The top lane role has undergone many changes since the early days of League of Legends. What has once been the home for melee fighters and tanks, now it’s a role for any champion that has sustain and can split push.
And so, this opens the door for lots of off-meta top laners!
In this post, I’ll list the 15 best off-meta top laners you can play in LoL. All of these picks are strong in their primary role but they can carry games from the top lane too.
And I’ll also give you the runes and items that give you the biggest advantage for doing that.
But if the top lane isn’t your main role, I’d suggest checking some of my other posts. I have similar lists for:
- Top 15 Best Off-Meta Junglers in League of Legends
- Top 15 Best Off-Meta Mid Laners in League of Legends
- Top 15 Best Off-Meta Support Picks in League of Legends
- Top 15 Best Off-Meta ADCs in League of Legends
That said, let’s jump into our list of the 15 best off-meta top lane champions in League of Legends!
Top 15 Best Off-Meta Top Lane Champions in LoL
15. Alistar
Alistar is the first champion I want to talk about here. And if you’re into playing tanks already, Alistar top may be one of the most fun things you ever play in this role!
The reason why Alistar works well in the top lane is that he’s an unkillable tank. The playstyle is similar to that of Ornn, but with much more outplay potential. Here’s what I mean!
Alistar is a playmaker champion. His W + Q combo allows you to set up ganks for your jungler in a way that most top laners can’t.
For example, Malphite needs to get to level 6 while the same knock-up can be done with Alistar on level 2!
But besides the knock-up, Alistar also has a reliable stun with his E – Trample. For this, you have to move around the enemy champion until you get 5 stacks and then auto-attack to stun them.
But doing so is really easy after your W + Q combo.
Another reason why Alistar fits the top lane tank playstyle so well is his ultimate – Unbreakable Will. Not only does this spell allows Alistar to remove all CC from him, but it also gives him up to 75% damage reduction.
No other top laner has this and that’s why Alistar is one of the best tanks in League of Legends!
One thing that Alistar struggles with is doing damage. Because he’s a support champion, he doesn’t clear waves as fast and he can’t one-shot anyone.
However, if you decide to give Alistar top a chance, you might want to try out my AP Alistar build. Remember, you don’t need to go for a full AP build. And for top lane, it might be better to go for a hybrid AP/tank build.
Runes
- Grasp of the Undying
- Demolish
- Conditioning
- Overgrowth
- Transcendence
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Mercury’s Treads
- Sunfire Aegis
- Thornmail
- Demonic Embrace
- Force of Nature
- Frozen Heart
Read Also: Complete Guide for Jungle Alistar
14. Warwick
Ever since his rework, Warwick has been a true dueling monster. He’s got so much sustain and he doesn’t his teammates to win fights.
So the most obvious reason why Warwick top is a great off-meta top laner is that he can fight anyone 1v1. And the biggest thing that makes him a good duelist is his Q – Jaws of the Beast.
Warwick’s Q is a point-click spell that does a lot of damage but it also heals him for a significant amount. It can also counter mobile top laners such as Camille because it can follow them through their dashes.
On top of the insane self-healing, Warwick also has damage reduction. With his E, he can take way less damage than other bruisers in League.
And at the end of the cast, he can fear his lane opponent which helps him win the trades or set up ganks for his jungler.
Once Warwick unlocks his ultimate ability, the gameplay gets much easier. Infinite Duress is one of the best abilities for 1v1 fights and securing kills.
First of all, Warwick’s R suppresses the target for several seconds, allowing Warwick to deal damage and heal in the process. It’s perfect for turning the tide of the fight when you’re on low HP or your jungler is nearby looking to help you out.
One thing that you won’t get too much use of is Warwick’s W. He can track enemies that are on low HP but this is way more useful if you’re a tank.
Still, it can help you find the enemy top laner or the jungler when they’re running away.
Warwick is a great beginner-friendly fighter with a powerful kit. His damage and tankiness are high, so you can’t go wrong by trying him in the top lane.
You can also try my fun off-meta AP Warwick build which focuses on dealing damage with Q and R!
Runes
- Lethal Tempo
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Alacrity
- Last Stand
- Bone Plating
- Revitalize
Items
- Mercury’s Treads
- Blade of the Ruined Kings
- Sunfire Aegis
- Titanic Hydra
- Thornmail
- Death’s Dance
Read Also: Top 5 Best Top Laners to Get Out of Bronze
13. Neeko
If we’re being fair, Neeko is one of those “forgotten” champions in League of Legends. She hasn’t been a meta pick in any role for a very long time. But that’s exactly why she’s perfect for surprising your enemies!
What Neeko offers is tons of damage, crowd control, and outplay potential.
First, Neeko can either go AP or AD. Yes, she’s an AP mage champion and can one-shot squishy enemies with enough ability power. Her wave clear is fantastic and can easily push against many champions in the top lane.
However, Neeko can also go for a full AD build or a hybrid AP/AD build. In the past, even pro players have picked AD Neeko in the top lane, so here’s a video of how TheShy plays AD Neeko top.
AD Neeko can be played with a couple of different build options. The one that I’m recommending is about attack speed and critical strike, but you can also add lifestyle if you want.
And the reason why AD or on-hit Neeko works so well against top laners is also her W – Shapesplitter. The passive effect from this ability allows every 3rd auto-attack that Neeko does to do bonus magic damage.
And this can be used to harass melee top laners all the time!
Besides this, Shapesplitter allows Neeko to escape most junglers when they come to gank. It’s a great spell for tricking your opponents or doing a setup.
But if you choose to go for AP Neeko, then you have a lot of burst damage for the opposing laner. Your ultimate can sometimes take 50% of their HP, so it’s worth trying it out!
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Overheal
- Legend: Alacrity
- Cut Down
- Bone Plating
- Demolish
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Stormrazor
- Rapid Firecannon
- Infinity Edge
- Guardian Angel
12. Lulu
Lulu is a similar case to Neeko when it comes to top lane. This support champion is responsible for breaking the top lane meta multiple times in the past seasons, including pro play.
You have three ways of playing Lulu top and each offers different strengths. They’re support Lulu, AP/on-hit Lulu, and AD Lulu.
And if you want to know more about whether you should play Lulu AP or AD in your role, this guide may help you out.
For top lane, AD Lulu gives you the biggest carry potential out of all builds.
Lulu has the benefit of having defensive abilities and crowd control in her kit plus the bonus physical damage and on-hit magic damage on her auto-attacks.
Like AD Soraka, AD Lulu can become an unbeatable duelist simply because she can shield and heal herself while doing damage. She can also polymorph her opponent and escape any danger with the bonus movement speed.
The AD items allow Lulu to constantly harass the enemy top laner from range. She can auto-attack them each time to go for a minion hit and even slow them down with her Q for more damage.
However, AP Lulu can also be strong in the top lane. There are multiple on-hit magic damage effects from ability power items that offer similar playstyle. For example, Nashor’s Tooth and Lich Bane.
Lastly, the support build for Lulu only works in the top lane if you’re going with a duo jungler like Master Yi.
But if you are, you can follow him around and help him take the whole Summoner’s Rift. You can give him your top lane farm to funnel the gold and experience and turn Yi into a hyper carry champion on.
All in all, Lulu is a powerful off-meta top lane pick and you should definitely try her out!
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Taste of Blood
- Ultimate Hunter
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Phantom Dancer
Read Also: How to Split Push in League of Legends?
11. Lee Sin
Every League player knows that Lee Sin is an unlimited champion. He can do pretty much everything, from setting up ganks for his teammates to assassinating enemy carries.
And it’s no surprise that he’s one of the best off-meta top laners since the early days of LoL!
Unlike many champions in the game, Lee Sin can either be an assassin, bruiser, or a tank, depending on your build preference.
He works well with many different items and runes, so he can easily adapt to your playstyle and needs.
The first reason why you should try out Lee in the top lane is that he’s fun. All the mobility makes the gameplay really exciting while the outplay potential is always high if you know the advanced moves such as the “InSec” kick.
One of the things that makes Lee Sin a strong laner against melee top laners is his E – Tempest. And although this is a magic damage spell, it scales with 100% of his AD.
So, Lee can use it to AoE farm the minions while poking the enemy laner in the process.
Moreover, Lee Sin can go for quick trades with the opposing top laner thanks to his Q and W.
If you’re running Electrocute, the basic combo of Q > Q > AA > E > AA > W will do so much damage that you’re always going to be in an advantageous position.
Lee Sin top lane is even played by professional players in professional games. And they usually max out the E ability first because it helps them out with wave clear and dueling early on.
I’d say that playing Lee Sin top is definitely not easy. This champion requires a decent level of skill and mastery in mechanics to perform. However, if you’re willing to practice, Lee can be a great champion to main in the top lane!
And if you want a super powerful build that can help you carry games in solo queue, make sure to check out my lethality Lee Sin build. But for top lane Lee Sin, I’d advise you to be tankier and try the runes and items you see below.
Runes
- Conqueror
- Triumph
- Legend: Tenacity
- Coup de Grace
- Sudden Impact
- Ultimate Hunter
Items
- Plated Steelcaps
- Goredrinker
- Death’s Dance
- Sterak’s Gage
- Black Cleaver
- Ravenous Hydra
Read Also: How to Carry as a Top Laner in League of Legends?
10. Shaco
League of Legends players typically have negative thoughts whenever they see Shaco in the top lane. And rightfully so!
Most Shaco players have no idea what they’re doing with their runes, items, and spells, so they always end up trolling.
But if you’ve spent even a minute watching Pink Ward’s Shaco top gameplay, then you definitely know what this champion is capable of!
Shaco is a trickster champion and should be played that way. He has a completely opposite playstyle of most top lane champions which focus on melee fighting.
But with Shaco, you’re looking to outplay your opponents by setting up boxes at the right spots, avoiding damage with the invisibility/dash from your Q, and wasting the enemy jungler’s time.
Don’t get me wrong, Shaco can do some insane damage in League of Legends. Both of his AP and AD builds work extremely well in the top lane with the damage output being somewhat equal.
And the only difference is the playstyle they offer.
But how do you actually win a lane with Shaco when he’s such a weak champion for dueling?
Well, it’s all about what Shaco can and can’t do. Yes, he’s weak at dueling champions like Jax or Camille. However, if you play around his cooldowns and only trade when you have Q and E available, you’ll often end up winning the trades.
Another advantage you have with Shaco is that you can run Ignite + Teleport in the top lane. This gives you more pressure and opens up opportunities for more takedowns throughout the game.
Shaco is a fun character to play overall, especially in the top lane. So, give him a shot sometimes!
Runes
- Arcane Comet
- Manaflow Band
- Transcendence
- Scorch
- Magical Footwear
- Biscuit Delivery
Items
- Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Liandry’s Anguish
- Demonic Embrace
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Morellonomicon
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
9. Cassiopeia
If you’re into mages and already good at playing them, Cassiopeia top may be one of the strongest off-meta picks you can go for!
The biggest reason why you’d want to play Cass top is the damage. This champion has almost an unlimited amount of damage in her kit. And as long as she has mana, she can 1v5 the enemy team without a problem.
Cassiopeia’s damage mainly comes from her E which is enhanced by her poisons on the rest of her abilities.
In the top lane, Cass has the range advantage over most champions, so it’s not hard to land for her to land the poisons and harass her opponents.
Additionally, many players forget that Cassiopeia’s W stops all mobility spells, including Flash. This makes it easy for her to control the enemy Jax or Camille and not let them engage or run away.
Because of this, Miasma can stop the ganks from champions like Zed or Lee Sin. The spell can help her trap enemies too so her own junglers can engage them.
But the most broken tool that Cass has in her kit is her ultimate ability – Petrifying Gaze.
And the reason why it’s unfair in the top lane is that most champions there are melee and must walk toward Cassiopeia in order to fight her.
So, Cass can use this to easily land her R, stun her enemy, and overwhelm them with damage. Petrifying Gaze can’t be blocked by Yasuo’s W – Wind Wall or similar spells, so it’s one of the best stun abilities in the game!
Cassiopeia also has the advantage of building anti-tank items in LoL such as Liandry’s Anguish, Demonic Embrace, and Morellonomicon, so she’s a great champion for late game scaling and carrying matches in solo queue!
Runes
- Conqueror
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Tenacity
- Last Stand
- Manaflow Band
- Transcendence
Items
- Liandry’s Anguish
- Seraph’s Embrace
- Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
- Demonic Embrace
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
Read Also: 7 Best Mid Laners Against Tanks
8. Lucian
The fact that Lucian is on this list shouldn’t be a surprise to any League player. After all, Lucian is one of the most played off-meta marksmen in the top lane role including the pro scene!
Even though Lucian has undergone many balance changes, one thing still remains true – Lucian is a self-sufficient marksman that can carry games alone from any role.
The first reason why this statement is true is Lucian’s damage. Thanks to his passive, Lucian can auto-attack two times after using an ability which is perfect for poking the enemy top laner.
Additionally, Lucian’s abilities have a high AD ratio too, so his damage is great throughout the game.
But the most important ability in Lucian’s kit is his R – The Culling. This spell has an insane amount of damage potential, especially if you’re ahead.
And if you use it right, The Culling can take the whole health from the enemy top laner, even if he’s a tank!
Besides the damage, Lucian has a dash ability on a relatively short cooldown. His E allows you to kite the melee fighters and tanks and dodge their predictable damage.
Depending on how skilled you are, you can completely outplay many top lane champions with Lucian.
There are a number of different build paths you can choose for top lane Lucian.
Depending on the matchup, you can go for the survival Lucian build with items like Immortal Shieldbow, Blade of the Ruined Kings, and even Death’s Dance. This will give you enough defensiveness so you can duel any top lane champion.
However, you can also go full offensive and build only critical strike AD items. The choice is completely yours!
And if you want to take this to the extreme, you can try my AP Lucian one-shot build. But I wouldn’t recommend jumping straight into ranked games without trying it out in normal games first.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Bloodline
- Coup de Grace
- Magical Footwear
- Biscuit Delivery
Items
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Galeforce
- The Collector
- Essence Reaver
- Serylda’s Grudge
- Infinity Edge
7. Braum
Braum is often thought of as a “support-only” type of champion in League of Legends. And yes, designed him to be a helpful tank to ADCs in the bot lane.
But Braum has a few exploitable advantages that sometimes can break the top lane meta!
For starters, Braum’s passive – Concussive Blows is the perfect tool for assisting your jungler when he comes to gank. He and Braum can stun the enemy champion only by auto-attacking four times.
However, Braum’s Q – Winter’s Bite also applies a slow effect on the opponent, so setting up ganks is always an easy thing to do on this champion.
Besides crowd control, Braum offers tons of defensiveness. For example, he can use his E to block so much damage and stop projectiles such as the ultimates from Ezreal or Ashe.
Additionally, Braum’s W grants bonus armor and magic resist to him and his target ally, making it a perfect tool for the 2v2 fights early on.
Once you get to level 6 and unlock the ultimate ability, playing Braum top starts to feel really powerful. You can sometimes duel your laner alone, but you’ll have line up your abilities perfectly for the best chances of slaying them.
Unfortunately, Braum’s damage isn’t spectacular. Thanks to the thank items like Sunfire Aegis, you’ll be able to clear your waves and do good on your own.
However, you’ll never be close to what Urgot or Volibear can do in terms of damage.
But playing Braum in the top lane isn’t about dealing damage. It’s about being an unkillable tank that helps your teammates with kiting in team fights and securing objectives such as Dragons, Rift Heralds, and Barons.
So if you like this playstyle, definitely give Braum chance!
Check my AP Braum guide if you’re looking for a different playstyle for the champion!
Runes
- Grasp of the Undying
- Demolish
- Bone Plating
- Overgrowth
- Triumph
- Legend: Tenacity
Items
- Plated Steelcaps
- Frostfire Gauntlet
- Thornmail
- Force of Nature
- Deadman’s Plate
- Gargoyle Stoneplate
6. Malzahar
Malzahar has always been the easiest mid laner to climb with in League of Legends.
But experienced Malzahar players know that this champion is equally strong in the top lane and that they don’t have to change their playstyle at all if they want to climb from top lane.
First of all, Malzahar has one of the simplest kits in the game.
He has a passive shield that blocks damage, a silence spell, a curse, pets that do incredible damage, and one of the best ultimates in LoL!
All of this makes combined makes Malzahar a relatively easy champion to exploit while also having fun against top laners.
During the laning phase, Malzahar’s game plan is all about farming and pushing with his E and W. His curse spreads to other targets if the primary one is slain while Malzahar’s pets focus on attacking the cursed target first.
And this makes farming Malzahar extremely efficient at farming and split pushing.
When it comes to fighting 1v1, Malzahar can hold his ground against many top lane champions.
For example, he can harass Camille and Aatrox from range with his Q, E, and W. And once they engage on him, Malzahar can stop them with his ultimate.
However, Malzahar doesn’t have the greatest damage potential in League of Legends. Yes, his damage-over-time playstyle gets really strong if he’s fed, but he needs to apply his curses multiple times before he can slay an enemy, especially a tanky top laner.
There are things that can help Malzahar out, though.
For example, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter applies a slow effect and is a nightmare to melee top lane champions. Similarly, Void Stuff can help you bring down champions like Ornn even if you’re alone.
That said, make sure to read my top 3 reasons why Malzahar is so good for climbing in League, including as an off-meta top lane pick!
Runes
- Dark Harvest
- Cheap Shot
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter
- Transcendence
- Scorch
Items
- Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Liandry’s Anguish
- Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
- Demonic Embrace
- Morellonomicon
- Void Staff
Read Also: Top 10 Best Tanks in League of Legends
5. Rengar
There’s something about having a jungler champion in the top lane role in your team that League players don’t like. And like Shaco, Rengar is often looked at as a “bad” off-meta top lane pick, no matter the situation.
However, Rengar has a few strengths that give him huge advantages in the top lane. And Rengar is the perfect champion for players with an aggressive top lane playstyle.
For example, Rengar is the ideal counter to slow and scaling champions like Nasus.
That’s because Rengar can constantly jump on Nasus from the top lane brushes and punish him for every minion he’s trying to stack.
Because of his passive, it’s easy for Rengar to stay out of trouble most of the time. He can comfortably sit in the brushes and only use his passive to execute minions when they’re on low health.
And this can help you get through the laning phase safely.
However, since Rengar is an assassin and not a bruiser or a tank, he loses most duels in the top lane.
If you aren’t smart about it and you fight Tryndamere or Jax toe to toe, you’ll definitely be the slain one. But if you choose your moments and poke first with your passive, you’ll find that Rengar can win many fights.
Rengar top also works great for roaming around the map and ganking the other lanes. It’s similar to what you do if you’re a Quinn player.
There are a few different build paths you can choose for playing Rengar top lane. Aside from the assassin build that offers tons of lethality and one-shot potential, you can also build like a bruiser.
That will give you more self-healing and sustain during a fight.
But, you can also go full off-meta and try the AP Rengar build too. It’s all up to you!
Runes
- Conqueror
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Last Stand
- Bone Plating
- Revitalize
Items
- Plated Steelcaps
- Goredrinker
- Black Cleaver
- Death’s Dance
- Sterak’s Gage
- Guardian Angel
Read Also: Top 5 Best Top Laners Against Tanks
4. Leona
Leona is one of my favorite off-meta top laners in League of Legends. And if you’re looking for a fun champion to own the top lane, Leona should be your choice.
For starters, Leona is an extremely tanky champion in LoL. And besides her stats, she also has her W – Eclipse which is arguably one of the strongest shields in the entire game.
Leona’s W increases her armor and magic resist when it’s activated, so Leona can be played both against AP and AD top laners without problems. This ability also does a bit of damage, so it’s a great way to outplay your opponents.
However, the biggest advantage that Leona has as a champion is crowd control. She’s a notorious pick in the bot lane for locking the enemy ADCs for several seconds. But she can do the same top laners as well!
First of all, Leona’s Q is a point-click stun that actives through her auto-attack. Second, her E allows her to root her enemy in place and dash to them.
And third, Leona’s ultimate ability is an AoE stun ideal for setting up ganks and team fights.
Besides the effects, all of these abilities actually do magic damage. They have decent AP ratios and if you have only one damage item (Demonic Embrace), they’re going to be incredibly powerful!
As a top laner, Leona can clear waves better than Braum or Alistar, especially if she has the burning items like Sunfire Aegis and Demonic Embrace. Her W and E are AoE spells and affect minions, so she’s a great champion overall.
And if you want to take this to another level, I’d recommend you try my AD Leona bruiser build. It’s a very powerful playstyle that will definitely surprise you and your opponent, both in terms of damage and survivability.
If not, you can go for the AP Leona build too.
So, give Leona top lane a chance!
Runes
- Grasp of the Undying
- Font of Life
- Conditioning
- Overgrowth
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Tenacity
Items
- Plated Steelcaps
- Sunfire Aegis
- Thornmail
- Demonic Embrace
- Force of Nature
- Gargoyle Stoneplate
Read Also: Top 5 Best Top Laners for Clash
3. Zac
The first advantage you have of playing Zac in the top lane is that your opponent will never know what to expect. Playing against Zac in the jungle is weird enough, but top lane Zac is on another level!
Zac doesn’t have a single “traditional” spell in his kit. His Q allows you to pull two targets closer to you while your W deals AoE damage at the cost of your HP.
Zac’s E lets you jump from great distances and his R knock back enemies left and right.
Additionally, Zac’s passive allows him to heal when he collects his “blobs” which spawn when he uses his active abilities.
And so, Zac’s job in the top lane is to torment enemy players with these ridiculous spells. He can deal AoE magic damage and win trades with his lane opponents by constantly healing himself.
Parts of what makes Zac a good junlger also makes him a good top laner too. For example, he can use his E to set up ganks for his jungler or escape a sticky situation.
And his tankiness allows him to absorb so much damage in a team fight as well as Ornn.
And don’t get me wrong. Zac is a very strong off-meta top lane pick and even professional League of Legends players acknowledge that. But he isn’t the 1v9 carry like Jax or Fiora.
However, the right runes and items can help out Zac a lot. For example, building Demonic Embrace in between the tank items can double his damage output.
That said, I recommend you check my Zac’s damage guide here to figure out how you can increase the power of this champion!
Runes
- Conqueror
- Triumph
- Legend: Tenacity
- Last Stand
- Second Wind
- Revitalize
Items
- Mercury’s Treads
- Sunfire Aegis
- Spirit Visage
- Demonic Embrace
- Thornmail
- Force of Nature
Read Also: The 10 Best Champions without Skillshots
2. Vayne
There’s nothing more notorious than playing Vayne top in League of Legends. And there are thousands of reasons why this champion is nicknamed “the top lane destroyer” and “the tank killer”.
Any top lane player can tell you that laning versus Vayne is pure pain. And here’s why.
The main thing that makes Vayne intolerable as a top laner besides her range is her W – Silver Bolts.
And its effect is simple – every 3rd of Vayne’s basic attacks does bonus true damage that scale with the target’s maximum HP.
If you think about it, this is the perfect ability against top laners and tanks. True damage can’t be blocked by armor and magic resist.
And the more health you’re building against Vayne the more true damage she’s going to do to you! (Here’s what you need to build against Vayne in LoL!)
And so, when you play Vayne in the top lane against a melee champion, all odds are in your favor. You can use your ranged auto-attacks to harass the enemy laner and force him out of the lane.
Sometimes you can even chase him down and slay him.
But even if your opponent is decent and looks for opportunities to engage to you, Vayne has her Q to avoid damage and create space between her and her target.
For example, She can dodge Jax’s E if she tumbles away after he jumps onto her.
Once Vayne unlocks her ultimate and gets a bit of damage and attack speed, it’s pretty much game over for the enemy top laner.
Her ulti adds invisibility to her tumbles, so it becomes extremely easy for Vayne to kite fighters and outplay them 1v1.
Vayne may not be the safest champion when it comes to dealing with the enemy jungler. However, she does have her E to push back or stun at least one enemy as she’s running away.
Runes
- Lethal Tempo
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Taste of Blood
- Treasure Hunter
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Wit’s End
- Guardian Angel
1. Karma
And Karma is the final boss of off-meta top lane picks in League of Legends! Almost every
League player knows what’s the deal with Karma top, but let me briefly explain here the obvious benefits of playing this champion in this role.
For starters, Karma is a support/damage champion that does both of those things pretty well regardless of her items. She can always poke enemies with her R + Q combo and shield all of her allies with R + E.
However, if you go for a tank build on Karma, you can still do both of those things while being extremely defensive. Here’s why it works.
Karma’s W – Focused Resolve is a point-click tether that roots the enemy champion in place after a few seconds. However, if it’s used with combination with R, Karma’s W becomes Renewal and heals her for a significant amount.
In other words, when you’re playing Karma top, maxing out W and using it with R to heal yourself in a fight is one of the most broken things in League of Legends.
The amount of heal you get is insane and you have a decent chance to tilt your lane opponent.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at this old but ridiculous YouTube video of Karma outplaying 3 opponents alone. The items are different, but tank Karma is even stronger nowadays!
Karma top can also be your answer pick against ranged top laners. For example, if the enemy has already picked Teemo and you don’t want to go with a melee tank, ranged Karma tank is the perfect pick for the situation!
All in all, I love playing Karma top and she’s definitely the best off-meta top laner in League of Legends!
Runes
- Grasp of the Undying
- Shield Bash
- Second Wind
- Revitalize
- Taste of Blood
- Ultimate Hunter
Items
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Turbo Chemtank
- Fimbulwinter
- Spirit Visage
- Frozen Heart
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
