Originally Posted by
Lyese
Thanks for the insight. I main Riven, so some of the advice is slighty skewed for her. Darius' Apprehend can easily be Valored out of, for instance, as it has start up frames (him grunting and extending his axe) travel time (the time it takes for the axe to go full distance before recoiling) and conal range. As a Darius player, I can confirm that even with Heart of Gold/Philosopher's Stone, Darius puts out reasonable damage, however, this is mostly due to ability ranks, especially if you've pushed your opponent out of lane and have a level or 2 on them. I really liked your Akali feedback, as well as Reluctant's, since the few times I played against her I stomped her with Riven and Garen. AD Nidalee doesn't seem to have much of a counter. I was really impressed by her autos and Cougar damage.
Thanks for the other contributions as well! Jayce might be a monster, but he's getting nerfed soon.
Vs. Riven:
My choice of top laner. Know Ki Burst's range, and it'll save you some free damage. If she uses Valor to position for Ki Burst, wait the 1.25s for the shield to fade after the stun to fight back, otherwise you're just suffering minion damage for no reason. Her mobility makes it difficult to gank or pin her down, and most Rivens won't sit around in protacted melee. She chases well with Broken Wings, and dive super safely with ranged aoe execute Wind Slash. If you have a squishier jungler, she can pull off a double gank on a gank, so be self sufficient in lane.
Strong safe pick also. Only real weakness is that she's a bit snowbally and very item dependent, she needs some momentum to get going (nothing on the required levels of like Renekton though). Also she isn't really too strong in 2v1 lanes.
Vs. Rumble:
I only played against Rumble when Flamespitter didn't properly track, so I was able to dance around him and ignore most of his damage. Aside from flamespitter and obligatory "dodge skillshots", he's squishy in early game and is prone to pushing. He has a decent escape in his dash+shield (Don't know it's name...Overdrive?), so use care when lining up skillshots to chase. If possible, try to make him use it pre-gank.
Really weak 2v1 also. He counters most bruisers though, even after Flamespitter nerf it still punishes heavily any melee. His damage and chasing are fantastic and his Ulti is ridiculously good if the person has good aim.
Vs. Olaf:
Aside from Yorick and Trundle, his lane gives me the most trouble. Reckless Swing has a minute health cost that gets negated with Vicious Strikes. Undertow also deals full line damage with a decent projectile speed. Hit and run tactics are best, and make use of any ranged pokes to minimize the sustain he gets from Vicious Strikes. Avoid prolongued melee as Berserker will turn the tide in his favor. Post 6, Ragnarok + Ghost or Shurelya's (a surprisingly common item) will make him either impossible to gank or impossible to escape from. It has a longer cooldown than most installs, however, and only lasts 4 seconds, so make him waste as much of that as you can and call for a gank when it's down. Reckless Swing has very few startup frames (He pulls his axes back behind his head, lightning bolts appear just before the damage resolves), so time Valor/Safeguard/Turtle Stance to soak its damage. Just be aware he can cast it again before most of those abilities come off cd.
Not my area of expertise since I don't face many Olafs, but likewise very safe. Has good turret farming with Q. Is able to impact mid game with little items due to Reckless and his Ulti. Kind of is considered a strong Riven counter.
Vs. Yorick:
Post nerf, he is still a force to be reckoned with. He gets free harass from Omen of Famine, as the lifesteal will negate any minion aggro he gets. However, like with Vladamir, you can punish him for using it by closing the gap and trading. Omen of War and Pestilence will make this strategy less viable he gets more levels. Even though he is capable of chasing, he has no hard cc, and Pestilence scales off AP, making it weaker than his other ghouls. Ranged harass will curb him substantially, as Famine alone will drain his mana. If he pushes his lane, call for a gank since his only escapes are a weak snare and a moderate speedboost off a melee attack. If you can get around Famine, you will win control of the lane. At least, until he builds Manamune.
Abuse bushes and fog of war against ghouls. Play aggressive and try to hurt him as much as you can before he gets his tear since after that he will most likely win lane. Ganks are the only solid way to beat him.
Vs. Xin Zhao:
I saw hime a few times after the revamp. He's still mediocre, but can snowball if you let him. Three Talon Strike is pretty telegraphed, but keep in mind he accumulates charges through Block/Dodge/Parry, and can still displace. It only negates the damage. Tireless Warrior allows him to skimp on lifesteal, so try to disrupt his farming. He gets great burst post 6, so don't underestimate his damage.
Wouldn't say he's mediocre. He's a ridiculously strong Duelist, one of the best 1v1's in the game. Kind of like Fioram but a bit better imo.
Vs. Trundle:
Uncommon, but a pain. Pillar of Filth and Tainted Ground (His ground targetted movespeed increase/cc reduction, forgot the name) allow him ground control and make it difficult to gank him. However, they are on lengthy cooldowns, so note and call for a gank. Pillar isn't "true" terrain, so Broken Wings, Valor, Tumble, etc. can all get around/through it. Leap Strike might save you if he isn't paying attention to your minion waves. Hit and run tactics are preferable since he relies on keeping you zoned. He's surprisingly beefy, even without items due to his AD debuff. Denying him cs and kills will make him a dead slot in teamfights, though.
Vs. Renek:
My play experience is apparently different at the lower ELOs than what other people say about him, so I'll try to be objective. I usually dominate this lane because he's a burst AD caster with inferior movement options to Riven. His stun lasts 1.5s, which is an eternity, and deals hefty damage to boot. The key is knowing his range on it and Cull the Meek (slightly larger than auto attack range). If you employ hit and run tactics (Decisive Strike and spin away when the stun wears off, Valor in, stun, auto, Broken Wings out, blade range on Whirling Strike, Parrley, etc.), he won't be able to retaliate unless he burns his telegraphed charge. He is still beefy, though, and while Cull the Meek only gives substantial health gain when it hits champions, it still gives him sustain. Post 6, it'll be difficult to kill him, but almost every other top laner scales better than he does, especially when denied cs. Don't underestimate him, however. Dash into stun and Cull will do serious damage, just be aware of his range.
Rather even lane, I've seen it go both ways (Playing as Renekton and Riven), but honestly, Renek should win. Stronger sustain, just as good trading (If not better with Fury W's, which is what Renektons should be spending that fury on), his Ulti health can fuck up your execute if time well. Riven needs to play aggressive, and Renekton punishes aggressive play by making sure the second you try to come near creeps you get chunked.