Recently, a new star has appeared in the top lane: Soraka. After a recent pick by G2 Esports in the LEC, the professional scene has started to look at the Starchild's potential. Nevertheless, it may be difficult to understand why this champion has managed to gain the upper hand over many other top laners. Why is the banana-slinger the new great threat in League of Legends?
From star to meteorite
Soraka's arrival didn't go unnoticed and many decided to follow Wunder in this new trend. However, don't get carried away; Riot has already announced that Soraka will be undergoing a nerf in the coming weeks to balance her hallucinating victory rate.
"It's not like it's not cool. It's cool that characters can go on other lanes," said Riot August, "but Soraka Top right now, it's just 56% win rate... It's super giga powerful, so yeah we're going to have to nerf it."
But why is Soraka so interesting? It's quite simple, her kit allows her to play very safely on the top lane while having a good poke and sustain. Soraka can regenerate her health points and no current meta champion can abuse her in the lane phase. She neutralizes her opponent and can buy low-cost utility items that will greatly benefit her team. Her ability to quickly make a big impact in teamfight while not fearing any threat on her path makes her a perfect choice to maximize her chances of victory within a teamfight oriented composition.
Soraka also surprises with her statistics; she is the embodiment of non-violence. Pretty bad in terms of damage done (10k on average in Platinum+ ranks) but also in terms of damage taken (17k on average in Platinum+ ranks), she has a passive style of play that works very well. Surprisingly, Soraka also ranks last in terms of golds won (8600 PO on average in Platinum+ ranks), showing her ability to offer huge support to her team with a minimum of resources.
However, if Soraka knows a very good winrate, she's still a very risky pick. The Starchild depends on a precise style of play that is meant to help her allies and not carry games alone. It is therefore advisable to play it only if you like this gameplay close to the support style and if you trust your teammates to carry with your help. Soraka is not here to do damage, to get fed and win a lot of golds but only to assist hyper carries.
A star that shines again
Soraka hasn't received a buff recently, which makes it all the more surprising to see her on the top lane. So why the sudden renewed interest in her? The evolution of the meta and the large number of mixed champions on the top lane have made her an adequate response to these changes. Not only does she get a stable situation on her way, but she also responds to professional level challenges with an ultimate ability to deter enemies from diving as well as a very important support in teamfight thanks to her zone silence.
While Soraka top had an indecent 56% win rate in the toplane a few days ago, players have been able to adapt and react accordingly, lowering her win rate to 54% (which is not catastrophic).
AFK farmers like Nasus can have fun and stack quietly without feeling threatened by their opponent, however irritating it may be. Add to that a rush of the Spiritual Visage, the unicorn will be able to throw bananas, but she won't be able to prevent him from smashing a tower in 5 seconds with great blows of Soul Drinker. Soraka simply doesn't have the necessary weapons against the split-pushers, and she won't be able to stop them after they've amassed a few items. Kled also remains an excellent choice with an outstanding aggression potential and a heal reduction in his spell kit.
As you can see, Soraka Top is a viable pick in certain situations, especially when playing in a team. Nevertheless, the champion should be nerfed very soon, according to August. Only one question remains: which champion, even more unbearable, will succeed to her?
After a weekend dominating the top lane of League of Legends, Senior Champion Designer August 'August' Browning recently announced that the Starchild might face a nerf in an upcoming patch.
