Navigating the vast roster of champions in League of Legends (LoL) can be daunting for beginners. In this guide, we'll introduce three beginner-friendly champions for each role, explain what they do and why they are excellent choices for new players, and review a few tips for Top.
Top Lane: The Solo Fighters
1. Garen
Abilities:
Passive - Perseverance:
When Garen has not been struck by damage or enemy abilities for a certain amount of time, he regenerates a percentage of his maximum health per second.
Q - Decisive Strike:
Garen gains a burst of movement speed, empowering his next basic attack to deal additional damage and silence his target.
W - Courage:
Passively, Garen's kills grant him a small amount of bonus armour and magic resistance. When activated, Garen gains a shield and a significant amount of tenacity for a short duration.
E - Judgment:
Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for several seconds, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies and shredding their armour if hit multiple times.
R - Demacian Justice (Ultimate):
Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to attempt to execute an enemy champion, dealing magic damage that increases based on the target's missing health.
Why for Beginners?: Tanky with straightforward abilities, Garen is ideal for learning the basics of top lane combat, especially when you try to learn wave management as Garen’s passive allows you to regenerate your health; as you level up, it increases, and minions will basically never do damage to you as long as it’s active.
How to play top as Garen
Harass with Decisive Strike (Q) and Judgment (E). You are essentially running up to the enemy, silencing them so they cannot fight back with abilities, and then spinning to win with your E.
Use Courage (W) to mitigate incoming damage with its active shield.
Look for opportunities to execute enemies with Demacian Justice.
Utilize your passive to keep the minion wave closer to your tower so that you can safely farm (kill minions) and open the enemy up to ganks.
2. Malphite
Abilities:
Passive - Granite Shield:
Malphite is shielded by a layer of rock which absorbs damage up to a certain percentage of his maximum health. Recharges after not taking damage for a short period.
Q - Seismic Shard:
Malphite launches a shard at his target, dealing magic damage upon impact and stealing some of the target’s movement speed for a short duration.
W - Thunderclap:
Passively, this ability increases Malphite's armour. When activated, Malphite's next basic attack deals increased damage and creates a shockwave that deals physical damage to enemies around his target.
E - Ground Slam:
Malphite slams the ground, dealing area-of-effect magic damage based on his armour value and reducing the attack speed of enemies hit for a few seconds.
R - Unstoppable Force (Ultimate):
Malphite charges to a location, dealing magic damage to all enemies in the area and knocking them up. This ultimate is a powerful initiation tool in team fights.
Why for Beginners?: His abilities are easy to understand, offers a blend of tankiness and impact. Plus, his ultimate is great for learning initiation in team fights.
How to play Top as Malphite:
Focus on surviving the early game. Malphite isn't the strongest early-game champ, but that doesn't mean you can't win early fights. Use your W to boost your damage against enemies, and use E to reduce their attack speed. Then, you can use Q to disengage.
Use Unstoppable Force (Your Ultimate) to initiate team fights or catch out key enemy targets.
Build armour against physical damage-heavy teams. Building armour feels amazing on Malphite as he passively multiplies his armour.
You can use Q to poke the enemy, but do not use it often, as it will waste your mana quickly.
3. Darius
Abilities:
Passive - Hemorrhage:
Darius's attacks and damaging abilities cause enemies to bleed for physical damage over 5 seconds. This effect stacks up to five times. When Darius reaches full stacks on an enemy, he gains Noxian Might for a short duration, granting him bonus attack damage and applying max Hemorrhage stacks to enemies with his basic attacks.
Q - Decimate:
After a brief delay, Darius swings his axe around him, striking enemies. Enemies hit by the blade take more damage than those hit by the handle. Darius heals based on enemy champions and large monsters hit by the blade.
W - Crippling Strike:
Darius's next basic attack deals additional damage and slows the target's movement and attack speed. The cooldown of Crippling Strike is reduced if it kills the target.
E - Apprehend:
Darius pulls in enemies in front of him, briefly slowing them afterward. This ability is a key tool for engaging fights and catching out enemies.
R - Noxian Guillotine (Ultimate):
Darius leaps to an enemy champion and strikes a lethal blow, dealing true damage. This damage increases for each stack of Hemorrhage on the target. If Noxian Guillotine is a killing blow, its cooldown is reset for a short duration. Upon reaching level 16, the ability can be recast for free within 20 seconds after a kill.
Why for Beginners?: Teaches the importance of aggression and timing in melee combat. Known for his strong dueling potential and the ability to execute enemies with his ultimate. Darius is a champion that rewards aggressive play and punishes enemies who let him get close. Perfect for learning how to play aggressively.
How to play Darius Top
Aggressive early game. Use your strong early game to your advantage and try to bully the enemy away from the minion wave. If you think the enemy will fight back, it may be worthwhile to level up your W first. This ability has a lower cooldown than your Q, allowing you to auto-attack immediately after use.
Look to stack Hemorrhage on enemies for maximum damage. Your W is perfect for this, as it gives you an auto reset.
Use Decimate to heal during fights. Hitting the enemy with the outer circle of your Q allows you to heal up some health. Also, it can be used to poke the enemy.
Anytime someone tries to run away, use your E to deny their escape and follow up with your W to slow their movement.
General Top Lane Strategies
1. Wave Management:
Control minion waves to create favourable situations, whether it's freezing near your tower or pushing to roam. Fear not; I will post a full wave management guide soon!
2. Vision Control:
Ward River and tri-bush (these are the two closest brushes to you in the top lane) to avoid ganks. Deep wards can provide insight into enemy jungler movements (an example of a deep ward would be one placed in the enemy jungle or farther down in the middle of the river).
3. Map Awareness:
Keep an eye on the minimap for potential roams or teleports to help your team.
4. Trading and Combat:
Learn when to trade effectively. This involves understanding your champion's power spikes and the enemy's weaknesses. For example, Darius loves to fight from start to finish, Garen becomes incredibly strong at level six, and the same goes for Malphite. However, Malphite prefers to have one teammate with him in fights due to his ultimate.
5. Adaptability:
Be prepared to change your build or playstyle based on how the game is progressing. Sometimes, you have to look at what the items do or look up what the enemy champion does to figure out items that are good against them. For example, a good item against Darius is anything that applies Grievous Wounds (This reduces healing by 40%). Generally, the recommended items LoL suggests give a bit of an explanation as to why you should buy them, so use this to your advantage by identifying why the enemy feels strong and pick an item that makes that weaker.
Conclusion
Top Lane plays a diverse and impactful role in League of Legends. As a beginner, mastering champions like Darius, Malphite, and Garen can provide a solid foundation for understanding the game's mechanics and the strategic depth of the role. Remember, practice makes perfect, and each game is an opportunity to improve.
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