Hello summoners, and welcome to another SenpAI guide. This time, we will examine 5 best late game top laners in League of Legends. Before we continue, don’t forget to check out our guide on the best top lane early game champions too.
In League of Legends, some champions sacrifice their early game agency for devastating power later. With such scaling, players generally regard them as powerhouses capable of carrying their team to victory under the right conditions.
Gangplank
While some players respect him more because of his global ult, the Saltwater Scourge, in fact, has a kit that scales well into the late game. With the right items, his barrels can decimate opponents or one-shot them right away!
Compared to other late game champions, Gangplank’s laning phase can be well managed if you use his abilities correctly. His W – Remove Scurvy grants sustain and frees him from any crowd control, including Mordekaiser’s ult!
You can also last hit with his Q – Parrrley, gaining both gold and serpent silver if you execute the minion. The silver comes in handy for further upgrading his R – Cannon Barrage, granting extra effects.
Trading with opponents when Gangplank’s passive is up can also turn the skirmish in his favour. However, several duelists can out-trade him if he slips up, further putting him behind and preventing him from being useful at the right time.
Kayle
Ever since her rework, Kayle has become a late game monster that can potentially take on the entire enemy team and either come out the victor or bring down up to four champions before dying.
The Righteous One has a kit that emphasizes her first voiceline in every game “As evil grows, so shall I.” In order words, the longer the game goes, the stronger Kayle becomes. Her passive bolsters her power at levels 6, 11, and 16, with the latter being the greatest powerspike for her.
However, Kayle’s early game can be challenging. Firstly because of her melee range at levels 1 – 5. The champion only becomes ranged after unlocking her ult at level 6 and above.
To make her survive the top lane where bruisers, duelists, and tanks rule, the champion has a sustain in her W – Celestial Blessing that also grants a temporary burst of extra movement speed. Furthermore, Kayle has a slow on her Q – Radiant Blast that also reduces enemy resistances (Armour and Resist).
Finally, the champion can last-hit using her E – Starfire Spellblade which costs no mana at all.
Nasus
Nasus has a passive on his Q – Siphoning Strike that grants a permanent damage increase to the ability if it kills the target. This effect does not have a cap, making it potentially possible to stack the damage infinitely.
The above attribute is the center of Nasus’ late game domination because if stacked right, you can one-shot anyone who isn’t a tank. However, such power comes at a cost; this time, it is a weak early game.
Although he can farm relatively safely in the laning phase, experienced opponents can deny Nasus vital farm to put him behind and close out the game before he can stack up enough to be a threat.
His passive grants sustain and he has a slow on W – Wither that you can use offensively or to get away from bad situations.
It is important to note that you will need patience to get the most out of this champion.
Ornn
Ornn shines as a super-tank who can soak up impressive levels of damage, especially in the late game. The Fire Below The Mountain also has a passive that grants him extra armour and magic resist from EVERY source!
This passive also allows him to obtain items from the shop without recalling back to the fountain by crafting them. Furthermore, he can upgrade mythic items for himself and his teammates to increase their stats and effects.
With an Ult that is perfect for initiating team fights and spammable knockup combos, Ornn will always be useful to his team in almost every scenario.
Vladimir
Vladimir belongs to the group of champions who don’t use mana or energy, but rather a portion of their health for abilities. While this might look sub-optimal at first glance, the Crimson Reaper has one of the best self-healing abilities in the game, making him able to pay health costs quite easily.
The champion has almost zero kill pressure in lane but has one of the best team fight synergies in the game. His ult – Hemoplague causes affected enemies to take increased damage from every source and then heals him after the duration expires.
With an ability that makes him untargetable for a while, ganking Vladimir can be challenging, except he’s well out of position. Coupled with his self-healing ability, you can lane comfortably while farming up for necessary items to carry your team.
Wrapping Up
That wraps up our 5 best late game top laners in League of Legends. Feel free to check out our other guides, and don’t forget to utilize SenpAI for easier climbing on the ladder!
