LoL 26.22 Best Top Laners: Malphite and Akali

The lol 26.22 best top laners in GamerPapers KR data are Malphite, Akali and Yone. Among picks with 500+ games, Malphite has the highest win rate: 52.8% over 866 games.

38 champions have at least 200 games in this role. The sample is 12,343 ranked games on the KR server. For every role at a glance, see our LoL 26.22 tier list.

Lol 26.22 best top laners: top 10

The table follows the order on the GamerPapers stats page. Rows under 500 games carry a caution note.

Champion	Role	Tier	Win rate	Pick rate	Ban rate	Games
Sion (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S+	59.4%	3.1%	0.7%	389
Garen (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S+	56.2%	3.5%	1.9%	438
Malphite	Top	S	52.8%	7.0%	17.5%	866
Akali	Top	S	52.5%	4.2%	20.4%	520
Yone	Top	S	49.6%	11.3%	20.7%	1,398
Gwen (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S	55.6%	1.9%	0.8%	239
Yorick (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S	53.0%	3.3%	7.0%	404
Nasus (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S	52.7%	3.3%	6.8%	406
Irelia	Top	S	49.8%	5.9%	21.5%	727
Fiora (small sample, read with caution)	Top	S	52.5%	3.9%	3.7%	484

GamerPapers data: patch 26.22, KR server, 12,343 ranked matches

Ban rate is champion-wide. If the same champion is played in another role, that row shows the same value.

Three standout picks: runes, items and matchups

This section only covers champions with 500+ games. For matchups we require at least 50 games.

Malphite: top lane

Malphite sits in S tier as a top lane pick. In GamerPapers KR data it has a 52.8% win rate over 866 games. Its pick rate is 7.0%. Its ban rate is 17.5%; that figure is champion-wide, not role-specific. In patch 26.21 it was S+ tier. The win rate change is +0.8 pts. Average KDA is 2.55.

Among matchups with 50+ games, Malphite does best against Jayce (73 games, 67.1%), Teemo (55 games, 56.4%). In every matchup with 50+ games, Malphite stays at or above a 50% win rate. So we do not name a clear "hardest counter".

• Runes: Sorcery (Arcane Comet, Manaflow Band, Transcendence, Scorch) + Resolve (Overgrowth, Second Wind). Used in 523 games with a 51.1% win rate.
• Common items: Sunfire Aegis (in 56.0% of games, 53.6% win rate), Thornmail (in 52.0% of games, 54.2% win rate), Frozen Heart (in 30.4% of games, 57.4% win rate).
• Boots: Plated Steelcaps (in 57.0% of games).
• Summoner spells: Flash + Teleport (in 78.2% of games).

Akali: top lane

Akali sits in S tier as a top lane pick. In GamerPapers KR data it has a 52.5% win rate over 520 games. Its pick rate is 4.2%. Its ban rate is 20.4%; that figure is champion-wide, not role-specific. In patch 26.21 it was S tier. The win rate change is +3.4 pts. Average KDA is 2.03.

In every matchup with 50+ games, Akali stays at or above a 50% win rate. So we do not name a clear "hardest counter".

• Runes: Domination (Electrocute, Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos, Ultimate Hunter) + Resolve (Overgrowth, Second Wind). Used in 259 games with a 52.1% win rate.
• Common items: Hextech Gunblade (in 87.7% of games, 52.4% win rate), Shadowflame (in 70.4% of games, 51.9% win rate), Zhonya's Hourglass (in 38.7% of games, 52.7% win rate).
• Boots: Sorcerer's Shoes (in 84.0% of games).
• Summoner spells: Flash + Ignite (in 87.1% of games).

Yone: top lane

Yone sits in S tier as a top lane pick. In GamerPapers KR data it has a 49.6% win rate over 1,398 games. Its pick rate is 11.3%. Its ban rate is 20.7%; that figure is champion-wide, not role-specific. In patch 26.21 it was S+ tier. The win rate change is +0.7 pts. Average KDA is 1.35.

Among matchups with 50+ games, Yone does best against Gangplank (50 games, 54.0%). Its hardest matchups (50+ games) are Renekton (70 games, 41.4%), Jax (70 games, 45.7%).

• Runes: Precision (Lethal Tempo, Absorb Life, Legend: Alacrity, Last Stand) + Resolve (Overgrowth, Second Wind). Used in 1,336 games with a 49.9% win rate.
• Common items: Blade of The Ruined King (in 85.7% of games, 51.5% win rate), Immortal Shieldbow (in 72.2% of games, 55.1% win rate), Infinity Edge (in 38.8% of games, 58.7% win rate).
• Boots: Berserker's Greaves (in 95.5% of games).
• Summoner spells: Exhaust + Flash (in 58.7% of games).

The rest of the list

Other top-10 picks with 500+ games: Irelia (S, 49.8%, 727 games).

Sion, Garen, Gwen, Yorick, Nasus, Fiora also make the list but have fewer than 500 games (Sion: 389, Garen: 438, Gwen: 239, Yorick: 404, Nasus: 406, Fiora: 484). So we do not feature them.

Patch 26.22 notes for the top lane

The changes below come from Riot Games patch 26.22 notes. In brackets: this role's data, meaning tier, win rate, change from the previous patch and games. Champions missing here have fewer than 200 games in this role.

• Rumble: R ability power ratio per second went up. (B → B, 50.6%, +2.4 pts, 312 games, small sample)
• Shen: Q monster damage cap went up at earlier ranks. (A → B, 47.7%, -3.6 pts, 281 games, small sample)
• Zaahen: Q cooldown got shorter at earlier ranks. (A → B, 50.0%, -1.0 pts, 348 games, small sample)
• Yasuo: Q ratio dropped from 105% total AD to 100% total AD. (S → A, 49.2%, -0.9 pts, 366 games, small sample)

On items, Overlord's Bloodmail attack damage went from 30 to 40, while the missing-health attack damage cap was cut.

We cover the biggest moves in our risers and fallers article. Even when a change and the data point the same way, we do not claim it is the only cause.

Data and method

This article uses ranked solo/duo matches from the KR server only. The sample mixes KR Challenger and Grandmaster games collected by GamerPapers with matches from player profiles looked up on the site (all ranks). It is not a random sample of the server and not professional-play data.

The numbers in this article come from 12,343 ranked solo/duo games on the KR server. Lists include champion and role pairs with at least 200 games. Pairs under 500 games carry a "small sample, read with caution" note in the tables. We do not feature them in the title or the intro.

Ban rate is champion-wide, not per role: bans happen before roles are assigned, so every role row of a champion shows the same value.

Comparisons with the previous patch refer to 26.21. Its KR sample was 141,387 games; the 26.22 sample is still smaller, so gaps can move as more games land. The game client shows this patch as 16.22; Riot's official name is 26.22.

For the full live table, see the GamerPapers LoL stats page. Patch changes are sourced from Riot Games patch 26.22 notes. For a short recap, see our 26.22 patch notes news post.

Last updated: November 6, 2026, 15:04 UTC (when the data was calculated). Sample: 12,343 ranked matches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best top lane pick in 26.22?

In GamerPapers KR data the standouts are Malphite, Akali and Yone. Among picks with 500+ games, Malphite has the highest win rate at 52.8%.

Which runes does Malphite use?

The most common page is Sorcery with Arcane Comet. It appears in 523 games with a 51.1% win rate.

Which matchup is hardest for Malphite?

No matchup with 50+ games drops below a 50% win rate.

Why isn't Sion featured?

Sion has 389 games in this role. That is under 500, so it only appears in the table with a caution note.

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