With the LTA North experiment wrapped and the LCS returning, the big question on everyone’s mind is simple: who was actually the most dominant Top Laner of the past year? We’ve crunched the games, the tapes, and the numbers. Now BOTDIFF.LOL is here to break it all down so you know exactly which top laners are set to take over heading into the 2026 season
6: Dhokla
Dhokla’s season was one of the most entertaining top lane runs we’ve seen in years. Stepping into the 100 Thieves lineup after Sniper began to crack under pressure, he brought exactly what the team needed: veteran stability and proven big stage experience. A former Worlds quarterfinalist, Dhokla remains one of the most accomplished top laners the LCS has to offer.
His impact didn’t just lift 100 Thieves, it directly disrupted the Worlds ambitions of Team Liquid, Shopify Rebellion, and Cloud9. All three came in with higher seeding and expectations, and all three ran straight into a Dhokla led upset. (The second year in a row for Cloud 9)
Beyond domestic upsets, Dhokla helped push a fractured 100T roster past BLG, the LPL’s top seed, and into competitive international series against elite Asian teams, including a hard fought showdown with T1.
His season wasn’t as long as some of the players above him on the list, but the résumé speaks for itself. Year after year, Dhokla proves he’s one of the LCS’s best top laners and that he can go toe to toe with anyone put in front of him.
5: Fudge
Fudge, the one true GOAT in my eyes proved this year that he doesn’t need a star-studded “super roster” like the peak Cloud9 days to make an impact. Finishing the third split with a 3-0 groups run and only two games dropped, he put Shopify Rebellion and himself clearly above the lower half of the league.
This was a rare LCS season where nearly every team had a legitimate shot at grabbing the second Worlds slot, and Fudge made it clear he wanted another run on the international stage.
Across the year, he held his own against both Thanatos and Bwipo, showing that in tight, high skill matchups he can bridge the gap against top ranked competition. When the game is even and the matchup is fair, Fudge is fully capable of trading blows with anyone on this list.
The issue and the reason he lands lower in the ranking comes down to tanks and the lane swap meta. When pushed onto weak side duty or thrown into unfavorable swaps, his impact drops sharply. In those scenarios, Fudge struggles to anchor the team the way the top players can. In pure lane and mechanic driven battles, he’s amazing. But in metas that demand sacrifice, stability, or heavy weak side play, the cracks start to show.
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4: Castle
Castle’s story is one of the more quietly heartbreaking arcs in the LCS over the past two years. He’s one of the most consistent and hard-working top laners in the region, yet he keeps finding himself on rosters that can’t quite lift him to the level his talent demands.
His rookie year on Immortals wasn’t the ideal launchpad. The roster struggled, the identity never fully clicked, and Castle’s individual strengths often went unnoticed behind bigger structural issues. But his move to Disguised changed everything. With more freedom and a roster that actually enabled proactive play, Castle started showing exactly why coaches and analysts have rated him highly since his academy days.
Even in games where Disguised fell behind, Castle remained one of the most impactful parts of the lineup. Whether absorbing pressure, forcing windows in losing states, or breaking open skirmishes against higher tier opponents, he was consistently the one trying to pull the team forward. His stability in lane paired with a willingness to fight made him one of the few top laners in the league who could generate agency regardless of matchup.
What keeps him from climbing higher on this list is similar to the issue holding Fudge back. Castle struggles when he’s pushed onto the back foot. When the game is even or he’s playing from a lead, he can take over the map against any team in the league. But the current lane swap meta has made it easier for opponents to dodge losing matchups, and Castle hasn’t fully adapted to that reality.
3: Photon
My most controversial pick on this list, but Photon has shown he’s one of the most mechanically gifted top laners in the LCS. With only a single split to his name, he still managed to apply real pressure against both Thanatos and Castle, and even in losing games he often came out ahead in lane.
His time in the TCL was dominant in the top lane, and while it’s a minor region, Photon consistently played at a level that reflected his days on Vitality. The fundamentals, mechanics, and match control he showed overseas carried over immediately once he hit the LCS stage.
Dignitas as a team completely unraveled this season, and their collapse dragged Photon into a tight elimination series against Disguised. Even in that loss, he still outperformed Castle in most of the games and kept Dignitas in a competitive series.
Overall, Photon ends the year with one of the worst series win rates among LCS top laners, but his individual metrics remain among the best. On a stable roster next season, Photon has the potential to pull Dignitas into a legitimately competitive year.
2:Thanatos
Thanatos has been on a peak this year that nearly dragged C9 back to the international stage. Early in the season he was a domestic force, tearing through lane matchups and carrying games almost single handedly. But when it mattered most, C9 fell short dropping critical series to both Team Liquid and FlyQuest, then once again losing to 100 Thieves for the second year in a row and getting denied a Worlds berth. Not to mention a rather lackluster performance at the E-Sports World Cup.
Across the regular season, Thanatos had virtually no competition in lane. His numbers were elite, often rivaling Bwipo’s in every major category. On paper, no top laner in North America touched his consistency from week to week. But regular-season dominance isn’t everything, and when the lights got bright, the cracks appeared three times over.
In high pressure games, both Thanatos and C9 struggled. A player who rarely gets caught out or forces bad fights suddenly flipped his style when the stakes rose. Instead of stabilizing the map, he became a source of risk, putting his team into situations they couldn’t dig out of. The contrast between his controlled regular season play and his high stress decision-making was one of the defining storylines of C9’s year.
No one can deny Thanatos’ talent. He’s the most dominant regular season top laner in the league. But if he wants to carry C9 back to international competition, he’ll need to tighten his mental game and steady his play when the moment demands it.
1: Bwipo
Who can forget the undisputed widest top laner in the LCS? Bwipo has spent the past two years proving that he isn’t just a dominant domestic presence. He’s one of the few Western top laners who genuinely rival eastern counterparts can. His consistency, versatility, and sheer pressure in lane have made him the defining force of the role in North America.
He barely dropped games or series all year, even with the lane swap meta stripping agency away from the top side. While other top laners struggled to stay relevant in a meta that often neutered their impact, Bwipo remained a stabilizing pillar for his team. When top lane mattered, he won. When it didn’t, he still found ways to influence the map.
His champion pool was another highlight. Bwipo’s willingness to bring off meta picks into high stakes matches paid off repeatedly, and several of his reads helped shape the top lane landscape heading into Worlds 2025. His early adoption and success on champions like Mordekaiser helped cement it as a staple in the fearless draft environment.
The one downside to Bwipo’s year comes from outside the game. Frequent drama and lapses in sportsmanship have cast a shadow over his otherwise elite performance. While he is BOTDIFF.LOL’s #1 top laner, it would be dishonest not to acknowledge how these controversies may impact how his legacy is viewed long term.
Across the board, this year’s top lane field delivered one of the most competitive seasons the LCS has seen in years. From veterans reclaiming form to rookies breaking through, the role finally felt wide open again. But when the dust settled, only a handful proved they could dominate regardless of meta, matchup, or pressure. As we head into 2026, these six players set the standard now it’s on the rest of the league to catch up.
