7 best top lane champions in League of Legends for MSI 2024

MSI 2024 could be the first international tournament where fans can get to fully witness the lane swap meta in the top lane return into the picture. This is sure to set a precedent for crazy games and a lot of unique picks coming back into the top lane meta. With some of the best top laners present at the event as well, it will be very interesting to track how the meta evolves as the tournament progresses.

Ahead of this highly anticipated tournament, here are the seven best top lane champions that fans can expect to see quite a lot of during the course of the competition.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the writer.

K'Sante, Aatrox, and five other strong top lane champions at MSI 2024

1) K'Sante

K'Sante, the Pride of Nazumah (Image via Riot Games)

Best K'Sante players at MSI 2024: 369 (Top Esports), Kiin (Gen.G), BrokenBlade (G2 Esports), Bin (Bilibili Gaming)

K'Sante feels like a pick that will never fade into obscurity in the pro-play meta. He is the perfect tank in competitive play as he offers a solid laning phase, a great frontline, and incredible damage with his ultimate. K'Sante is the safest pick in the current meta where lane swaps are rapidly increasing in popularity.

The Pride of Nazumah works well in standard laning phases as well as lane swaps and will be a prominent pick at MSI 2024 without a doubt. Fans can expect prominent players like 369 and Kiin to pilot the champion a lot during the tournament.

2) Aatrox

Aatrox, the Darkin Blade (Image via Riot Games)

Best Aatrox players at MSI 2024: Zeus (T1), 369 (Top Esports), Bin (Bilibili Gaming)

Aatrox is the most reliable carry option currently present in the meta. The Darkin Blade does not have a lot of bad matchups and scales ridiculously well into the mid and late-game. Aatrox's strong laning phase paired with his incredible sustain and damage output makes him a powerful pseudo-tank capable of single-handedly winning games.

With the best top laners in the world present at the event, Aatrox will be a popular pick in regular games where lane swaps do not happen. His high carry potential makes him a strong choice in the current top lane meta when paired with junglers like Sejuani and Vi.

3) Zac

Zac, the Secret Weapon (Image via Riot Games)

Best Zac players at MSI 2024: BrokenBlade (G2 Esports), Zeus (T1)

Zac is one of the most obnoxious champions in the current pro-play meta. The Secret Weapon completely nullifies the laning phase thanks to unmatched sustain and reliable damage. However, Zac truly shines in mid-game skirmishes and team fights thanks to his absurd engage range and ludicrous tankiness.

Zac is also excellent in the laneswap meta as he can reliably get out of danger while not leading a lot of gold to be a consistent factor in the late game. Viewers can expect to see a lot of priority on the Zaun-based champion at MSI 2024.

4) Renekton

Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands (Image via Riot Games)

Best Renekton players at MSI 2024: 369 (Top Esports), Kiin (Gen.G), Impact (Team Liquid)

Renekton has been the ever-present bruiser in the top lane meta for years in pro play. The Butcher of Sands is one of the few top laners that checks every box for what a top laner needs to have in pro play. An extremely powerful laning phase paired with great frontline potential and monstrous damage makes Renekton an effective champion at almost all stages of the game.

While he does tend to fall off in the late game, he can set up the rest of his team to dive on key targets or just buy space for his carries to clean up the initial damage that he can output. Renekton can be expected as a staple pick at MSI 2024.

5) Ornn

Ornn, The Fire Below the Mountain (Image via Riot Games)

Best Ornn players at MSI 2024: 369 (Top Esports), Impact (Team Liquid)

With the rise of the lane swap meta, the priority on Ornn is surely bound to increase by a lot. Ornn is a consistent front-liner that does not need a lot of gold to be efficient. The Fire Below the Mountain is also one of the best scaling tanks and offers tons of free gold via upgraded items.

Ornn's ultimate, overall damage output and absurd front lining make him a solid option to set up hypercarry ADCs like Jinx and Xayah for a lot of success in the late-game team fights.

6) Camille

Camille, the Steel Shadow (Image via Riot Games)

Best Camille players at MSI 2024: Bin (Bilibili Gaming), Zeus (T1), 369 (Top Esports)

Camille has been notoriously quiet in the pro-play meta for quite some time. This could change at MSI 2024 with the multiple buffs that Galio has received along with her buffs in League of Legends Patch 14.7.

Camille and Galio are one of the most well-known duos in the game thanks to their ultimate abilities. When paired together, it makes up for a guaranteed kill and a surefire way to kick off a team fight.

Camille's primary weakness has been the fact that split-pushing has fallen out of the pro-play meta for some time. With her partner-in-crime, Galio, potentially being a solid pick at the event, Camille's teamfighting potential improves just that much. With Camille specialists like Bin and 369 present at the event, the Steel Shadow could make a surprise return back to the top lane meta.

7) Rumble

Rumble, the Mechanized Menace (Image via Riot Games)

Best Rumble players at MSI 2024: 369 (Top Esports), Kiin (Gen.G)

Rumble is one of the best AP top laners present in the meta alongside Gwen. However, Rumble has a much stronger laning phase and a very powerful ultimate that can win team fights on its own. This makes him the more reliable and safer option to pick in pro play.

The Mechanized Menace is one of the few champions that does very well into tanks as well as prominent carries such as Aatrox and Renekton. As such, Rumble can be seen as a very viable counter-pick in certain games where he has the potential to really shine and take over.

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