Patch 25.09 brings several important shifts to the top lane meta. With massive changes to Void Grubs, Oticon, and boots, the entire dynamic of early game rotations and laning has been shaken up. Top laners are adapting quickly, and certain champions have risen—or fallen—accordingly.

Here’s the complete breakdown of the top lane meta and the best champions to climb with in Patch 25.09.

TL;DR: Pick These to Win in Patch 25.09 🏆

Sett is the number one top laner you should be playing.
Shen is back stronger than ever with his new buffs.
Garen, Yorick, and Heimerdinger are the best easy-to-carry picks for low Elo.
Urgot and Kayle are still strong but not as dominant as before.
Play scaling tanks and bruisers to take advantage of the slower early game meta.

If you want to climb easily this patch, spam Sett and Shen!

🔹 Biggest Top Lane Meta Changes in Patch 25.09

✅ Stronger Picks This Patch

Shen (Buffed) – Huge buffs to his Q ability make him much more effective in trades and skirmishes.
Sett (Meta King) – With Urgot and Kayle dropping slightly, Sett stands alone at the top.

❌ Weaker Champions or Harder to Play This Patch

Urgot and Kayle – Still strong, but Boots of Swiftness nerfs hit them hard, slightly dropping them out of OP tier.
Jayce (C-Tier) – Continues to struggle against the current bruiser and tank-heavy meta.

🔹 Top Lane Tier List for Patch 25.09

Here’s the full updated tier list including the best bans, strongest low Elo picks, and top solo queue performers:

Tier	Champions
OP	Sett
Low Elo OP	Heimerdinger, Garen, Yorick
Best Bans	Sett, Darius, Aatrox
S Tier	Shen, Urgot, Kayle, Ornn, Vayne, Kennen, Kled, Ryze, Riven, Warwick, Quinn, Olaf, Zac, Teemo, Cassiopeia, Malphite, Aatrox, Fiora, Singed, Poppy, Heimerdinger
A Tier	Akali, Yorick, Garen, Wukong, Irelia, Karma, Cho’Gath, Vladimir, Rengar, Darius, Pantheon, Renekton, Camille, Volibear, Gangplank, Trundle, Gragas, Tryndamere, Nasus, Dr. Mundo, Gwen
B Tier	Mordekaiser, Tahm Kench, Yasuo, Ambessa, Gnar, Aurora, Rumble, Illaoi, Sylas, Jax, Swain, Sion, Yone
C Tier	Jayce, K’Sante, Smolder, Udyr, Maokai, Nidalee

🔹 Best Top Lane Picks for Solo Queue in Patch 25.09

Looking to climb faster? Here are the strongest top laners you should be playing this patch:

Tier	Champions
OP	Sett
Low Elo OP	Heimerdinger, Garen, Yorick
Best Bans	Sett, Darius, Aatrox
S Tier	Shen, Urgot, Kayle, Ornn, Vayne, Kennen, Kled, Ryze, Riven, Warwick, Quinn, Olaf, Zac, Teemo, Cassiopeia, Malphite, Aatrox, Fiora, Singed, Poppy, Heimerdinger
A Tier	Akali, Yorick, Garen, Wukong, Irelia, Karma, Cho’Gath, Vladimir, Rengar, Darius, Pantheon, Renekton, Camille, Volibear, Gangplank, Trundle, Gragas, Tryndamere, Nasus, Dr. Mundo, Gwen
B Tier	Mordekaiser, Tahm Kench, Yasuo, Ambessa, Gnar, Aurora, Rumble, Illaoi, Sylas, Jax, Swain, Sion, Yone
C Tier	Jayce, K’Sante, Smolder, Udyr, Maokai, Nidalee

1. Sett (OP Tier, Best Overall Pick)

Why Sett is OP:

Massive trades and dueling power with The Show Stopper (R).
Great engage, reliable tankiness, and flexible itemization.
Excels both in 1v1s and in messy team fights.
Boots of Swiftness nerfs do not hurt Sett’s power much, letting him stay dominant.

✅ Best into melee matchups
✅ Amazing teamfight impact
✅ Reliable win condition even from behind

🔻 Struggles against ranged poke champs like Vayne and Quinn.

2. Shen (S Tier, Best Tank Buff)

Why Shen is Rising:

Consistent buffs over multiple patches finally paid off.
His Q bonus damage now feels significantly stronger.
Global presence with R (Stand United) makes him invaluable in coordinated or chaotic solo queue games.

✅ Great side lane duelist
✅ Fantastic for setting up cross-map plays

🔻 Needs good timing to maximize ult value.

3. Urgot and Kayle (Still Strong, Slightly Lower)

Why They Fell from OP:

Boots of Swiftness nerfs hurt both Urgot’s and Kayle’s movement and trading patterns.
Still very powerful champions but no longer free OP picks every game.

✅ Great scaling into mid and late game
✅ Still bully lanes without strong early threats

🔻 Vulnerable to early jungle pressure or strong duelists like Sett and Darius.

4. Garen, Heimerdinger, and Yorick (Low Elo Carries)

Why They Dominate Low Elo:

Garen and Yorick are unstoppable if left unchecked.
Heimerdinger’s lane control and turret defense make him a nightmare for inexperienced players.

✅ Easy to execute strategies
✅ Punish greedy opponents hard

🔻 Higher elo players punish their predictable patterns more easily.

🔹 Final Thoughts – Top Lane Meta in Patch 25.09

Patch 25.09 creates an environment where scaling tanks and bruisers thrive even more.

✔️ Sett dominates the OP tier as the undisputed best top laner.
✔️ Shen is back as a top S-Tier pick with his recent buffs.
✔️ Urgot and Kayle remain solid but less dominant after itemization nerfs.
✔️ Garen, Yorick, and Heimerdinger continue to be great low Elo monsters.
✔️ Early Void Grub fights being delayed shifts the focus slightly more toward safe scaling than early fighting.
✔️ Ranged top laners like Vayne and Quinn are still threats that can punish poor drafts.