Solo top matchups thread

[Lyese]

Greetings! I mostly play top in ranked 5's, so I thought we could share tips, strategies, matchup info for top laners. I mostly play Riven, Jax, and Darius since Shen and Malph get banned a lot at ~1300 ELO.

Vs. Akali:
Try to favor MR. Akali's aren't common since bruisers can withstand and punish her burst, but I've seen them. If she farms with Q, enjoy free farm and harass. If she harasses with Q, use bushes and any sustain or soak your cham.p has. Try not to engage her in melee pre 6 if you have her mark on. Post 6, you're going to have to deal with it. Counters: Lee Sin, anyone with aoe/skillshots.

Vs. Cho'Gath:
His sustain is insane. Use care when harassing as he can zone you into Rupture/Feral for decent damage. A good Cho won't get pushed out of lane easily, but it is difficult for him to harass you. Play smart, defensively, and avoid his skillshots. Post 6, he becomes a nightmare, so try and get ganks beforehand.

Vs. Darius:
Believe it or not, he isn't as OP as people think. No natural sustain means he's banking on hp regen. If you harass, stay in haft range of Whirling. His pull is telegraphed, so juke or dash to bait it out. If you can punish him into Whirling to push his lane, he'll be set up for easy ganks since he has baseline escapes. Post 6, he can dive by simply building armor and health, so play more defensively. If he builds offensively, however, take advantage of his relative squishiness. Bad Darius' ks their carries, and late game can be kited easily, so don't worry too much.

Vs. Dr. Mundo:
His sustain is mostly through regen as well. Dodge Cleavers, and punish Burning Agony. Deny him CS and he won't be able to rush Warmog's, super weakening him mid and late game. Post 6, kills can only be secured with Ignite and an execute, so focus on cs control. Mundo might take to roaming if he isn't getting kills or cs, so warn your jungle and mid.

Vs. Fiora:
Autoattack frames can be cancelled by movement or S. Juke Riposte using this and you'll spare yourself free damage. Avoid using telegraphed on hit abilities, such as Parrley, and be mindful that her dash hits really hard baseline. Pushing her out is a bit harder due to Duelist, but it's worth the effort. Post 6, she becomes like Darius in that she can dive very well with Blade Waltz. Bear in mind it applies on hit, so Counterstrike will negate the majority of the dmg and set her up to be stunned under your turret. Punish her harass and you should be ok.

Vs Garen:
Spacing will be your biggest concern. Know your ability ranges so you can disrupt him when Decisive Strike is up and move away. Try to apply light harass to minimize his regen, and do your best to not get hit with Judgment. Most I've seen push their lanes, but Garen has an excellent escape in Decisive Strike and Courage. Even failed ganks can score you breathing room, so ask your jungler to be persistent. Post 6, avoid prolonged engagements as his execute, Damacian Justice, will score him a kill. Hit and run tactics are best.

Vs. Irelia:
The queen of sustain will be difficult to push out of lane. When her blades sparkle with Hi-Ten Style, dash into bushes to dodge the Bladesurge. Equilibrium Strike will making diving and harassing not worth it, so play defensively and farm. Her escape isn't great, so call for a gank to get you breathing room and deny her cs.

Vs. Jarvan:
Push him out in early game, especially if you don't have a reliable Cataclysm escape. He's squishy early game, just don't underestimate Martial Cadence and Demacian Standard's displacement. Riven has a free lane in this matchup. Post 6, play cautiously and try not to extend past halfway between your turret and riverbush, especially sans a ward. Make him burn Cata on escaping ganks if possible.

Vs. Kennen:
A safe top laner. Note the cooldown on Lightning Rush and try to make him burn it pre-gank. He'll get free harass, so try to punish him for it. He's only tanky after building items, so abuse minions when he goes for an autoattack generated Mark of the Storm. Post 6, he gets extremely dangerous, so build MR to survive.

Vs. Malphite:
In my opinion, a toptier laner. You can't do anything about his Seismic Shard, and it makes it difficult to trade. He also scales well with armor and health, making it nigh impossible to score a kill. Farm as well as you can, note Seismic's cd, and gank for when it's down pre 6. Post 6, he has surprising burst and can dive well. Olaf has an advantage this matchup with Berserker, Vicious Strikes, and Reckless Swing, so punish Seismic and be more aggressive. Maintain pressure to keep his shield down.

Vs. Nidalee:
Only played against once and got wrecked. She has great sustain and becomes dangerous post 6. Her mobility makes it difficult to score a kill against her, and her auto harasses well enough without spear pokes. If she pushes, call for a gank to get breathing room, otherwise make use of any sustain you have.

Vs. Nasus:
Nasus requires farm and is fairly squishy early game. He also needs to be in melee range to farm Siphoning Strike, so punish punish punish. Don't push your lane, though. He can farm well under a turret. Zone him from CS and experience and he will contribute absolutely nothing come teamfights. Post 6, he'a difficult to dive and may actually be more aggressive. Take his health gain into account.

More to come later...posting from my phone at work. I'd like to hear ideas and strats on how you deal with these and other champs.

[Rampant Rabbit]

You posted all this from a phone? At work?!

Kudos to you..

[Lyese]

You posted all this from a phone? At work?!

Kudos to you..

Haha, thanks. Near the end of the day, and having privacy at work helps.

[Reluctant]

A good Akali will abuse her shroud hopping in and out procing her Q. Wait till she pops it thenn back off thenn punish her once its on cd. She becomes a lot more lethal after 6 so you want to take action early. Yust denying Cs wont stop her whenn she starts roaming.

Nidalee is a easy target post 6 be aggresife but dont push the lane. After 6 its the same but the chances her escaping are far greater.

[Kurdiern]

Greetings! I mostly play top in ranked 5's, so I thought we could share tips, strategies, matchup info for top laners. I mostly play Riven, Jax, and Darius since Shen and Malph get banned a lot at ~1300 ELO.

Vs. Akali:
Try to favor MR. Akali's aren't common since bruisers can withstand and punish her burst, but I've seen them. If she farms with Q, enjoy free farm and harass. If she harasses with Q, use bushes and any sustain or soak your cham.p has. Try not to engage her in melee pre 6 if you have her mark on. Post 6, you're going to have to deal with it. Counters: Lee Sin, anyone with aoe/skillshots.

Some bruisers can't withstand the burst. Her early game damage can punish a lot of Bruisers before they get tanky and force an early B. Her lvl 6 is brutal and unless you have similar damage output or the defense to absorb 2x Q procs + Jump harass, you will most likely die.

Vs. Cho'Gath:
His sustain is insane. Use care when harassing as he can zone you into Rupture/Feral for decent damage. A good Cho won't get pushed out of lane easily, but it is difficult for him to harass you. Play smart, defensively, and avoid his skillshots. Post 6, he becomes a nightmare, so try and get ganks beforehand.

Bully him before 4. After that he becomes a rock if played properly.

Vs. Darius:
Believe it or not, he isn't as OP as people think. No natural sustain means he's banking on hp regen. If you harass, stay in haft range of Whirling. His pull is telegraphed, so juke or dash to bait it out. If you can punish him into Whirling to push his lane, he'll be set up for easy ganks since he has baseline escapes. Post 6, he can dive by simply building armor and health, so play more defensively. If he builds offensively, however, take advantage of his relative squishiness. Bad Darius' ks their carries, and late game can be kited easily, so don't worry too much.

Less banking on no sustain and more being able to outdamage pretty much anyone. The pull range is actually very deceptive and you need to be careful about it. IF he gets a grab, chances are you will die. 3 types of damage including true damage means you have no way to itemize efficiently in terms of defense. He can still build tanky and shit out enough damage to win. Do gank him though. No escapes and as shown in plenty of tournaments (Westrice <3), no escapes and natural push with Q does mean he is very susceptible to ganks. Though he can easily just become relevant again if a good teamfight breaks out.

Vs. Dr. Mundo:
His sustain is mostly through regen as well. Dodge Cleavers, and punish Burning Agony. Deny him CS and he won't be able to rush Warmog's, super weakening him mid and late game. Post 6, kills can only be secured with Ignite and an execute, so focus on cs control. Mundo might take to roaming if he isn't getting kills or cs, so warn your jungle and mid.

Top Mundo? Christ I haven't seen one in forever. Harass and force trades pre-6 most likely. The fact he has to use health for abilities with no sustain pre-6 is laughable.

Vs. Fiora:
Autoattack frames can be cancelled by movement or S. Juke Riposte using this and you'll spare yourself free damage. Avoid using telegraphed on hit abilities, such as Parrley, and be mindful that her dash hits really hard baseline. Pushing her out is a bit harder due to Duelist, but it's worth the effort. Post 6, she becomes like Darius in that she can dive very well with Blade Waltz. Bear in mind it applies on hit, so Counterstrike will negate the majority of the dmg and set her up to be stunned under your turret. Punish her harass and you should be ok.

Nothin really else to add. Duelist is pretty shitty sustain though. Once she gets some items though she becomes a potent 1v1. That's really all though.

Vs Garen:
Spacing will be your biggest concern. Know your ability ranges so you can disrupt him when Decisive Strike is up and move away. Try to apply light harass to minimize his regen, and do your best to not get hit with Judgment. Most I've seen push their lanes, but Garen has an excellent escape in Decisive Strike and Courage. Even failed ganks can score you breathing room, so ask your jungler to be persistent. Post 6, avoid prolonged engagements as his execute, Damacian Justice, will score him a kill. Hit and run tactics are best.

Vs. Irelia:
The queen of sustain will be difficult to push out of lane. When her blades sparkle with Hi-Ten Style, dash into bushes to dodge the Bladesurge. Equilibrium Strike will making diving and harassing not worth it, so play defensively and farm. Her escape isn't great, so call for a gank to get you breathing room and deny her cs.

My opinion one of the safest picks top lane. Once she hits 9 and gets 1 or 2 core items, she will beat you since she becomes the strongest duelist in the game. She can farm safely under tower, has tons of CS/Juking potential with Q, and pretty good sustain. She's a bit weak early, so you'll have to take advantage of that.

Vs. Jarvan:
Push him out in early game, especially if you don't have a reliable Cataclysm escape. He's squishy early game, just don't underestimate Martial Cadence and Demacian Standard's displacement. Riven has a free lane in this matchup. Post 6, play cautiously and try not to extend past halfway between your turret and riverbush, especially sans a ward. Make him burn Cata on escaping ganks if possible.

Vs. Kennen:
A safe top laner. Note the cooldown on Lightning Rush and try to make him burn it pre-gank. He'll get free harass, so try to punish him for it. He's only tanky after building items, so abuse minions when he goes for an autoattack generated Mark of the Storm. Post 6, he gets extremely dangerous, so build MR to survive.

Nerfs shut down the fucking rat bastard. His auto-attack harass is much worse and his Q poke took a big hurt. Revolver/WotA nerfs hurt his sustain hard. He still is annoying as fuck though. Ridiculously hard to gank, reliable ranged damage and CC, energy resource.

Vs. Malphite:
In my opinion, a toptier laner. You can't do anything about his Seismic Shard, and it makes it difficult to trade. He also scales well with armor and health, making it nigh impossible to score a kill. Farm as well as you can, note Seismic's cd, and gank for when it's down pre 6. Post 6, he has surprising burst and can dive well. Olaf has an advantage this matchup with Berserker, Vicious Strikes, and Reckless Swing, so punish Seismic and be more aggressive. Maintain pressure to keep his shield down.

Vs. Nidalee:
Only played against once and got wrecked. She has great sustain and becomes dangerous post 6. Her mobility makes it difficult to score a kill against her, and her auto harasses well enough without spear pokes. If she pushes, call for a gank to get breathing room, otherwise make use of any sustain you have.

Determine whether AP or AD. AP loses most lanes but becomes a terror late game with spears. AD is designed to destroy you in lane. They typically run full Armor Pen red, and they will make your life living hell with auto-attacks. Ganking her is fucking retarded due to cougar.

Vs. Nasus:
Nasus requires farm and is fairly squishy early game. He also needs to be in melee range to farm Siphoning Strike, so punish punish punish. Don't push your lane, though. He can farm well under a turret. Zone him from CS and experience and he will contribute absolutely nothing come teamfights. Post 6, he'a difficult to dive and may actually be more aggressive. Take his health gain into account.

Hahahaha, people still pick Nasus? Punish the fuck out of him and watch him be useless for 30-35 mins. My favorite thing is to just pick Renekton and shit all over his brother any time he times to come in for CS.

More to come later...posting from my phone at work. I'd like to hear ideas and strats on how you deal with these and other champs.

My thoughts in bold. I would add my 2cents about other picks like Riven but I have Midterms soon, so i can't be too distracted.

[Deleted]

Vs. Jayce:
Jayce is really strong at pretty much any lvl, and a good Jayce will never lose trades, however what you can do is outsustain him, since his sustain in the laning phase will be relying on health potions as he has no other sustain. Picking champions like Yorick will be a good idea, Irelia can work too, but it really depends on who gets phage first. Overall he is really weak when slowed as he cant do his entire combo, he is really vulnerable to CC so Cho'Gath might be a good counter aswell.

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 12:18 PM ----------

Let me also add some notes about Darius...
1. He is complutely and utterly useless against a Jayce
2. He can in no way win a lane against Jayce unless he is purposely feeding.
3. Jayce is OP...

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 12:21 PM ----------

Vs. Riven:
If you want to counter Riven, pick a champion that either have some good CC to destroy her combo, or someone that can take the beating and hit back harder...
Good example in hitting harder and outsustaining would be Olaf. Garens silence and movespeed from it is quite significant aswell. Renekton works same way..

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 12:25 PM ----------

Vs. Rengar:
Rengar's QQ burst is unmatched bu other solo top champions, so you either wan't to get him low before he reaches 5 Ferocity or CC him when he tries to do the combo... Riven and Jayce are quite good at not dying to him, but on the long run, someone with great sustain could go a long way aswell. Other champion that are awesome at negating his burst are Fiora and Jax. While teemo can negate his QQ combo he is so squishy at low lvl that he can be a risky choice but he can do the job aswell..

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 12:28 PM ----------

Vs. Gangplank:
If you are against gangplank, it is a good thing to be able to dodge his Parrley or block it. Fiora, Pantheon and Jax can do this and they work generally quite well against him.
Other than that do as you would against any other AD solo top, build some armor and just play smart.

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 12:33 PM ----------

Vs. Jax
He is much easier to deal with before he gets his Trinity Force, but in general being able to keep harrasing from a distance can be good, as he has no innate sustain. Olaf, Malphite, Yorick and Singed are just some of the champion that can do well against him and zone him out. And do not tower dive him, unless it is a guaranteed kill, if you have watched the championship you know how he can turn things around if played well. Never go toe to toe with a decently farmed Jax, but take him out with burst and from a distance.

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 01:45 PM ----------

Vs. The Little Runner we all hate - Teemo
Firstly, just kill him quick and you are good to go. Other than get get oracles and obliterate his tiny shrooms... Play Akali and it is a 4v5, play Yorick and he will not matter, Play Kha'Zix and rejoice as you see him die in less than a second, but then again, all teemos are different and tank teemo is such a beast... Rumble and Pantheon works too.
Sustain, Gap closers and better map control than him and his team will get him lying dead most of the game..

Good luck

[Lyese]

My thoughts in bold. I would add my 2cents about other picks like Riven but I have Midterms soon, so i can't be too distracted.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[Polyman]

I apologize that I don't have much to add to this thread since I don't top lane often but I find if funny no one has touched on a lane versus Singed lol. I guess you just do what you do with most tanks and kick him down earlier before he starts just running circles around you.

Very good information here for anyone getting started or looking for new champs to buy though.

[Duronos]

Would love to see some Nidalee talk because from what I've done when I played her nobody can seem to kill me in lane stage even pre-level 6 because she can just turret hug and what not. I mean I've played against Yorick's (supposedly her biggest counter) and just let them push the lane and never really received to many ganks and still was fine. She just seems way to powerful but maybe I'm just so good at her in the ELO I'm in that nobody can keep up.

[Duilliath]

Seeing how she was used as a counter to Yorick in the world finals, I don't think he's really her biggest problem.

[Kurdiern]

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.

Singed: Pick someone strong early and beat his weak gimp ass before he gets a catalyst.

AD Nidalee is designed to win lanes. It's literally her entire job, to be the biggest bully in lane. She falls off in team fights and mid game aside from her still ridiculous split pushing potential.

[Guyv3r]

Im not sure i like the way you talk about my Renek =P

Good thread nonetheless!

[Kenai]

Would love to see some Nidalee talk because from what I've done when I played her nobody can seem to kill me in lane stage even pre-level 6 because she can just turret hug and what not. I mean I've played against Yorick's (supposedly her biggest counter) and just let them push the lane and never really received to many ganks and still was fine. She just seems way to powerful but maybe I'm just so good at her in the ELO I'm in that nobody can keep up.

I would like to see Nid talk too. I see her played more than any other top laner and she is an extremely safe pick since she can harass from range pretty easily + heal herself + run away. I usually play Elise or Kennen top since I am a bit of a moron regarding solo top characters and those are the only two I seemed to pick up on since the S3 revamps.

[Deleted]

Vs Garen:

Pick Elise, enjoy him having 10CS in 30min.

Vs. Darius:
Vs. Jarvan:

Pick Lulu and enjoy them running like little girls. Who's the boss now?

[SargorVirm]

So.... What bout voli? Seen a spree of him of late, always tops losing...