League of Legends Patch 13.11 didn’t really dabble in the toplane meta, but some new picks still managed to emerge.
The latest update to League of Legends 13.11 released 6 days ago, bringing about the Rell mid-scope update, the 2022 World Champion Skins and a number of buffs and nerfs to Champions and Items alike. As almost a week have gone by, there’s finally enough data to determine who are the best Champions of this patch!
Let’s start with the northernmost part of Summoner’s Rift, the toplane! While there are many viable picks because of the nature of the lane – as the individual micro and macro skills of toplane players factor in to their success more so than in any other lane, there are Champions which are easier to be successful with, either because they are stronger than the rest of the cast at the moment, or their gameplan is not that hard to execute while making your opponent’s (and their team’s) life much harder to live. Without further ado, let’s get into some of the best toplane Champs of 13.11!
The strongest toplaners of League of Legends Patch 13.11
Renekton
Renekton got some buffs to the cooldown of his E – Slice and Dice and the Cooldown and Damage of his R – Dominus in the latest League of Legends update after being in the gutter for some time because of proplay. Thanks to this, the Fury of the Sands saw some increase in his winrate, climbing past 50% winrate after hovering around 47% according to stats site Lolalytics.
He still has the same strengths and weaknesses as before, meaning that he has an extremely strong laning phase, as he is capable of destroying his opponent with ease with the right combos, but falls off around the 20-minute mark if he couldn’t amass a huge lead. However, those 20 minutes can be crucial in terms of the game, and with his buffed mobility and damage, Renekton can decide the outcome a bit more reliably.
In terms of Runes and Abilities, Conqueror with Q max is still the way to go, but his highest winrate is with W start instead of E or Q like before. While W start was not bad by any means, E was safer while Q provided more sustain – but if you want to stomp your opponent, Ruthless Predator can help you with that. His most popular Mythic Item is Goredrinker, as it gives great damage and sustain, while also letting Renekton stay in the fray longer if the match progresses to the teamfight phase. Goredrinker is followed by Black Cleaver and a match-appropriate boots option, after which you have the freedom to build whatever bruiser item you need – if it provides AD and maybe Ability Haste, you’re good to go!
While Renekton is still not an autowin Champion, your opponents will have a very hard time keeping up with your pressure in lane. The Fury of the Sands have some great combos, dashing in and out of fights, while also being capable of dealing extremely high damage in short time thanks to his W into R animation cancel, so there’s room to grow while maining him as well. Hopefully Riot will keep him in the meta, as he can be a great answer to tanks and squishies alike!
Cho’Gath
If your team lacks AP damage, Cho’Gath can be the answer to your prayers. While he’s not on the top of any tierlists, he’s almost always A+ or S tier, and can be picked into almost anything apart from ranged poke champions like Vayne or Ivern, who has strolled into the toplane after his most recent buffs. While Cho’Gath didn’t receive any changes in the last update, he managed to stay strong, and while his Pick Rate has gone down, his Win Rate is still over 50%.
His most common build is the anti-tank tank buil,d picking Grasp of the Undying and Resolve as his Primary rune page, pairing it with Inspiration for extra mobility and sustain provided by Approach Velocity and Biscuit Delivery. The extra HP and Ability Haste from the fragments don’t hurt either. Along with this runepage, Cho’Gath players tend to max E for increased trade potential and that sweet % HP Damage which let’s them counter almost any tank and bruiser in melee range. The Knockup of Rupture and the Silence of Feral Scream also makes Cho a viable pick in the mid to lategame where he can disrupt the enemy backline from afar. Feast is one of the strongest ultimates in the game as well, as it cares about a % Health threshold, and the execute just gets stronger and stronger as the game passes.
This is true for Cho’Gath’s most popular build as well, where he buys Heartsteel into Sunfire Aegis, stacking health and the passive from Hearsteel to deal tons of damage to anyone that dares to get close. While Cho’Gath suffers from the same problems as other immobile tanks – not having a way to get close to his target – he has some help thanks to his Q, and can be a concrete wall for his carries.
There’s also the forbidden Everfrost + Q max technique as well if you’re facing only one or even no tanks, and your lane opponent is a ranged or melee poke Champion. With this build, you can farm safely from a distance, and with the 13.10 sidelane minion changes, you won’t even have to leave your turret. While he might not be Malphite or Sion, Cho’Gath can be definitely worth your time!
Rek’Sai
However, both Renekton and Cho’Gath has been played a lot in both ranked and pro play – but 13.11 unleashed a greater evil to the toplane, Rek’Sai. The Queen of the Xer’Xai has been a jungler ever since her release, and she still shines in that role, especially after the buffs to her Passive, Q and W. Rek’Sai has only been played top in 5% of her appearances in Summoner’s Rift, but she boast an almost 54% winrate, so she can most definitely hold her ground.
If you decide to play Rek’Sai top, your best bet is to take Conqueror with Triumph, Alacrity and Coup de Grace alongside Magical Footwear and Minion Dematerializer, as she doesn’t have the best clear, but you can split push with her effectively after laning phase. By maxing the recently buffed Q, you can trade very efficiently, but if you face beefier targets, E is the way to go. While the old ultimate of Rek’Sai has been gone for a while, she can still get around the Rift easily, so you can try to stomp your lane with Ignite.
Your buildpath should be Stridebreaker to keep your targets in melee range, building Hullbreaker after to put some pressure on those sidelanes. Rek’Sai’s best friend, Titanic Hydra comes next paired with Black Cleaver for that extra shred. This makes you impossible to handle 1v1 while splitpushing, and if the situation gets a bit too heated, you can just leave with your Tunnels. Rek’Sai has a fairly strong early game as well thanks to her Burrow, as the extra abilities really help her laning phase trading. While she might not be a conventional toplaner, and she’s a bit better in the jungle, her toplane winrate shot up 6% after the buffs, so she might be worth a try if you want something new!
Of course, Renekton, Cho’Gath and Rek’Sai are just 3 of the best toplaners this patch. Malphite is still extremely strong, along with Fiora, Darius, Garen and Riven, while Ornn and Sion also continue to dominate. The 13.10 and 13.11 patches brought a lot of changes, but the toplane stayed relatively the same – of course, there’s always room for creativity in the Summoner’s Rift, so don’t be afraid to find your own style!
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