League of Legends Patch 9.4 tier list aggregation: top lane edition

The dust has settled on Patch 9.4, and some of the former top League of Legends champions have fallen from their pedestals. Who has risen to take the top spots?

A week(ish) into the lifespan of the most recent League of Legends patch, Patch 9.4 and it’s time to say what all the different tier list sources have to say about the state of the top lane in our Patch 9.4 tier list aggregation. Previously, our Patch 9.3 tier list had Yasuo as the clear number one, along with champions like Yorick, Jayce, and Riven making up the top of the class. However, Yasuo received some nerfs in Patch 9.4 along with some other lower-level top laners (Gnar and Trundle) received small buffs.

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Most critically, though, there was the massive rework to Conqueror, which had the potential to completely reshape the top lane meta. Who rose and who fell in the Patch 9.4 tier list when it comes to top laners? As always, you can find the raw data here.

Patch 9.4 tier list – top lane

S tier: Yasuo, Riven, Yorick, Jax

A tier: Darius, Nasus, Vladimir, Jayce, Kled, Sion, Irelia, Garen, Rengar, Illaoi

B tier: Camille, Kennen, Renekton, Quinn, Teemo, Sylas, Malphite, Fiora, Wukong, Rumble, Volibear, Kayle

C tier: Vayne, Singed, Gangplank, Maokai, Poppy, Pantheon, Mordekaiser, Urgot, Tryndamere, Ornn, Shen, Swain, Viktor, Dr. Mundo, Gnar, Aatrox, Cho’Gath, Lissandra, Olaf, Cassiopeia

D tier: Malzahar, Heimerdinger, Ryze, Akali

Rising champions

Sylas (C tier to B tier)

Sylas was just introduced to Summoner’s Rift a few patches ago (Patch 9.2 to be exact) so it makes sense that his win rate would rise as players get more accustomed to playing alongside the Unshackled. He’s also seen as a fairly high priority pick in professional play, though he has been flexed to the mid lane as well.

Jax (A tier to S tier)

Likely a beneficiary of the changes to Conqueror, which makes it better for champions that like longer trades and all-ins, as Jax does. Because he can stack it up so quickly, Jax makes good work of the reworked rune.

Irelia (B tier to A tier)

Like Jax, she abuses the new Conqueror rune excellently. I’d say Riot better nerf her but, well, that’s an old joke.

Falling champions

Urgot (A tier to C tier)

Urgot got hit with some hefty nerfs in the last patch to his Q’s mana cost and W shield. As a result, the Dreadnought has fallen from an OP pick at the start of the season to now borderline unviable.

Akali (C tier to D tier)

Another one of the former OP picks at the start of Season 9, Akali now has fallen completely into the “unviable” tier in our Patch 9.4 tier list. Her weak kit combined with her high skill floor makes for a deadly combination I do not want to see in my next SoloQ game.

Viktor (B tier to C tier)

No direct nerfs to him, but we do see mages trending down a bit in recent patches in favor of juggernauts and fighters. I’m sure we’ll continue to see Viktor used as a flex pick in pro play, but in SoloQ his usefulness is limited, to say the least.

Buffed champions

Gnar

The buffs to Gnars resistances in his ult form don’t seem to have really helped his numbers that much. He’s actually dropped a smidge in our tier list from the last patch. It’s possible this is a case where it will take a few patches for the effects of the buff to really show, but right now it seems like Gnar hasn’t really improved as a pick.

Trundle

Probably the worst champion in the game for the last few patches, Riot mercifully blessed Trundle with a buff in Patch 9.4. Unfortunately, Trundle is actually so bad that he completely fell off our tier list. Like with Gnar, maybe in time, the buffs will be fully felt, but Trundle is – right now – just not a pickable champion.

Nerfed champions

Sylas

“Hold up, didn’t you just say Sylas was a champion on the rise?” I hear you saying. Yes, it’s true that Sylas’s position in our Patch 9.4 tier list has risen compared to the last patch. However, whatever effect of those nerfs was, it didn’t outweigh whatever “buff” Sylas got from his players not being as bad.

Urgot

Just discussed above, but yeah those nerfs have had their expected effect. Combined with nerfs in Patch 9.2, expect to see a lot less Urgot.

Yasuo

Yasuo benefitted greatly from the crit item changes in Patch 9.3, so he was deserving of some hefty nerfs in Patch 9.4. However, Yasuo has also benefitted from the new Conqueror as well and remains an S tier champion in our Patch 9.4 tier list, ranked the best top laner in the game. If you’re not gonna pick him, definitely he is worth a ban.

Let us know your thoughts on the state of top lane and our Patch 9.4 tier list in the comments below!