It can be said that Skarner is a victim of the champion development approach that Riot Games is implementing, where the hot meta champions or those that receive attention from players are usually visually appealing and cool. Meanwhile, champions with monstrous designs like Skarner do not receive attention, leading to a lack of updates, and their power and playstyle gradually become outdated.
However, that does not mean Skarner is useless; in fact, streamer Hà Tiều Phu – Boy One Champ Olaf – uses him as a trump card in ranked matches. According to this guy, although Skarner cannot utilize the Crystal Spire passive, his crowd control, tankiness, and good wave clear allow him to perform relatively well in the top lane.
Unlike the jungle position, Skarner in the top lane uses the Versatile Scorpion rune instead of Predator like in the jungle. The reason is that Skarner can activate multiple different runes and is not bound by the early gank requirement typical of jungle play. Moreover, with a build focused on tankiness, having additional runes that enhance damage helps Skarner breathe easier in lane.
Regarding items, Hà Tiều Phu rushes the Frostfire Gauntlet early to increase slow, tankiness, and most importantly, reduce cooldowns. After obtaining an item that increases armor, you need to build a magic resistance item to ensure sufficient durability; furthermore, these items also provide cooldown reduction stats, and your power threshold will be reached sooner.
Hà Tiều Phu advises that you should use the Adaptive Helm instead of Spirit Visage, as Skarner does not have strong healing like Aatrox or Dr. Mundo to take advantage of the effect of this item. With the Frostfire Gauntlet, Adaptive Helm, and a small item like the Locket of the Iron Solari, your W ability cooldown can drop to just 7 seconds, allowing you to move much more flexibly in combat.
Skarner is fundamentally not a weak champion in League of Legends; he still has favorable matchups and possesses extremely strong burst potential in team fights with his ultimate Impale. If you are looking for a unique champion strong enough to make an impact in the game, the “Versatile Scorpion” Skarner is an extremely suitable choice.