In competitive League of Legends, the top lane role has come to be known as playing on the "island" due to the relatively low priority it is given by Jungle players. Professional top laners are typically known for their mechanical prowess and ability to ebb and flow with varying game states depending on what side of the map is winning. That makes top lane the definitive counter pick role that is heavily match-up dependent. Historically, the most valuable top laners are players who can overcome deficits and stay relevant regardless of their match-up.
Top laners live for the one-vs.-one, trade-centric, low priority role because, in essence, it is a showcase of a player's sheer mechanical ability. Many people think that AD Carries are the duelists of the game, but it is really in top lane where true duels take place. These 10 top laners are the best to ever grace competitive League of Legends with their impactful abilities. All statistical information provided in this article was obtained through Liquipedia's League Of Legends page, Games of Legends, and Leaguepedia.
Updated on July 17, 2021, by Juliet Childers: Competitive League of Legends constantly puts different players in the spotlight. Former pros like Crumbzz and Bjergsen now commentate and coach while new players like Perkz and Karsa make names for themselves. But since the game launched in 2009, certain players stand out among the rest as some of the best of the best, sir (with honors). When it comes to top laners -- a role that can often feel like being on your own island, mechanics and rotation instincts are key. Who are some of the best top lane players in League of Legends throughout the game's history?
15 Marcus "Dyrus" Hill
This is a controversial pick because, as Dyrone and TSM fans will tell you, Dyrus wasn't necessarily the best player. He often got targeted and would have extremely bad KDA ratios. But he wasn't a playmaker; he was a team player.
TSM has, historically, built their comps around either mid or bot lane as opposed to overall team comps. The top laner and jungler are there to support and set up plays. In truth, Dyrus did this exceptionally well -- especially when on a late-game scaling champion like Shyvana, Dr. Mundo, or Maokai.
14 Barney "Alphari" Morris
As with many modern competitive LoL players, Alphari has bounced around quite a bit during his pro career. He currently sits as the top lane player for Team Liquid but went so far as to call himself "one of the best at laning in the LEC" when he played for Origen. He has a pretty solid KDA of 3.5 with 165W and 149L.
Unfortunately for the young player, Team Liquid had to bench him recently for personal reasons and Thomas "Jenkins" Tran took his place. In an Esports world growing more concerned with player health, Alphari's temporary absence can only mean good things for his competitive career.
13 Irfan Berk "Armut" Tükek
The MAD Lions top lane player got his start in 2015 on the team Big Plays Incorporated. His career has been full of ups and downs having ranked 17 - 20 in Worlds 2019 while on Royal Youth and finishing first in the 2021 LEC Spring Playoffs with MAD Lions.
His record includes 145W, 99L, and KDA of 3.4 overall. As with most modern pro players, his champion pool favors meta-friendly options like Gnar and Jayce but also delves deeper with picks like Aatrox and Kennen.
12 Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon (허승훈)
Huni boasts an overall competitive record of 306W and 197L so far. He is usually a primary damage dealer for his teams putting up an impressive 523.6 damage per minute, however, Huni is a coinflip player, oftentimes trading his life in favor of playing aggressively resulting in less than stellar, 2.9 KDA.
In 2015 Huni won both the Spring and Summer seasons in the LEC, putting up a legendary 18 - o split with Fnatic in the Summer. In 2017 he won the LCK Spring Split with SKT T1, who would go on to win the Mid-Season Invitational, and eventually become World Championship finalists.
11 Ibrahim "Fudge" Allami
Fudge sticks out as one of the newest best top lane players to make a name for himself in competitive League of Legends. He debuted in Oceania on team Intuition, but quickly make his way to Cloud9 via C9 Academy. Since then, Fudge has six first-place rankings under his belt a 5-6 ranking at MSI 2021.
With 106 W, 50L, a 60.9 percent kill participation score, and a KDA of 4.7, saying that Fudge is a player to watch is putting it lightly. His champion pool also includes non-traditional picks like Camille, Gragas, and the once OP Lulu.
10 Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho (김찬호)
Once a Champions Summer winner with the KT Rolster Arrows and now a mainstay in the LCS, Ssumday is one of the best top lane players to ever grace Summoners Rift. Ssumday's accolades include a Champions Summer win in 2014 (alongside multiple 2nd place finishes), an NA Academy Championship, and an LCS Spring Split finals appearance. Alongside these finishes, Ssumday has been awarded 1st All Pro-Team in the LCS multiple times.
Ssumday has a competitive record of 198W and 247L and is known for his proficiency with tanks. He also plays a pretty mean Renekton, although his win rate would dictate otherwise. Although he is not as decorated as other players on this list achievement-wise, Ssumday is consistently the bulwark of his teams holding a 3.8 KDA and participating in 63% of his team's kills.
9 Martin "Wunder" Nordahl Hansen
Wunder is touted as a League of Legends prodigy due to his insanely high skill level and success relative to the amount of time he spends playing the game. Wunder's accolades include 4 LEC Championship Titles, Mid-Season Invitational Champion, World Championship Finalist, and 4 1st All-Pro Team nominations.
Wunder's competitive record is 273W and 183L. He averages a KDA of 3.0 and is ahead in minion kills in about 60% of the games he plays, usually posting a +10 CS differential against the enemy top lane player. Wunder is known for his vast champion pool and unique picks.
8 Kim "Khan" Dong-ha (김동하)
Khan is undoubtedly, statistically, one of the best top laners currently playing League of Legends. Call it unlucky or poor circumstance, the argument stands that although he has been an extremely successful player, he has not eclipsed the best. Khan is a 4-time LCK Champion, KeSPA Cup Winner, Rift Rivals Champion, Mid-Season Invitational Finalist, World Championship Semi-Finalist. Even he would remember some of the long-lost items removed from the game.
His competitive record is very impressive, sitting at 324W and 161L, giving him an overall win rate of about 67%. Although his win rate is very impressive, he has a hard time winning when it counts. Khan has a 3.6 KDA and is a bruiser aficionado putting up stellar results with that class of champions. If he wins a Worlds title with DAMWON in 2021 his position on this list would undoubtedly crest into the upper echelons.
7 Jang "Nuguri" Ha-gwon (장하권)
Although Nuguri is relatively new to the scene, he has impacted the top lane in such a profound way since becoming a competitive player. In the 3 years he has played, Nuguri has won both an LCK title and a World Championship title alongside being awarded Playoffs MVP and All-LCK First Team in 2020.
In his short time playing League Of Legends, Nuguri has surpassed players that have been playing twice as long as him, doing so in the World's hardest leagues. Nuguri's competitive record sits at 205W to 111L. He averages a KDA of 3.0 and deals an immense 545.9 damage per minute. Nuguri also maintains a minion kill lead in over 70% of the games he plays and averages 9 CS per minute.
6 Lee "CuVee" Seong-jin (이성진)
CuVee is far from being a statistical powerhouse like some of the other top laners mentioned above, and for most of his career, was a middle-of-the-pack player in his position. However, in his time as a professional player, CuVee garnered a bevy of accolades, including an impressive World Championship title, and multiple top 4 regular season finishes, cementing him as one of the best top laners to play League of Legends.
CuVee has an underwhelming competitive record of 301W and 276L and retired with a KDA of 2.5 only dealing about 406.1 damage per minute in his games. CuVee was never overly outstanding at generating leads against his opponents and found most of his success on scaling tank champions. Though a good solo champ at lower ranks, CuVee puzzled fans with a certain Shen build from a few years back.
5 Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-hwan (장경환)
MaRin's trophy cabinet includes 2 LCK Championships, a World Championship Title, and a World Championship MVP award. He is the Maokai savant, putting up a 31 - 1 record with the champion while he was a player on SK Telecom T1. His KDA and damage per minute reflect his tank-centric playstyle averaging a 3.2 in the former and 445 in the latter.
MaRin is notable for gaining leads in tank matchups and for being a part of the most dominant SKT T1 roster to ever compete. Alongside his teammates, he absolutely steamrolled through Worlds in 2015. His overall win record is 206W and 135L.
4 Jeong "Impact" Eon-young (정언영)
Impact has been an active player since Season 3, and to this day still performs at a World-class level. Impact's trophy case is outstanding and includes 2 LCK Championships, 4 LCS Championships, Rift Rivals Championship, All-Star Invitational Championship, and a World Championship title. He is one of the most decorated top laner players in competitive League of Legends.
Impact has a competitive record of 347W and 205L. His KDA sits at 3.6 and is the definition of a scaling tank player. He usually plays the early game from behind and does relatively low damage per minute compared to his counterparts. However, what he lacks in these departments is made up for in his tremendous macro gameplay.
3 Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok (강승록)
Alongside Nuguri, TheShy is also a relative newcomer to competitive League Of Legends. Since his debut with Invictus Gaming in 2017, TheShy has won the National Electronic Sports Tournament, Rift Rivals, an LPL Title, and a World Championship title. He has also won 2 awards for being the best top lane player in the LPL, alongside 4 1st All-Team nominations, and a Playoffs MVP award. Although his play has faltered recently, TheShy has molded a legacy in the span of 4 years.
TheShy's overall record is 239W to 127L. His KDA is a measly 2.5, however, much like Huni, is a coinflip player who opts to deal tons of damage rather than playing passively. His damage per minute sits at an astounding 591.1 and he oftentimes gets much ahead of his lane opponent generating a +15 minion kill lead in most games.
2 Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho (송경호)
Smeb is the best player in League of Legends to not win a World Championship title. Regardless of his lack of accolades, Smeb is simply the best top laner to ever compete up to this point. He is a 2-time LCK champion, 2-time regular season MVP, and 2-time KeSPA Cup Champion. He is the first, and only, top laner to reach 1000 kills in the LCK, and the first top lane player to record a pentakill in a competitive game.
Smeb averaged a 3.8 KDA and 463.4 damage per minute. His overall win rate was 338W and 208L. Smeb averaged almost a 70% WR with his top three most played champions and is recognized by many analysts for being the greatest top laner of all time.
1 Bai "369" Jia-Hao (白家浩)
-top-lane-player-LoL.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
369 hails from China and has played for Top Esports since May 2019. Alongside players like Karsa and Jackeylove, 369 let Top Esports to first-place victories in the LPL 2020 Summer Split, the Mid-Season Cup for 2020, and the 2020 Demacia Cup.
Though still a very young player at 20 years old, 369 will be one to watch as he continues to grow as a player.
With a KDA of 3.5, 369 has 180W to 90L with a 57.4 percent kill participation score. His champion pool includes the best top laners like Renekton, Gangplank, and Jayce. But he also has success with Vladimir, Aatrox, and Morderkaiser, as well.