LoL Rankings: Top Lane 2016 Summer Split

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Updated on May 26, 2016 4:00PM EST

Coming into the Spring Split, the top lane was in excellent shape with a lot of players veering away from tanks to bring out carry options. Unfortunately the meta shifted back to those top lane tanks in the Spring Split, making players who can generate assists very valuable. There is one clear option in the top lane and if you miss out on him you're better off waiting to pick up studs at mid lane, AD Carry, or even a top tier jungler rather than reaching for a mid tier top laner.

Tier 1 (in alphabetical order): Huni

Player	Team	Points Per Game*	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Huni	Immortals	21.15	69	38	126

* Points Per Game are based on the Fantasy LCS scoring system found: http://fantasy.na.lolesports.com/en-US

He's in a class of his own when it comes to LCS top laners. He's been dominant since his debut in 2015 and doesn't look like he'll be slowing down any time soon. He finished first in kills and second in assists and is one of the rare top laners who primarily played carries even in the tank heavy meta last split.

Tier 2: Cabochard, Darshan, Kikis, Odoamne

Player	Team	Points Per Game	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Cabochard	Vitality	18.11	57	29	108
Darshan	CLG	14.32	49	39	86
Kikis	G2	17.84	49	39	132
Odoamne	H2K	17.90	49	37	123

This tier has two dominant assist driven players in Kikis and Odoamne. Both are highly capable users of teleport to create plays across the map. Both play primarily tanks and both were in the top four for assists last season. H2K and G2 should be very strong teams once again and Kikis and Odoamne fit the current top lane meta perfectly. Just hope that Kikis doesn't try to bring out any carries this split.

Cabochard is Huni-lite in the fact that he loves to play carry champions going back to his Gambit Gaming days. He's not on Huni's level as a player, but was able to finish second in kills and third in assists during the Spring Split. Darshan was a Huni-like player in Summer of 2015, when he was one of the best carry top laners going. He reverted back a bit in the Spring Split but remains a good option in the top lane. He has the ability to play both tank and carry champions depending on how Counter Logic Gaming want to play making him one of the most versatile top laners in the LCS.

Tier 3: Gamsu, Hauntzer, Impact, Lourlo, sOAZ, Vizicsacsi

Player	Team	Points Per Game	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Gamsu	Fnatic	14.42	42	44	99
Hauntzer	TSM	13.51	41	43	89
Impact	Cloud9	14.50	28	47	103
Lourlo	Team Liquid	16.42	33	43	132
sOAZ	Origen	12.27	38	48	77
Vizicsasci	UoL	16.82	51	48	114

This tier possess some good value, upside, and bounceback candidates. sOAZ was a dominant carry top laner in the Summer of 2015 before the wheels fell off during the Spring Split. The loss of Zven and Mithy hurts Origen as a team so a full rebound might not happen, but I'd expect mid level numbers this split.

Vizicsacsi and Lourlo present the highest upside in this tier. Csacsi has shown the ability to carry games for UoL in the past, but isn't as skilled of a player as a carry like Huni or Cabochard. Lourlo on the other hand was a dominant tank player for Liquid in the Spring Split. He finished tied for first in assists and with the meta seemingly a replicate of the previous, should be near the top of the assist charts once again.

Gamsu, Impact, and Hauntzer represent steady players who all play for good teams. Gamsu is the one who has the highest ceiling as he's been able to carry games in the past when called upon, but don't sleep on Hauntzer or Impact. Impact's move to Cloud 9 gives both him and his team a boost over their former top laner Balls. Expect these three players to finish in the middle of the pack once again.

Tier 4: KFO, Quas, Seraph, Steve

Player	Team	Points Per Game	Kills	Deaths	Assists
KFO	Echo Fox	10.96	14	27	54
Quas	NRG	N/A*	N/A	N/A	N/A
Seraph	EnVyUs	19.07	26	12	65
Steve	Schalke 04	11.31	38	45	64

* N/A represents a new player to the LCS this split, most likely from a Challenger Series team.

Steve and KFO both possess moderate appeal and upside, but do not need to be drafted heading into your league. They play on modest teams and probably don't have much upside to really outproduce their numbers from last split. Both are more streaming/matchup dependent options.

Seraph and Quas on the other hand could break into an upper tier with strong performances. Seraph played nine games in the LCS last split compiling an excellent 26/12/65 KDA. EnVyUS may struggle as a team, but I am intrigued by both Seraph and Ninja heading into the year. Quas returns to the LCS after a split off, joining and improved NRG roster. NRG have the talent to fight for a top spot in the LCS making Quas an upside play going into the season.