Along with the meta changing rapidly, Taric is storming the top lane with the ability to smash his opponents
The meta has changed, leading to the return of many champions in the top lane, especially tanky champions. Ornn, Shyvana, and Sion appear to serve as trusses for the true carry in the mid and bot lane.
Taric is another unique option that has been quite strong recently, even Faker is abusing the champion’s power in his solo queue games.
Overall, Taric top is not a very strange choice for many players when the champion was remade. However, in recent patches, The Shield of Valoran has really risen and is picked by more players in the top lane. Taric’s true capability in lane is his ability to auto-attack, heal, and stun the enemy continuously.
His Passive – Bravado enhances his next 2 auto-attacks within 5 seconds after casting an ability, gaining 100% total attack speed, each dealing bonus magic damage and reducing the cooldowns of his basic abilities by 1 second. His combos can go on and on, making him extremely powerful in 1vs1 situations.
Along with that, healing reduction items have seen nerfs recently, helping Taric to actually exploit his Q – Starlight’s Touch.
Items
Even so, Taric has one drawback since the rework that we all know is the lack of mana to heal and stun continuously.
However, the appearance of Fimbulwinter gave Taric more strength in the top lane as he is now able to purchase Tear of the Goddess early on. Frostfire Gauntlet will be the most ideal Mythic item since it is capable of slowing down the target which usually makes it possible for Taric to miss his stun.
Taric will mostly be the main tank of your team comps so any tank items (depending on the enemy’s team comp) such as Warmogs, Randuin, Force of Nature… is ideal.
Runes and Keystone
Regarding the keystone, most Taric players are prioritizing Phase Rush. Following the keystone, Manaflow Band, Transcendence, and Waterwalking for better roaming potential. The secondary rune will be Resolve for extra tankiness, followed by Conditioning and Revitalize.
Even Faker himself is determined that this meta is a thing, but it is good enough to appear at Worlds is questionable. Still, trying a new champion, especially for a Support champion in the top lane can be a really fun experience.