot reworked him he is a beast. This is mostly due to his E ability that is one of the most complex abilities to get right and actually do some damage with. He also uses mana and you have to be very careful with it. He needs critical strike to work properly but also needs to have some decent sustain and mana regen as well.
Gangplank’s abilities:
P – Trial by Fire
INNATE: Gangplank periodically empowers his next basic attack to burn the target, dealing them 55 − 310 (based on level) (+ 100% bonus AD) bonus true damage over 2.5 seconds. Turrets receive 50% reduced damage.
If Gangplank successfully hits a target with Trial by Fire, he gains 15% − 30% (based on level) bonus movement speed for 2 seconds. Every time a Powder Keg explodes, the cooldown for Trial by Fire resets and Gangplank gains its bonus movement speed.
Trial by Fire cannot be applied with Parrrley nor Powder Keg.
Q – Parrrley
ACTIVE: Gangplank fires a shot at the target enemy that deals physical damage upon arrival and applies on-hit and on-attack effects at 100% effectiveness as a ranged attack.
Parrrley can critically strike for (175% + 35%) total damage.(bug)
If Parrrley kills the target, Gangplank plunders gold and Silver Serpents. Each enemy killed by a Powder Keg explosion that was originally set off by Parrrley also counts for the plunder.
Silver Serpents can be spent in the shop to upgrade Cannon Barrage.
W – Remove Scurvy
ACTIVE: Gangplank consumes a large quantity of citrus fruit, cleansing himself from all crowd control and healing himself.
E – Powder Keg
ACTIVE: Gangplank consumes a charge to place a powder keg at the target location that lasts for 25 seconds and will connect to other kegs with overlapping connection radius with a trail of black powder. The keg starts with 3 health and loses 1 every 2 / 1 / 0.5 (based on level) seconds until it is left with 1 health. He periodically stocks up on a new keg up to a maximum amount.
Kegs can be basic attacked by enemies or Gangplank (including his Parrrley), dealing 1 damage to it. When an enemy destroys it, it is safely defused. When Gangplank destroys it, it explodes and also triggers a chain reaction that explodes other nearby connected kegs with a 0.33 seconds-delay between explosions. The explosions also grant sight in their radiuses for 2 seconds.
Enemies caught in an explosion are slowed for 2 seconds and are dealt the triggering attack’s damage, dealing bonus physical damage against champions. Each enemy can only be damaged once per chain and the damage dealt ignores 40% of their armor.
If the triggering attack was a critical strike, the explosions deal 25% more damage on top of the critical damage.
R – Cannon Barrage
ACTIVE: Gangplank shoots a flare into the air, signaling his ship off-shore to fire upon the target location for 8 seconds, calling down 12 waves of cannonballs in clusters of 3 every 2 seconds, and granting sight of the area for the duration. Each wave deals magic damage to all enemies within the area and slows them by 30% for 0.5 seconds.
Gangplank can purchase upgrades for his ship in the store at the cost of 500 Silver Serpents each, which improve Cannon Barrage:
DEATH’S DAUGHTER: A large cannonball lands in the center of the barrage after the first cluster of waves occur, dealing a cluster’s worth of true damage to enemies within the impact and slowing them by 60% for 1.5 seconds.
FIRE AT WILL: Cannon Barrage fires「 6 additional waves 」 over its duration; 18 waves of cannonballs are called down in clusters of 3 every 1.33 seconds.
RAISE MORALE: Cannon Barrage grants Gangplank and all allies within the area 30% bonus movement speed, lingering for 2 seconds.
Conclusion
And there you have it. The most difficult Top lane champions to play in League of Legends. Well this is at least for you decent players, for me every single one feels like solving mathematical problems. Just kidding, but these are hard for sure, I mean if you don’t believe me, just give them a try.
Expect The most difficult category for every position in League of Legends!