Starting with the recent Ignite + Teleport Hecarim meta, more and more people are branching out into other similar flash-less champions.
Introduction
Starting with the recent Ignite + Teleport Hecarim meta, more and more people are branching out into other similar flash-less champions.
Key to a champion' success as a flash-less champion top lane are the following key factors:
Key to a champion' success as a flash-less champion top lane are the following key factors:
- Somewhat tanky constitution;
- Enhanced movement speed on short cooldowns; and
- Strong waveclear.
Shyvana Top
Ever since Team M5 introduced Shyvana top lane way back in Season 2, she's consistently been a high pressure invasion-type laner built mostly tanky with some attack/movement speed items.
Core to Shyvana is typically Sunfire Cape and Blade of the Ruined King.
However with the advent of the Cinderhulk enchantment, carrying smite on Shyvana is now more viable than ever.
Benefits to Carrying Smite
- Quick level 2 at start;
- Acquire whatever buff the camp you do provides;
- Take advantage of the jungle item with Cinderhulk; and
- Stronger counter-jungling.
Disadvantage of Not Carrying Flash
- Low escape ability;
- Reduced spell dodging power;
- Almost impossible to knock enemies backwards into your team with ult;
Overall Effectiveness
Shyvana top with Smite + TP is currently sporting a 46.92% win rate. Personally, I think that in solo queue Shyvana top with smite is a high risk, high reward champion.
I think she's fairly balanced as she is, but requires above average game knowledge if you plan on invading without good coordination from your jungler and mid laner.
I think she's fairly balanced as she is, but requires above average game knowledge if you plan on invading without good coordination from your jungler and mid laner.
Alternative: Running Smite + Flash
One possible alternative to running teleport is to go with Flash instead. This means that you can be more aggressive early game counterjungling, and just jump back over the wall if you get into a tight spot.
However, this takes away her late game split-pushing power tremendously, so definitely decide whether your team is more of an early game or late game success story.
Exceptional report.
ReplyDeletePS: I'm 1º :D
ReplyDeleteBeen seeing a lot of Irelia players take Smite/TP, taking the skirmisher's sabre, allowing your normal AA to deal true damage and take reduced damage as well, but the most annoying part is the stacking true damage from her W and the smite item. Can be quite irritating.
ReplyDeleteLately I've been taking tp/smite with olaf top. His ult has a moderately low cooldown and makes him immune to cc so he can escape post 6 very easy. Olaf naturally builds lots of health so he benefits from cinderhulk. Olaf's main job is split pushing or blowing up the adc which are two things that is made easy with the skirmisher's sabor. My build is normally skirmisher's sabor (cinderhulk), boots of mobility, randuins, frozen gauntlet, black cleaver, then situational item. I normally get over 5k health and his passive on his ult gives him an additional 30 armor/mr at max rank. Thoughts or comments?
ReplyDeletehttp://rprewards.com/?ref=VKqKvth8
ReplyDeleteSeems like Smite/TP would be good with Jax?
ReplyDeleteAs a general rule I am not a huge fan of Olaf as a champion but he definitely seems like a champ that this would work on. Haven't personally seen it or tried it but based on his kit it makes a lot of sense
ReplyDeleteCan people stop doing this, im so sick of getting these trash top feeders that keep trying this
ReplyDeleteYou wanna know what scares the shit out of me? Vlad Top w/ Smite. He has all the escape he needs with pool, and if you get cinderhulk and then straight ap, end game you are gonna have 4k (ish) health and like 900 ap. Vlad's HP scales With AP, and his AP scales with HP. The smite also can give him a Early gromp buff. Generally you want to try to push vlad out of lane lv1, otherwise he becomes a sustain monster, most champs who CAN push someone out lv 1 do so with autoattacks, and here comes the gromp buff. The Smite gives him that early help, gives him access to the different smites for slows, or dmg reduction, and just helps him so much at all points of the game. If I ever see a vlad on the enemy team running smite, I dodge right away.
ReplyDeleteHuni is using it in EU LCS but with Lee sin ! :D
ReplyDeleteLooks like it is OP :p
tp+smite in volybear is the best... in my opinion, the W scales very well with the cinderhulk.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI am using sion with this settings on top and I think its very good, especially when I am beside the frog, which I smite everytime i go to lane in order to get that poison. :)
Olaf was my first main back in season 3 (before he got olaf'd). I stopped playing him after nerfs but started playing him again when I got Brolaf in mysteryskin. He is fairly playable now so I love being able to play him!!!
ReplyDeleteBuilding the machete into skirmisher's let's you bully your opponent pretty hard in top lane. They might have to change how smite/jungle items to have more drawbacks when using it in lane.
ReplyDeleteSkirmisher's smite is a bitch in lane. 20% damage reduction and taking true damage over time. Not to mention the 20% bonus HP modifier is amazing on so many champs
ReplyDeleteSmite and Teleport? What about Smite/Clairvoyance on Nunu :D
ReplyDeletei actually hate the jg items period, since they are just a wasted slot that could be used on something better lategame, the smite buff is nice but it is kinda irrelevant in the log run
ReplyDeleteExcept Sirmishers no longer make your autos do true damage. It got changed since Warwick and Fiora abused that mechanic with their ults. Now, it only burns the person you smited.
ReplyDeleteActually cinderhulk is one of the best late game items out there
ReplyDeleteAnd the reason this is happening is because it's OP.
ReplyDeleteThe % HP gain is insane. Burn damage is cute.
The reality is that any good jungle item will be used in lanes. Ever since there were jungle items they were used in lane and nerfed or removed.
So far they have done terrible when it comes to balancing any jungle items.
its not like shyv is that good at splitpushing, she is more of a tank.
ReplyDeleteWelp, as someone that plays Shyvana a lot and enjoys it a bunch, I disagree, I think she's a good splitpusher.
ReplyDeleteSunfire Cape + her W and the minion waves die very quickly.
Add to the mix a Blade of the Ruined King and with that attack speed and her Q she eats turrets for breakfast, plus her being all tank except that one damaging item allows her to resist a lot if she gets caught, and she can use her R and W (and the Botrk active) to escape. Good thing is, if a splitpushing Shyvana that went far knows she's going to die because they're going for her, she can just "play" with the enemies provoking them to catch her so that they'll lose a precious time until she gets caught and dies or escapes. Potentially the second since Shyvana is like Ussain Bolt with her W and if you pick Alacrity.
Well, and now, my opinion about the "TP + Smite Shyvana" thing... xD
I think I like a lot the idea. Running the Squirmisher's Sabre (I think it's called like that) with Cinderhulk makes her have a nice item really similar to Sunfire Cape and an enchant that enhances her tankiness a lot while providing her a nice dueling power if you run a Botrk. Or you can bring the blue Smite, but I think the red one would be the best since she can already slow with the Botrk active.
To be honest, I see most of the toplane champions that have a dash or similar viable with a Smite + Teleport. I would even run my top Rek'Sai with that combination.
I really enjoy these new things that appear in the metagame, I think they make the game more fresh and funny xD
What do you think of flash + smite shen?
ReplyDeletewell you have to take smite to get the jungle item at least. So we wont be seeing any mid laners with magus enchantment anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteThe first game I saw a smite Shyvanna top (she was on our team) the enemies had a smite Shen top.
ReplyDeleteVery well worded post. I decided to search around and see what others thought of the whole smite top lane thing and I'm glad I came across your post. Might do a bit of testing with some of the items you suggested.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you ^^ Have a nice day!
ReplyDeleteCould you give me your opinion on top sion with smite/
ReplyDeleteYou burn them with true damage tho.
ReplyDeleteSmite Ignite mid lane new meta
ReplyDeletenah, take flash or ghost instead
ReplyDelete