Top Lane LOL Tier List 26.13 – NEW update for MSI
Hey Friends,
First of all, apologies for missing out on the previous patch. I’ve been very busy with exams, but I’m happy to let you know that they went great, so I can fully focus on more League content this summer!
Top lane LoL tier lists have been updated according to the changes in the patch 26.13! and the previous patch 26.12. MSI is also upon us which is always an exciting time of the year for the esports fans. Let’s dive in, so you can see what to expect from the meta game and the tournament itself!
In these two patches we’ve seen quite a few champions changes along the changes to the teleport summoner spell. Let’s cover all of them briefly before jumping into the tier list changes.
Since 26.12 teleport quest shield is 5% stronger but lasts only 10 seconds instead of 30. This. For competitive this genuinely does not change anything has teleport is still too powerful. For solo queue you it will still mostly be a decision based mostly on your specific matchup and what you need in order to survive it/ win it- Keep in mind that this change mostly fixed a niche power play that allowed you to have a big shield for a long time in stand offs which are common in only high levels of play.
26.12 also brought buffs to Gwen, Jax, Aatrox, Sylas and nerfs to Varus and Ryze. Ryze lost around 0.5% win rate in toplane though he is still a viable counter pick into champions like Gangplank, Teemo, Rumble.. though most mages are better. Varus lost about 1% win rate in toplane and he is no longer a pick or ban champion. He can still nichely be played into champions like Renekton but at the moment there is no reason to really pick him as there will be better options.
Gwen win rate increased 1% and she is back in the state that is quite playable into tanks and some bruisers. She will still struggle into anything with a bit of range or mobility. Notably, I don’t expect to see her much in the pro play as the priority on tanks decreased and the composition usually requires an ad champion. Aatrox win rate increased about 0.75% and he is doing more quite alright in solo queue especially after ranged champions received indirect nerfs, though we won’t be seeing him in Pro play until maybe game 4-5 in fearless as Ambessa or Zaahen will just do his job better.
Likewise, Jax win rate increased about 0.5%, but just like Gwen or Aatrox the buffs are not good enough to push them further up the tier list- though all very good in solo queue.
26.13 brought more spicy changes that include nerfs to K’sante, Doran’s Helm, Sion, Rek’Sai, Rumble, Cassiopeia and buffs to Zaahen, Olaf & Poppy (for jungle-flex potential).
Rumble received yet another nerf this patch at an attempt to dethrone. Rumble is down around 1% win rate and will need ~200 AP to make the higher AP ratio become a buff. this moves Rumble even further into this neutralizer pick that will be winning lane less and less against most champions. This is also why you will see that first strike is performing the best on him at the moment. His entire playstyle right now is to neutralize matchups, try to go as even as possible and be useful with the E’s and ultimate in the teamfights.
Cassiopeia lost a huge chunk of her win rate (over 2% in top lane) after a nerf to hp/lvl (her durability is crucial in most toplane matchups to survive all-ins). She is still quite powerful but blatantly overpowered in the laning phase as she was in the previous patches. Rek’Sai on the other hand got completely one shot in the top lane even though the nerfs were intended for jungle- expect to not see her in top lane for now.
Zaahen buffs are small, but good quality of life as it is the last ability you will max so it might come in clutch in specific situations. Don’t sleep on Zaahen. He is a monster if the enemy draft does not have a lot of kite potential and your matchup allows you to scale for free. K’Sante and Sion are champions that got hurt the most in this patch.
K’sante lost about 2% win rate while Sion lost about 1%. These direct nerfs and the nerfs to Helm will definitely knock them down a peg in the competitive priority- I expect them to be fully replaced with other bruisers for the time being. Definitely not unplayable but you won’t be seeing teams fighting over them very early in the draft.
Top lane LoL Tier List Overview
MSI is here and Riot decided to shake up the competitive blind picks just in time for the tournament!
There have been a few advancements that shape the competitive meta game in 26.13. We’ve mentioned the changes above, but the aftermath can be visualized in the High-Low priority list. Tanks are down, ADCs got direct and indirect nerfs along side the mages in the patches before. This ultimately leads to rise in priority for Jayce, Gnar and Renekton who all benefit from landscape changes.
Notably, meta is also heavily revolving around mid-jungle currently with a lot of roaming support running around which is putting even botlaners on mages like Mel and Ziggs from time to time. Mages are definitely playable top lane but the team composition usually does not require them.
Varus, Galio, Aurora removed from the High-Low. Gragas, Poppy, Gwen added back!
Many shifts between the tiers- notably due to mage and adc nerfs in recent patches. Quite a few melees got a bump from that! You can compare with the previous tier list here
Until next time o7.
