League of Legends Top Lane Guide: Why You Suck and How to Fix It

Playing top lane in League of Legends can be an extremely frustrating experience, especially for newer players. You’re isolated on an island, far away from your team, and even a single mistake can completely ruin your lane phase. 

If you fall behind, it often feels impossible to walk up to the minion wave without instantly dying to the enemy laner. Many players find themselves stuck, unable to climb out of their current rank despite playing a lot of games.

In this League of Legends top lane guide, we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes players make in the top lane that cause them to lose games. I’ll also provide you with solutions to fix these issues and help you stop sucking at the top lane.

Why You Suck at Top Lane in LoL and How to Fix It

Winning lane is the key to dominating the top lane, but why do so many players struggle to gain advantages early? The biggest issues often stem from fundamental misunderstandings about wave management, trading patterns, recall timings, and macro play.

This League of Legends top lane guide will teach you about these areas and how to improve them. So, let’s get started!

1. Failing to Establish Wave Control

One of the most critical mistakes that low-elo top laners make is neglecting wave control. The state of the minion wave can completely swing a matchup, regardless of champion picks. 

If the wave is pushing towards you, it becomes incredibly difficult to walk up and farm safely without being vulnerable to engagement and poke.

Conversely, if the wave is pushing toward your opponent, you have a much easier time zoning them off the minions, denying resources, and setting up favorable trades.

How to Fix it?

To fix this, you need to prioritize getting the push lead in the early levels. As soon as you enter the lane at level 1, start auto-attacking the minions instead of mindlessly trading with your opponent. 

The goal is to build up a minion advantage so that when the second wave arrives, you can hit level 2 first and look for an all-in opportunity with your stronger level 2 abilities.

If you can’t get the push lead, your goal should be to thin out the wave and prevent it from crashing into your tower, giving your opponent easy recall timing and the potential to freeze the wave on their side.

2. Misunderstanding Trading Patterns

Many players in lower elos treat the top lane like a continuous all-in fest, constantly looking for trades and extended fights without regard for minion wave positioning or cooldown tracking. 

However, this mindless trading playstyle is often inefficient and can put you in unfavorable situations where you take unnecessary pokes or get caught out by your opponent’s abilities. 

Instead, you should focus on trading when you have a distinct advantage, such as when the wave is pushing toward your opponent or when you have a level lead. 

How to Fix it?

Look for opportunities to use your abilities to damage both your opponent and the minion wave simultaneously, a concept known as “double value” trades.

This way, you’re not only winning the trade itself but also building up a minion advantage, which further increases your lead and zone potential.

Additionally, learn to recognize when it’s better to play defensively and prioritize farming over trading. For example, if the wave is pushing towards you or if you’re lower in health and resources, it’s often better to focus on thinning out the wave and preventing it from crashing into your tower rather than constantly looking for trades that could put you in an even weaker position.

3. Neglecting Recall Timings

One of the most common mistakes in the top lane, even among higher elo players, is failing to recognize proper recall timings. Recalling at the wrong time can lead to missed experience, gold, and potential objective setups, putting you behind in the lane phase.

How to Fix it?

To fix this, you need to understand the concept of “cheater recalls.” When the enemy laner has the push lead and the wave is slowly pushing toward your tower, start thinning out the wave to slow its momentum. 

Just before a cannon minion wave arrives, start slow-pushing the wave toward your opponent’s tower. Once the cannon wave arrives, quickly crash the entire wave into the enemy tower and immediately recall.

4. Poor Macro Play

worlds2016 game 2. Rox Tiger Kuro & Pray were pushing top lane — SKT Duke was teleporting for it but it got cancelled because of Pray’s Legendary Ashe Arrow play.

also SKT T1 has Faker & Rox Tiger has Peanut that moment, so its kinda nostalgic when Guma did that base cancel pic.twitter.com/Eg0yqSvlae

— 𝚌𝚖𝚛𝚛 (@camirruu) April 14, 2024

While laning is crucial, the top lane is also heavily influenced by macro play, which involves understanding objectives, rotations, and map pressure.

Many players in lower elos struggle to transition from the laning phase to the mid-game, often failing to recognize when to group with their team or when to split-push and apply side lane pressure.

How to Fix it?

To fix this, you need to develop a better understanding of your win conditions based on your team composition and game state. If you’re ahead in the top lane and playing a split-push-oriented champion like Fiora or Tryndamere, consider constantly pushing side lanes to draw pressure and force the enemy team to respond. 

On the other hand, if you’re behind or playing a more team-fight-oriented champion like Ornn or Sion, it might be better to group with your team and look for team fights, where your crowd control and frontline presence can still be valuable even if you’re not the primary damage threat.

5. Lack of Champion Pool Depth

Continuing to our League of Legends top lane guide, one more common mistake that players make in the top lane is becoming too comfortable with a small pool of champions.

While having a few main champions that you’re proficient with is perfectly fine, it’s important to have a diverse pool to adapt to different team compositions, matchups, and situations.

How to Fix it?

If you primarily play aggressive bruisers like Riven or Aatrox, consider adding a tank or a split-pushing carry to your pool.

Tanks like Ornn or Malphite can provide valuable frontline and engage tools for your team, while split-pushers like Fiora or Camille can apply constant side lane pressure and force the enemy team to make difficult decisions.

Conversely, if you’re used to playing scaling champions like Kayle or Nasus, it might be beneficial to add a more lane-dominant champion to your pool, allowing you to dictate the pace of the game and gain early advantages that can be difficult for your opponents to overcome.

6. Ignoring Summoner Spells and Runes

While it might seem like a minor detail, overlooking summoner spells and rune choices can greatly impact your performance in the top lane.

The wrong choices can leave you at a disadvantage in key moments, while the right choices can give you the edge you need to win trades, skirmishes, and even team fights.

For example, taking Teleport can be crucial for split-pushing and joining team fights from across the map, while Ignite can give you the extra burst damage needed to secure kills in lane or during skirmishes.

Similarly, runes like Grasp of the Undying or Conqueror can be game-changers depending on your champion and playstyle, providing additional sustain or damage output in extended trades.

How to Fix it?

Make sure you’re always taking the time to consider your summoner spell and rune choices based on your champion, matchup, team composition, and overall game plan. Don’t just mindlessly copy popular setups without understanding the reasoning behind them.

Also, pay attention to your opponent’s summoner spell and rune choices, as this information can help you anticipate their playstyle and adjust your own strategy accordingly.

For instance, if your opponent takes Ignite, you might want to play more cautiously in the lane and avoid extended trades where their burst damage could be lethal.

7. Failing to Respect Cooldowns

Another common mistake that plagues top laners of all skill levels is failing to respect cooldowns, both their own and their opponent’s.

Engaging in trades or all-ins when your key abilities are on cooldown can leave you vulnerable and easily punishable. At the same time, failing to track your opponent’s cooldowns can result in missed windows of opportunity for favorable trades or all-ins.

How to Fix it?

To fix this cooldown tracking issue, make a conscious effort to pay attention to when you and your opponent use key abilities during trades or skirmishes.

Many top lane matchups revolve around specific cooldown windows where one champion has a brief advantage due to their opponent’s abilities being on cooldown.

For example, as Riven, you’ll want to be extremely cautious when trading with a Renekton who has his full combo available, as he can easily turn an unfavorable trade with his burst damage and stun.

However, if you track his cooldowns and notice his stun is down, you now have a window to go aggressive and potentially all-in him before his full combo is back up.

8. Tunnel Visioning

Tunnel visioning, or the act of becoming so hyper-focused on a specific task or objective that you fail to maintain proper awareness of your surroundings, is a common pitfall for top laners of all skill levels. This can manifest in various ways, such as:

• Continuously trading or pushing a wave without properly warding or tracking the enemy jungler’s position, leaving you vulnerable to ganks.
• Chasing an enemy laner too far into their territory without regard for potential collapses from their teammates.
• Obsessively splitting or pushing a side lane without consideration for major team fights or objectives happening elsewhere on the map.

How to Fix it?

To fix this, make a conscious effort to maintain a broad awareness of the game state at all times. Constantly check the minimap for enemy movement, track summoner spell cooldowns, and be aware of major objective timers like Dragon or Baron spawns.

If you find yourself getting tunnel vision during intense lane fights or skirmishes, take a step back and remind yourself to quickly check the minimap and assess the overall game state before committing too heavily to a potential overextension or chase.

9. Tilting and Mental Gameplay

One of the most underrated yet crucial aspects of improving at the top lane (or any role in League of Legends) is maintaining a stable mental state and avoiding tilt.

Tilting, or letting emotions like frustration, anger, or anxiety negatively impact your decision-making and gameplay, can quickly spiral out of control and lead to a string of poor plays and losses.

Top lane is an inherently volatile role, with many matchups being heavily snowballed and punishing even the slightest of mistakes. It’s easy to get tilted after a series of bad trades, a successful gank from the enemy jungler, or a frustrating lane matchup that feels unwinnable.

How to Fix it?

To fix this, actively work on developing mental fortitude and emotional control during your games. If you find yourself getting tilted, take a step back, breathe deeply, and remind yourself that getting emotional will only make things worse.

It’s also important to maintain a growth mindset and see every loss or mistake as an opportunity to learn and improve rather than a reason to beat yourself up or rage.

If you’re struggling with tilt or mental gameplay issues, consider implementing techniques like taking short breaks between games, listening to calming music during your sessions, or even seeking out a coach or mentor who can help you develop a more positive and resilient mindset.

Final Thoughts

I hope this detailed League of Legends top lane guide helps frustrated laners learn from their mistakes and start winning. Make sure to use my lessons on minion wave management, trading discipline, vision control, spell usage, and closing out leads, and you’ll quickly find solo lanes feeling far more under your command. 

Remember, the top lane is all about patience, discipline, and understanding the difficulties of the game. Keep practicing, analyzing your mistakes, and adapting your playstyle, and you’ll soon find yourself outplaying your opponents and carrying your team to victory. Good luck on the Rift!