The safest top laners to lock before your opponent picks on patch 26.21, from 5,462 ranked games at the players' own elo: strong in the lane, and the champions that beat them are rarely picked there.
- 1. Dr. Mundo: tier S+, 55.8% over 260 games; worst matchup Garen, and its counters together are 7% of top lane picks.
- 2. Garen: tier S+, 55.4% over 572 games; worst matchup Yone, and its counters together are 10% of top lane picks.
- 3. Sett: tier S, 54.8% over 577 games; worst matchup Urgot, and its counters together are 6% of top lane picks.
- 4. Tryndamere: tier S, 55.1% over 287 games; worst matchup Renekton, and its counters together are 11% of top lane picks.
- 5. Yorick: tier S, 53.0% over 285 games; worst matchup Mordekaiser, and its counters together are 13% of top lane picks.
Below: the full list with every worst matchup, whether Garen, Renekton, Jax and the others people ask about hold up, and what to do when you are not first pick.
The top lane blind pick list (patch 26.21)
Up to twelve top laners, safest first, by the method of the hub: tier S+, S or A on the top lane tier list, at least 150 games, then the champion whose worst matchups are picked least in the lane comes first. “Meets one” is how often those worst matchups are picked in top lane together, roughly the chance your opponent is one of them. Each champion links to its counter page, each worst matchup to the pair page.
| # | Champion | Tier | Win rate | Games | Worst matchups | Meets one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dr. Mundo | S+ | 55.8% | 260 |  Garen Irelia | 7% |
| 2 | Garen | S+ | 55.4% | 572 |  Yone Tryndamere Yorick | 10% |
| 3 |  Sett | S | 54.8% | 577 |  Urgot Tahm Kench Nasus | 6% |
| 4 | Tryndamere | S | 55.1% | 287 |  RenektonSett Jax | 11% |
| 5 | Yorick | S | 53.0% | 285 |  MordekaiserSettTryndamere | 13% |
| 6 | Mordekaiser | A | 50.2% | 540 |  Teemo Pantheon Yasuo | 7% |
| 7 | Teemo | A | 51.3% | 474 | SettYorick Ornn | 9% |
| 8 |  Darius | A | 50.3% | 567 | Yone Akali Malphite | 10% |
| 9 | Yone | A | 51.7% | 520 | MordekaiserDr. MundoYorick | 10% |
| 10 |  Kayle | A | 51.3% | 150 | YoneDarius | 10% |
| 11 |  Sion | A | 50.0% | 176 | TeemoMalphiteMordekaiser | 13% |
A worst matchup here is an opponent with at least 8 games against the champion and a win rate below 50% for it after the win rate is pulled toward 50%. The data holds those lists, not the win rate of each pair; the pair pages say which side a matchup falls on and show both champions' own numbers.
Is Garen a good blind pick? And the others people ask about
The same method, applied to the top laners people ask about by name. A verdict only where the champion has 150 games and at least one measured matchup; where it does not, the answer says so instead of guessing.
Is Garen a good blind pick?
Yes. Garen is number 2 of 11 on this list: tier S+, 55.4% over 572 games, and its worst matchups (Yone, Tryndamere and Yorick) together make up 10% of top lane picks. Most lanes it meets are lanes it holds. See Garen counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Garen vs Yone.
Is Renekton a good blind pick?
Not this patch. Renekton is tier C in the top lane, 46.7% over 289 games, and the list only takes S+, S and A. Its worst matchups are Mordekaiser, Aatrox and Darius (11% of top lane picks together). It is a pick for when you know the matchup, not a blind one. See Renekton counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Renekton vs Mordekaiser.
Is Jax a good blind pick?
Not this patch. Jax is tier B in the top lane, 48.4% over 316 games, and the list only takes S+, S and A. Its worst matchups are Teemo, Garen and Trundle (11% of top lane picks together). It is a pick for when you know the matchup, not a blind one. See Jax counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Jax vs Teemo.
Is Ambessa a good blind pick?
We cannot say yet. Ambessa has 97 top lane games on patch 26.21, and the list only takes champions from 150 games, so its matchup spread is not measured. It is tier S with a 54.6% win rate so far. See Ambessa counters.
Is Camille a good blind pick?
We cannot say yet. Camille has 79 top lane games on patch 26.21, and the list only takes champions from 150 games, so its matchup spread is not measured. It is tier D with a 40.5% win rate so far. See Camille counters.
Is Tryndamere a good blind pick?
Yes. Tryndamere is number 4 of 11 on this list: tier S, 55.1% over 287 games, and its worst matchups (Renekton, Sett and Jax) together make up 11% of top lane picks. Most lanes it meets are lanes it holds. See Tryndamere counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Tryndamere vs Renekton.
Is Mordekaiser a good blind pick?
Yes. Mordekaiser is number 6 of 11 on this list: tier A, 50.2% over 540 games, and its worst matchups (Teemo, Pantheon and Yasuo) together make up 7% of top lane picks. Most lanes it meets are lanes it holds. See Mordekaiser counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Mordekaiser vs Teemo.
Is Fiora a good blind pick?
Not this patch. Fiora is tier D in the top lane, 44.1% over 186 games, and the list only takes S+, S and A. Its worst matchups are Mordekaiser (5% of top lane picks together). It is a pick for when you know the matchup, not a blind one. See Fiora counters and the matchup to dodge or ban, Fiora vs Mordekaiser.
What makes a top laner safe to blind
Top is the most isolated lane: a bad matchup lasts fifteen minutes with little help, so the blind pick matters more here than anywhere else. The list above is pure numbers; these are the kit traits that tend to put a champion on it, tied to the six things that decide a counter in how to counter pick.
- Range it can fall back on. A melee champion with no way to close the gap loses every small trade to a ranged top laner. The picks that stay safe either have range themselves or a gap closer on a short cooldown.
- Sustain. Healing or shielding through poke turns a losing early lane into an even one at the first item, which is what a blind pick needs: not to win every matchup, but to survive the ones it loses.
- A flexible build path. A champion that can go armor into one opponent and magic resist into another, without giving up its damage, answers the lane after the fact instead of before it.
- Few hard counters, and rare ones. This is the one the table measures. A champion with one awful matchup that nobody plays is a better blind pick than one with three bad matchups you meet every few games.
When not to blind pick top
- You are last pick. Then the lane opponent is known and a counter is free; see how to counter pick as last pick. A blind pick in that spot leaves an edge on the table.
- The enemy top laner has already shown. Open their page among the counter pages per champion and take the answer you can play.
- You are not sure which spot you are. The sequence, swaps and what each spot changes are in pick order and role swaps.
Blind picks from your own pool
The list above is the lane's view. Your view is your pool: in champ select, while your lane opponent is unknown, LazyElo marks each champion you play as a safe blind pick or as risky because it has clear counters, with the reason, and switches to the matchup once the enemy locks. The free plan shows the best 3 picks from your pool. The feature: blind picks from your own pool.
Blind picks for the other roles
The hub has the same list for every lane: jungle, mid, ADC and support, with the method and the definition of a blind pick: blind picks for the other roles.
The numbers: 5,462 ranked games on patch 26.21. Games shared anonymously by LazyElo apps, recounted every hour. They are all ranks together, so your own rank can differ. Riot names this patch 26.21 on its patch schedule; the game data calls it 16.21.
Questions and answers
Who is the best blind pick top laner?
On patch 26.21, Dr. Mundo: tier S+, 55.8% over 260 top lane games, and its worst matchups (Garen and Irelia) are 7% of top lane picks together. The list changes with the patch; the title says which.
Is Garen a good blind pick?
Yes. Garen is number 2 of 11 on this list: tier S+, 55.4% over 572 games, and its worst matchups (Yone, Tryndamere and Yorick) together make up 10% of top lane picks. Most lanes it meets are lanes it holds.
Is Renekton a good blind pick?
Not this patch. Renekton is tier C in the top lane, 46.7% over 289 games, and the list only takes S+, S and A. Its worst matchups are Mordekaiser, Aatrox and Darius (11% of top lane picks together). It is a pick for when you know the matchup, not a blind one.
What does blind pick mean in LoL?
Picking your champion before your lane opponent has picked, so they can answer you and you cannot answer them. The full definition and the lists for every role are on the blind picks hub.
What is the safest top lane pick?
By our method, Dr. Mundo on patch 26.21, followed by Garen, Sett and Tryndamere. Safe means the fewest and rarest bad matchups among the strong picks, not the highest win rate.