League of Legends: Top 5 Top Lane Champions on Patch 10.5

Here are our top five strongest top lane champions for carrying games and climbing the League of Legends solo queue ladder on Patch 10.5!

Top laners received a small buff on Patch 10.5 as tower plating gold was increased for melee champions. Nevertheless, League of Legends has never been kind to those who reside on the northernmost section of the Rift, so it’s key to pick strong champions to take every advantage you can.

If you’re a top lane main looking for a new champion or have been auto-filled in a solo queue game, this list could solve your problems! Pick one of these five champions to guarantee success in your next Summoner’s Rift battle:

5) Maokai

52.39% Win Rate | 4.2% Pick Rate | 0.5% Ban Rate

Tanks are back! As much as we might dislike seeing them in our games, tanks are a vital part of any team, especially in the current meta. With the Bami’s Cinder buffs on Patch 10.4, it’s no surprise that Maokai has found his way back into the top lane conversation.

Play patiently in the early game, using Bramble Smash to farm and Sap Magic for sustain. Do not engage without your jungler and simply wait until the later stages of the game to carry with a bunch of tank items under your belt.

Sunfire Cape, Spirit Visage, and Gargoyle Stoneplate are key for any Maokai build. In team fights, your job is to lock up targets with Natures’ Grasp and Twisted Advance, soaking up damage, and peeling for your carries.

4) Kled

53.15% Win Rate | 3.8% Pick Rate | 2.9% Ban Rate

If you’d rather take the game into your own hands by dealing the necessary damage for your team or split-push your way to victory, maybe Kled is the answer.

Don’t wait for your jungler to come to the top lane (it’s unlikely to happen anyway), instead jump in with Jousting and Bear Trap on a Rope your lane opponent to pick up early kills and begin your snowball.

From there, either kick off team fights with Charge! or 1v1 your opposing top laner and split-push for the rest of the game, looking for flank opportunities if they present themselves.

3) Darius

52.86% Win Rate | 11.3% Pick Rate | 43.9% Ban Rate

Although he doesn’t have the highest win rate, Darius boasts the highest ban rate of all top lane champions on Patch 10.5. A combination of his early game dueling, snowball potential, and complete domination of the lower elos means almost half of games see the champion banned out completely.

So, it goes without saying that you should look to pick him if he’s available in champion select.

2) Sett

49.96% Win Rate | 10.8% Pick Rate | 37.1% Ban Rate

The Boss continues to be hit with nerfs and continues to remain in the top tiers of the top lane.

Obviously, his early game safety and massive Haymaker shield are key to his strengths in the current meta, but what sets Sett apart from his counterparts is his potentially game-changing ultimate, The Show Stopper.

Time this ability right and you’ve single-handedly won a team fight for your team, making it unlike most ultimate abilities in the game. Get in there quick though, as it’s only a matter of time before Sett gets hit with the final nerf that will result in him dropping down to the B/C tiers, as is always the case with new champion releases.

1) Garen

53.06% Win Rate | 13.1% Pick Rate | 9.9% Ban Rate

The most popular top laner on Patch 10.5 is Garen with a massive 13.1% pick rate. If you’re looking to add one champion to your top lane champion pool this week, make it the Might of Demacia.

Not only does Garen have excellent sustain and dueling potential through the early game, but he’s also a threat in the late game with a seemingly endless Decisive Strike silence and deadly Judgment damage.

After picking up a Trinity Force, Sterak’s Gage, and Dead Man’s Plate, Garen can be near unstoppable with a large enough gold lead over his opposing laner. Either split push or join team fights running directly at your target, whittling them down with a Q-E combo, then finishing them off with Demacian Justice.

It sounds simple and it is simple!

Which top lane champion is strongest on Patch 10.5? Which top lane champions would you like to see buffed on Patch 10.6?