From the lowest rank Iron to Challenger, from those who play “normals only” to those who never leave ranked, League of Legends players love the solo lanes, mid and top. Why? Why do these lanes get so much interest from the players, especially in normal games, and why do you see “mid” or “top” from all five players in the lobby while you are just there to have a good time? Let’s try to find answers.
Keep in mind that we are aware of top lane not getting as much love from the players as it used to, but that applies to ranked games. Normal game players are a different group and they still love top lane, and their “mentality” of picking top as their target lane applies to most top laners in ranked as well.
Champions feel good
Obviously, the champions played on a solo lane is different than those in jungle and bot lane. Looking at the mid lane, you can play champions like Katarina, Yasuo, Yone, Zed, Talon and more assasins even when they aren’t in meta and still carry your team, especially if you are an OTP, a player that plays the same champion in every game.
Top lane is a bit different but the idea is the same. It is a lane that is great to use the champion you are an OTP of, especially if that champions isn’t in meta. Take Teemo, Yorick, Irelia or Darius as examples. Top lane is accomodating for fighter champions also, so that might mean “fun” for most players. You can play Renekton, Yasuo, Aatrox, Nasus or champions like Vayne and Lucian, even Vladimir and Lissandra. It’s up to your mechanics.
Not relying on a duo
Especially if it’s a normal game and you don’t have a duo, you most likely won’t be going to bot lane. Playing bot without communication or limited communication and with someone that you don’t know is hard, and if it’s not a ranked game where you must play solo, most people don’t want to go through that.
Plus, playing jungler as a solo player isn’t always a good idea either. It is likely that you will poorly execute some ganks and have problems communicating with your teammates which will result in you getting all the blame as the jungler. Thus, it’s safer to just pick top or mid and mind your own business most of the time.
1v1 is fun!
This is related to the champions part, but let’s take a look at the 1v1 aspect of top lane and mid lane also. If junglers don’t interfere with your business too much, most players have a lot of fun playing 1v1s, trading a lot and leaving their lanes with a lot of kills and deaths. The MOBA turns into an FPS game at some point.
Champions that are played in those lanes also strengthen this view of wanting to play a lot of 1v1s. From top lane’s Renekton and Darius to mid lane’s Katarina, Yasuo, Zed and LeBlanc, solo lane champions love chasing a lot of 1v1s, and even 1v2s when junglers are involved. You can roam and kill the side laners after stacking a lot of gold or turn the game into a nightmare for the enemy jungler, which is the next point in line.
It’s always cool to be a hero
This is a high risk high reward view that mostly goes for ADCs, but most people want to be the carry and playing at mid or top helps you get there fast. You can be a “smurf” playing in a lower elo or someone that trusts in your own mechanics, it doesn’t matter. Pick Katarina, kill your enemy ten times and destroy the enemy team by yourself, it’s an amazing feeling.
That doesn’t always go too well, especially if the enemy laner isn’t a “bot” and can stand up against you. But if you do get some kills, you either roam other lanes from mid lane or teleport from top lane, or split push, resulting in at least two champions from the enemy team having to stop you, giving your team the advantage. If you are able to kill those that came to stop you, the game pretty much ends at that point, and you get three honors during the end-game screen.
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