It can be said that solo lane players in League of Legends often have significantly more creative space than those in the bot lane. The reason is that they lane alone, not overly dependent on teammates, allowing them to freely experiment with new playstyles.
Here are some new playstyles of top solo lane champions in the Korean meta of patch 10.8:
Tristana – Mid Lane
Considered a safe marksman in the mid lane, Tristana can also take on a dangerous assassin role with the potential to eliminate targets in just one combo.
In patch 10.8 of Korean rank, the playstyle of Tristana with the keystone rune Fleet Footwork has become extremely popular. With this playstyle, every time she uses Explosive Charge (E) and Rapid Fire (Q), it is rare for any champion to “match” Tristana directly. Thanks to her skills and the keystone rune, during the 3-7 seconds of attack speed boost, Tristana will be “unstoppable”. If playing safely, Tristana can take Shield or Heal, while if playing aggressively, she can opt for Ignite to finish off her prey.
With such a strong poke combo, Tristana also pushes minions and turrets very quickly with her passive and the activation of her E skill, easily gaining an advantage in gold over her opponent thanks to the turret plates taken. Or if she pushes minions quickly but doesn’t want to push turrets, Tristana can invade the jungle, control vision, or roam to help other lanes.
Corki – Mid Lane
During the laning phase, Corki benefits from his unique ability to deal mixed damage. In particular, Corki’s Gatling Gun (E) can significantly reduce the armor and magic resist of enemies. Meanwhile, Corki can unleash Phosphorus Bomb (Q) along with all auto-attacks activating Fleet Footwork to gain a substantial amount of health back. If the enemy is low on health, he can fly up with Flame Chompers (W) to finish them off, or alternatively, retreat to wait for cooldowns.
From level 6, Corki can clear minion waves very quickly, so this Brave Pilot can also roam strongly with his skills and Fleet Footwork rune, especially effective if used with Supply Drop.
Illaoi – Top Lane
In recent patches, the Spirit of the Elder Lizard has gradually become a “specialty” in Korean rank, not only because it is strong but also because it is… fun.
When playing solo lane, you can trade abilities with your opponent whenever you have the new keystone rune. As a melee champion, the cooldown of the Spirit of the Elder Lizard is very quick, allowing you to have opportunities whenever you have the W+Q combo. Additionally, Illaoi can play “bloodthirsty” against opponents or poke with Test of Spirit, this Water Goddess can effectively utilize most of the keystone runes from the Spirit of the Elder Lizard.
Furthermore, most opponents facing Illaoi often need the Grievous Wounds from the Executioner’s Calling, which significantly slows their item progression, giving Illaoi a huge advantage. Because even when limited in healing, Illaoi’s ability to sustain and deal damage is still strong enough to win fights.
Fiora – Top Lane
Not only in Korean rank, the “super lifesteal” Fiora playstyle has gradually become one of the strongest in the meta across all servers worldwide in patch 10.8.
The strength of this playstyle becomes clearly evident when Fiora reaches level 6. With Grand Challenge, Fiora can easily maximize the stacks of the Conqueror rune while healing significantly if she hits all 4 weak points of her target. Conversely, if she doesn’t hit all weak points, Fiora still lifesteals remarkably with the Ravenous Hydra and the Blade of the Ruined King combined with the Conqueror rune. If the opponent wants to burst down Fiora, they may also be stopped by Riposte (W). As a result, with a full health bar, this Duelist will continuously chase and poke at the opponent’s weak points.
