Playing top lane can be quite fun yet frustrating in League of Legends due to a number of reasons. For one, a top lane matchup against a melee juggernaut is extremely fun to play against. However, if you are against a ranged champion, you will have a tough time.
Especially if their jungler is ganking you over and over again while your jungler is learning how to play the game. If your team is behind and you are playing a top laner, worry not because we will show you how to carry a losing team as a top laner.
To carry a losing team as a top laner, you must make sure that you are picking your teamfights very carefully. Plus, you should be split pushing whenever you get the chance so that the enemy has to respond by sending at least two people.
That’s not all, there are tons of other things that you can do as a top laner that will help you carry your team and climb your ranked division. With that said, let’s get started and find out how to carry a losing team as a top laner.
Also check out: How can support carry in a losing team?
Splitpush Whenever You Get a Chance
If you want to become a good top laner, you must learn the art of splitpushing. Instead of always sticking with your team and wanting to teamfight, you should focus on staying in the side lane and pushing until the enemy sends some champions to defend. This will allow your team to gain the advantage and force a fight that is not favorable for the enemy. If you are strong enough, the enemy will be forced to send at least two people to respond to your push.
Splitpushing will not only make you seem annoying to deal with but also earn you a lot of gold. Since you are getting tons of minions, you’ll have your full build in no time! However, always make sure to ward choke points from where the enemy can potentially gank you before you move ahead.
This will allow you to locate the enemy and run away if there are more than you can handle. Some of the best champions for splitpushing and dealing with more than one enemy are Darius, Illaoi, and Yorick.
Also, if baron or dragon is coming up, make sure that you splitpush on the opposite side so that your team can focus on getting the objective. If the enemy comes to defend, your team can either fight 4v4 or 4v3 and win. Otherwise, you can continue pushing and get a turret or two while the enemy is busy getting the dragon or baron.
Pick Meta Champions
This tip goes for every role in the game. If you want to win more games and earn free LP, you must play the champions that are in the meta. These champions change every patch or two depending on who gets nerfed or buffed. Since these are strong champions, you’ll have an easier time winning games instead of picking someone who isn’t as strong.
If you want to stay up to date with the current meta picks, follow a few League of Legends channels on YouTube or use websites like U.gg or Op.gg. You can get the latest builds and winrates on these websites so that you can easily decide which champion is worth it.
Plus, it will also help you ban the champion that you feel like is performing well but you do not want to play it. Make sure that you look at these websites regularly since the meta champions change every so often – mostly after a new patch.
Prioritize Your Builds
As a top laner, you must regularly adapt according to the state of the game. If you are against an AP champion, make sure that you rush magic resist items instead of going your usual route and making damage. Plus, if you and your team are a little behind, you must make some defensive items to ensure that you can take the damage and peel for your squishy teammates.
On top of that, you must also ensure that you have the correct runes depending on who you are up against. This will help you be better in the lane and potentially carry your team when they are losing. While I agree that making items can be quite costly, that is where splitpushing comes into play.
Play Safe
This tip can be applied from the start of the game till the end. This is especially true if your team is losing. If you are behind, make sure that you play safe and don’t make a lot of risky plays since the chances are that you’ll lose. Continue to splitpush while you have the jungle or river warded. This will allow you to safely back off when the enemy intends to gank you.
Plus, if your team is losing, the enemy minions will be on your side of the map. So, you’ll be able to safely farm and eventually gain a gold lead. Also, another thing to keep in mind is to give away a few dragons or even a baron if you are quite behind the enemy. Otherwise, the enemy will not only get the objective but also ace your team.
Teamfight When You Feel Confident
Since you do not have control over all of your team, you need to see what they are doing. If they are constantly ignoring your splitpush and engaging in a 4v5 teamfight, they will almost always lose. If they do not listen to your pings or communications, you must stick with your team and clearly state that you must teamfight. When you and your team gain a bit of gold and get items, you can try to teamfight to see if you can win or not. Depending on the stage of the game, even if you get aced, you can still come back and try out a different strategy.
Go For Picks
The best thing to do when behind is to try and look for picks instead of all-out teamfighting. Having good ward placements will allow you to take out one or two enemy champions before you do a 5v3 teamfight. This will give you an edge and you will win the fight since the enemy won’t have all their champions.
Plus, the enemy will eventually be scared of roaming into your jungle or going alone. This will give your team more map presence and the enemy will start respecting your team as well.
Also, if you go for picks, your team will eventually start gaining gold and close that lead as well. If there is something consistent in League of Legends, it is that if you are playing solo queue, your team will flame the worst-performing person. If you kill an enemy champion a few times while they are alone, chances are that they will get flamed by their team and they will not want to win the game.
Have a Strong Mindset
This is something that every top laner should do. Having a strong mindset can change the entire game for you. It will not only help you perform better but also allow you to change the tide of the game if you are losing. I’ve seen many players start spamming the surrender option after they die once or twice.
Since you will be mostly 1v1 top lane, having a strong mindset will allow you to stay ahead of your opponent. This is especially true if your team is losing. At that point, you must stay strong and look for the best plays instead of thinking that the game is over and nothing matters.
Unless you are extremely behind and the enemy is playing perfectly, you can always change the tide in your favor and carry a losing team as a top laner.
Also check out: Why does nobody play Yorick?
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