With yesterday's announcement of the new changes for the 10.8 patch, we will probably see a shakeup in the top lane meta. The Kalista nerfs will most likely mean that her early game dominance won't be as obnoxious on the next patch.
Mark Yetter, Riot Games' lead gameplay designer, has released the intended changes we will most likely see in the 10.8 patch. While there are some champions that will rise in priority, there are others who will be slightly weaker compared to the current 10.7 patch.
We have prepared a list of the best champions you should have the most success with in the top lane.
S tier:
- Darius
- Wukong
- Mordekaiser
- Fiora
In the S tier, we have champions who have no particular weakness at any stage of the game. Riot seem to be satisfied with Wukong's current place in the meta since no further nerfs were announced for the next patch, which means he will remain in the S tier.
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A tier:
- Aatrox
- Urgot
- Maokai
- Sett
- Garen
- Jax
- Nasus
- Renekton
- Ornn
Two new faces will be joining the A tier, Urgot and Nasus. After the last week's buffs, it seems like Urgot will be seeing some love in the next patch as well. The damage increase on his Corrosive Strike will surely improve his poke game.
Even though Sett's Haymaker (W) damage is getting a decent decrease, the change isn't significant enough to kick him out of the A tier.
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B tier:
- Shen
- Kled
- Kalista
- Renekton
- Malphite
- Irelia
- Poppy
- Camille
- Pantheon
- Rumble
- Illoai
The tweet didn't mention any changes to Blade of the Ruined King which means that the item will probably not get nerfed and the 12 per cent of the current health damage will stay the same.
This means that most melee bruisers that abuse the item will most likely find their place in the higher tiers.
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C tier:
- Kayle
- Jayce
- Gnar
- Gangplank
- Yorick
- Tryndamere
- Vladimir
- Riven
- Kalista
- Kennen
- Sylas
The C tier champions are either easily punished in the early game, or they fall off in the later stages of the game. Also, most of them have a very wide skill gap and require a high number of games before you can carry with them.
It should be noted that the list is made for Diamond and the ranks bellow, therefore any champion that isn't mentioned here should be avoided as there are certainly champions with a similar kit but a bigger contribution to a team composition overall.
