Every preseason is plentiful in terms of changes. And we are thankful for that, otherwise, the game would feel stale and boring. But with so many changes, some will naturally be more powerful than others. In this preseason top lane meta guide, we’ll explain why some champions will bring better results than others.

Preseason top lane meta 

Top laners love complaining all the time, but at least they get a few months of fun every year. It seems to be a routine for Riot to make tanks as broken as possible in the preseason, and useless outside of it. But it’s not just tanks this time around. Item changes have warped the entire meta of the top lane, and only a few select can benefit from it.

Best top lane items in Preseason 13

Ravenous Hydra

Ravenous Hydra has been the name of the game during preseason 13. Riot did their best to handle it with a hotfix nerf in less than 24 hours after the preseason hit live servers. But it wasn’t enough. The item is still so powerful, that almost every AD champion rushes it as its first item. 

Everything Riot tried to do in the last 12 months was completely offset by this item being changed. 

The developers told us that there is too much sustain and shielding in the game, and that’s why they nerfed items that fit those criteria. Thinking of Botrk, Bloodthirster, Ravenous Hunter being removed and Immortal Shieldboiw being gutted. Only to do a complete 180 on that, and give Ravenous Hydra 9-13% Omnivamp. Never mind the fact that omnivamp is inherently more powerful than life steal because it’s not just auto attacks but rather all damage sources. 

Assassin champions were often kept gated by their ability to farm the jungle and focused on killing enemies instead. But this item helps Kha’zix and Pantheon players clear the jungle with ease, never falling behind despite having combat advantages over farming junglers. 

Even the nerfed version of the item now gives 85 attack damage, 13% ominvamp, and 20 ability haste when fully stacked for just 3400 gold. And that’s before you consider that the item builds out of small and cheap components and helps your wave clear tremendously once finished. Ravenous Hydra is beyond broken right now, so make sure you build it on every AD champion you play. 

Heartsteel breaks top lane meta

Almost every tank item currently in the game is a bit more powerful than it’s supposed to be. But nothing matches the impact and scale to which the new tank Mythic item, Heartsteel, warps the game. It builds out of cheap components and costs only 3200 gold, but the most important part about the item is its passive. It gives damage and permanent health every time you attack an enemy, without a limit and only a small timer restriction. 

This item is what makes all top lane champions viable in this preseason meta, by building tank items since it just adds gold value for existing. Reaching a 1000 bonus permanent health gained with this item is super easy and champions like Sion and Cho’gath get to 7000 total health with ease. At those number breakpoints, the game is less and less decided by the players, and more by the numbers. There is only so much the enemy team can do if you get your Heartsteel quickly and stack it successfully.

Spear of Shojin introduced in preseason 13

And now we see an old problem rear its ugly head, in the form of the Spear of Shojin. Riot probably didn’t learn their lesson the first time around, wasting a few years trying to balance this item before removing it. Now that it’s back, the same group of champions are once again abusing it. Fiora, Jax, Riven, Irelia, Cammile. Every AD champion with crowd control in its kit can build Spear of Shojin and can get insane value out of it. But handling Duelist bruisers on the side lane with this two-item combo is impossible. And the chaos and lack of coordination that reign supreme in ranked play, only makes it easier to exploit items for free wins. 

Best top lane champions in preseason 13

Fiora

The Queen of the Top lane assumes her deserved spot on this list and in the meta. Ever since the durability update, bruisers like Jax and Fiora have become more prevalent. Aatrox dominated the top lane meta at the World Championship, being picked or banned in every single game. But in the 76% of games where he was banned, Fiora was allowed to shine. Heading into this preseason, the latest item changes only made her stronger. 

Ravenous Hydra is the biggest culprit, followed closely by Spear of Shojin. Fiora has always been a direct counter to tanks. Her percentage of health damage hurts them in every scenario, and that’s before you account for on-hit effects on her Q ability.  What pushed her over the top is the damage and sustain Ravenous Hydra gives early on, followed by an endless barrage of abilities caused by Spear of Shojin. Nothing can handle Fiora on the side lane with her combination of items, so mastering her is definitely worth it during this preseason. 

Shen

Any tank you pick up in the top lane right now, will get you the job done. It’s absurd how over-the-top tank items are, but there’s nothing we can do. Sion, Mundo, Sett, Darius, Mordekaiser. They all abuse the new tank Mythic items, but nobody can do it like Shen. 

What makes Shen great is his versatility and the utility he brings to team composition. None of the champions we mentioned has a game-changing ultimate ability like Shen. None of them have a crowd control spell as valuable as his taunt. He gets a shield and damage from his Q ability, making him a dual threat. And that’s all before you realize he can block auto attacks with his W ability. Keep in mind, only ADC can kill top lane tanks in this preseason meta, and they often die before the tank. Apart from being able to stall out and win fights, Shen just stat-checks everything right now, regardless of what Mythic item he is building.

Notable mentions: Aatrox

Aatrox did get a slap on the wrist in terms of nerfs after the World Championship, but it definitely wasn’t enough. Although Eclipse got a small adjustment, it still is his best Mythic item choice. And since he and his items all have a percentage of health damage incorporated, he is the perfect counter to the tank meta. 

Just like Fiora, Aatrox can abuse the new bruiser items, making him impossible to handle. There is so much omnivamp and sustain in his kit, that he becomes a drain tank in team fights. And yet, he has enough damage to duel anyone on the side lane. It might take some time to learn his combos and matchups, but picking up Aatrox is a worthy investment right now.

Header: Riot Games