How Enchanters Dominated LoL Top Lane and What Riot Plans to Fix the Meta
The Rise of Support 2.0 in Top Lane
League of Legends Season 12 witnessed a dramatic transformation in the top lane meta, where traditional bruisers and tanks were displaced by unexpected enchanter supports adopting an entirely new playstyle.
Janna, Karma, and Zilean emerged as dominant forces in the isolated top lane during early Season 12, achieving staggering win rates approaching 60% that caught Riot Games’ immediate attention for upcoming nerfs.
This unconventional strategy represents a revival of older League of Legends techniques where enchanters completely abandon traditional laning responsibilities in favor of map-wide influence.
The modern iteration proves significantly more effective, with the innovative approach first developed by former LCS top laner Lourlo featuring champions such as Janna, Karma, and Zilean equipped with smite who forego conventional top lane duties to support junglers, secure objectives, and dominate skirmishes across the map.
This strategy exposes fundamental weaknesses in League’s current balance framework that allow non-traditional roles to outperform intended lane assignments.
Top Performing Enchanter Picks and Their Win Rates
Riot Games has confirmed their awareness of the escalating situation. Development teams observed enchanter victory percentages surge dramatically (Janna specifically approaching 60%) and have initiated balance adjustments.
League of Legends developers received initial alerts through numerous Reddit discussions highlighting the strategy’s effectiveness, complemented by analytical coverage and rapidly climbing champion success metrics.
Janna particularly benefited from Season 12’s unconventional role experimentation, with the Storm’s Fury nearing an unprecedented 60% victory rate across competitive ranked matches.
Riot Games design lead Matt Leung-Harrison verified his team’s active development of countermeasures and expressed regret for delayed intervention. On February 2, the developer stated: “We recognize player frustration regarding the absence of roaming enchanter top adjustments for [the recently deployed patch 12.3].”
“This issue remains our priority for resolution. Should we identify a viable solution, we’ll expedite its implementation, though no definitive timeline exists currently.”
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Riot’s Acknowledgment and Planned Solutions
We recognize player disappointment regarding the absence of roaming enchanter top fixes this patch. š This remains our priority resolution target. WHEN we establish confidence in a solution, implementation becomes our immediate focus, though no current deployment schedule exists.
ā Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) February 2, 2022
One experimental approach Riot evaluated involved restricting each League team to a single support item per game ā ā ā one per side ā ā but this concept was abandoned due to potential exploitation by disruptive ranked players.
“Players would purchase support items specifically to sabotage games or pressure legitimate support players,” Leung-Harrison clarified, noting he welcomes community suggestions for alternative solutions.
While awaiting these anticipated adjustments, Enchanters top lane presents a legitimate strategy, particularly for climbing ranked ladders. Champion selection proves critical ā ā effectiveness varies significantly across different enchanter types.
Practical Implementation and Advanced Tactics
Janna stands as the premier selection for this approach, though if unavailable through bans or support selection, alternatives like Karma, Zilean, Lulu, Rakan, Taric, and Bard have demonstrated viability within the Season 12 meta.
“The core concept revolves around establishing invasion pressure in enemy territory with smite while accelerating gold and item advantages for mid and bottom lanes,” Lourlo detailed in his explanation.
He elaborated: “You execute continuous ganks, secure summoner spells, and maximize denial against opposing lanes while designating jungle resources for your teammates.”
Advanced Execution Techniques
Mastering this strategy requires precise timing and map awareness. Begin by securing early vision in river areas to track enemy jungle movement. Coordinate with your jungler to execute simultaneous invades, creating overwhelming pressure that divides enemy attention across multiple fronts.
Common Strategic Errors
Avoid overcommitting to invades without proper vision or teammate positioning. Many players fail to adapt their rune setups specifically for roaming, neglecting movement speed bonuses that are crucial for effective map mobility. Another frequent mistake involves improper back timing, missing critical wave management opportunities.
Optimization for Higher Elo
Advanced practitioners should focus on predicting enemy jungle pathing and establishing deep vision control. Coordinate with your mid laner to create 3-man invasion squads that can securely secure objectives while your ADC farms safely. Itemization should prioritize mobility and cooldown reduction over traditional support items.
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