League of Legends Patch 9.18 top lane tier list aggregation – a top heavy tier list
By Josh Tyler
New Additions
Wukong
He fell off the top lane tier list for the last few patches and has now rebounded. Don’t get too excited, though, since Wukong is only in the F tier.
New subtractions
Tahm Kench
Tahm has been flagging in our top lane tier list for a while now. After being in the F tier for a few patches, he’s now fallen out of the top lane completely.
Rising Champions
Kled (A+ to S tier)
Jax (A+ to S tier)
Pantheon (A to S tier)
Vladimir (B+ to A tier)
Fiora (B+ to A tier)
Gangplank (C to B+ tier)
Teemo (C to B+ tier)
Kayle (D to B+ tier)
Malphite (B to B+ tier)
Riven (B to B+ tier)
Dr. Mundo (C to B tier)
Observations
We will set aside those champions who got direct buffs – Kayle and Teemo – to discuss on their own later on. Of the remaining champions, only Gangplank, can be said to have risen as a stabilization from last patch as he returns to the B+ tier after inexplicably dropping to the C tier. Previously, he’s hovered between the B and A tiers, so it’s quite likely that he will remain in this tier absent any balance changes.
A few of these picks are a bit in flux after recent buffs or nerfs, so it’s unclear whether they are going to remain in their new tier or continue moving going forward. For instance, after Fiora received buffs back in 9.16, she rose to the A tier, dropped to the B+ tier in 9.17, but now returns to the A tier. We’ll have to keep an eye on her rating in future patches to see if she remains an A tier pick.
Similarly, Riven got nerfed in 9.16, dropping her out of the S/A tier down to the B+ tier, before she fell into the B tier in 9.17. Now rising back into the B+ tier, we’ll see if this is where she remains going forward.
On the other hand, Dr. Mundo got buffs in 9.16 and has continued to climb the top lane tier list as a result. He went from the D tier in 9.16 to the C tier and now the B tier. Because his win rate and pick rate have leveled out in the last couple of patches, he might drop back down in a patch or two.
A similar story is happening to Malphite, who got buffed back in 9.15 and went from D tier to C tier in 9.15, C to B tier in 9.16, and now is in our B+ tier here in 9.18. Like Mundo, though, his win and pick rates have stabilized in the last few patches, so he could also drop in the future.
On the flip-side, however, you have Pantheon who has shot up our tier list since his rework. Not only has Pantheon’s power risen dramatically since the rework and subsequent buffs (he went from F tier the patch after his rework to S tier just two patches later) he has the second-best win rate among top laners with over an 8% pick rate (sixth-best).
I’m a bit confused about the remaining top laners on the high end that rose. For instance, Vlad returns to the A tier after two patches, but he hadn’t exactly been consistent in the A tier before that, leading me to believe those two patches were an aberration. His win rate has also remained quite stable and the meta hasn’t exactly shifted to start favoring him, so I can’t exactly pin down why so many sites think he’s stronger now.
By that same token, Jax returns to the S tier for the first time since 9.11, although he doesn’t exactly have the improvement to his win rate we would expect. As for Kled, the ornery Yordle has entered the S tier for the first time ever, but without any direct changes, significant win rate changes, or significant changes to the meta that would explain his rise in priority.