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TOP LANER GUIDE
By Zelot & Unite Academy
About Zelot
Zelot is a North American top-lane specialist who’s competed since Unite’s launch. At 19, he’s already played multiple roles at a high level (top carry, jungle, attacker) on notable rosters (e.g., Team G, winner of The Last Stretch and a Worlds qualifier, and Tier 3). He’s recognized for disciplined laning, matchup adaptation, and clean objective setups, exactly the skills this guide will teach.
1) What a Top Laner Actually Does
A top-lane carry in Unite is a hybrid of tank and Speedster: you’re tanky enough to bush-check, arrive first to key areas, cover flanks, and you still have the tools to dive with your jungler/speedster when a fight breaks out. In double-melee comps, you often pair as the second diver; in double-ranged comps, you peel more, screening flanks and protecting your backline.
Your early job is to stack and stabilize the lane; your mid-to-late job is to translate that into fights (especially starting from the second objective onward).
2) Lane Phase (0:00 → 7:00): How to Win Without Inting
Respect power spikes (the fast way to stop losing lanes)
When certain foes hit Lv. 5, notably Lucario or Buzzwole, their upgraded moves swing trades hard. If you walk into them at that timing, you hand them lane control. Solution: play safe through their spike, hold your side of the farm, and deny easy KOs. Survive that minute, and you preserve your mid-game.
“Secure yours first, then contest”
A classic throw is sprinting to the enemy farm first or going for stacks when its heavily defended. If you get zoned or KO’d, you’re suddenly under-leveled and the rest of the lane collapses. Stabilize by securing your safe camps first; contest neutrals only if the position and cooldowns favor you, you should also respect the minute 9:20 because around this time stamp the junglers usually gank a lane if they did full clear.
Middle bees aren’t auto-rotate (8:00)
At 8:00, central bees spawn. Characters like Tsareena or Blaziken, who are awkward/weak around Lv. 5, should usually not leave lane to fight bees. You risk losing bees and giving your opponent free top farm. Unless your comp needs you there and you’ll be impactful, keep scaling top.
Stacking done right (and when not to)
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If your Pokémon runs Attack Weight, the baseline is: run it every game and learn matchup-specific stack routes. The skill is how you stack, not if.
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Tsareena example: 1–4 is fine, Lv. 5 is a dip, Lv. 6 spikes. Your first clear can vary a lot; if you repeat the same pattern, better players adapt and punish your stacks.
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Buzzwole example: you can drop Attack Weight for Muscle + Weakness + Focus in some lanes.
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AEOS Cookie/Attack Weight Bracer: don’t. Bracer is broadly bad top; you need real fighting stats and survivability.
Strong / Even / Weak lane—play them differently
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Strong lane (you outgun them): deny. Match everything they touch, stacks, mids, safes and do it faster and harder. Force zero trades for them.
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Even lane: mirror for parity. Example: Blissey+Garchomp vs Hoopa+Blaziken, Blaze can’t freely stack into Chomp, but Hoopa offsets some pressure. Farm your safes, minimize risk, and keep even XP.
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Weak lane (e.g., Tsareena + Blissey/Clef/Comfey into a CC-heavy support + lane bully): you need cheese and trades, not head-on brawls.
Cheesy Strats
Cheesy strats are “non-standard” openings designed to disrupt the enemy or accelerate your own power spike:
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Invade: If your support is coordinated, invading the enemy’s first buff can delay their pathing and force awkward fights.
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Buff Strategies: Sometimes, a speedster will hand over a buff to the top laner (like Lucario or Buzzwole). This creates a hyper-strong lane bully at level 5 that can secure every piece of farm and zone the enemy duo completely.
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Overloading Top: Teams occasionally send 3 or 4 Pokémon to the top lane early to overwhelm and deny farms. This is risky, but if executed cleanly at 8:40 bees, it can guarantee lane dominance.
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Giving Red Buff To The Supports: Giving red buff to your range support guarantees that your support can put early kill pressure in lane helping your top laner farm more
These starts work best in coordinated play. Zelot stresses that they require communication, if your team isn’t on the same page, you risk losing your own farm while accomplishing nothing.
Micro matchup nuggets from the interview
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Garchomp: his passive requires hitting something every few seconds to keep attack-speed stacks. Deny targets, kite off-farm, and you break his tempo.
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Range Laners: you can play range laners to force the enemy out of the lane and then obtain their farm (this also includes supports like Hoopa or Eldegoss)
Three early-game mistakes to cut out
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Greeding early stacks and dying for them.
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Hard-contesting 8:50 bees when you’re off a spike (e.g., your enemy is Lv. 5 and you’re not).
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After a bad bees fight, staying aggressive into second clear and losing all six farms, back off, stabilize, then contest the next timing.
3) Getting Help: Jungler & Bot-Lane Tools
Jungler help (timers that actually matter)
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Early gank (Lv. 3/4) can reset a rough lane, especially from a fast clearer like Talon, Leafeon or Absol.
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Zone the mid bushes between lanes; if your jungler controls them, slow-clearers (e.g., certain Urshifu paths) can’t pressure your side.
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Double-gank at 8:30: after the first round, opponents often greed your second rotation safes. Gank as they step up to your camps and flip the lane on spawn.
Jungle Top swap after 8:50
After the 8:50 bees, a common pattern: jungler holds top lane, while top laner takes a jungle cycle to hit crucial spikes (e.g., Tsareena Lv. 6, Aegislash Lv. 7). Then you arrive to mid on a real power band instead of limping in.
Bot-lane “4-man top” with speed berries (9:00)
At 9:00, speed berries spawn mid. Tanks (or even a Lv. 5 attacker) can grab one and gank top for a tempo swing (4v2/4v3). Goal: kill or negate pressure, burn their ejects/XSpeeds, and let your top laner breathe. Leaving your ranged attacker bot for bees XP is fine if they’re not yet five; if they’re already Lv. 5 by 9:04, their top gank is huge.
4) Mid-Game Rotations & Objective Sense (7:00 → 3:00)
The mid-game in Pokémon Unite is where the outcome of most matches is decided. Zelot emphasized that this phase isn’t just about blindly rotating to the center or contesting objectives , it’s about understanding your Pokémon’s power spikes, the enemy’s strengths, and whether you create value by rotating or by staying in lane farming.
Rotation Decisions Are Not Universal
Zelot explained that many players make the mistake of thinking, “It’s 7:00, so I must rotate to bot Regi.” This is a trap. Instead, rotations should be conditional, based on three main factors:
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Your character’s level and power spike. For example, Blaziken is extremely weak at level 6. Rotating them bot just because Regi spawn often results in them being bursted down, contributing nothing, and falling further behind. Instead, Zelot advises that these Pokémon stay top and farm safely, only rotating once they reach their first real spike and even then you could be taking enemy resources on their side instead.
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What your team actually needs. If your jungler and bot lane are already strong enough to contest objectives, your presence might not even be necessary. In this case, farming the map to deny the enemy laner’s scaling is more impactful.
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The enemy’s rotation. If you see the enemy laner leaving early, you may need to shadow their rotation to prevent a numbers disadvantage for your team. But again, this depends on your character’s readiness to fight.
Farming vs. Fighting
One of the core messages Zelot pushed was: “Don’t rotate just to die.” If you rotate underleveled, you’re giving the enemy team an even bigger advantage. Instead:
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Farm your side’s top bees, then grab side bunnies and keep pace with the enemy laner’s XP.
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If you’re already behind (ex: level 5 Tsareena vs. level 7 Lucario), your focus should be safe XP and avoiding unnecessary skirmishes. In this state, your rotation only helps if it enables your team to secure farm or steal objectives without you dying.
Objective Awareness
Between 7:00 and 3:00, multiple neutral spawns dictate tempo:
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Birds at 7:20, 5:50, 4:20, 2:50, and 1:20. Zelot said that missing these is often the difference between being relevant at Groudon or not. Top laners should be in position for bees if and only if they can fight for them without throwing away XP.
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Second and third Regi spawns. Many players rush these fights without checking whether their top laner is leveled. Zelot recommends that if you’re behind, you skip the Regi fight, stay in top lane, and hit your critical level (like Tsareena’s Unite at 9). Winning Groudon matters more than flipping every Regi.
Timing Rotations
Zelot gave a practical timing rule of thumb:
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Strong early laners (Lucario, Buzzwole, Scyther) → Rotate at 7:00 with confidence. They can contest bees and transition pressure into the bottom Regi fight.
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Scaling laners (Tsareena, Blaziken, Garchomp) → Delay rotation. Stay top until you hit your spike, even if it means missing early bees. For example, Tsareena should prioritize getting to level 9 with Unite rather than rushing mid at level 6 and dying.
Example: The Tsareena Mistake
Zelot shared a common mistake he sees: A Tsareena rotates mid at 7:00 with only level 5, gets collapsed on, dies instantly, and gives the enemy jungler a free level lead. Instead, the better play is staying top, farming, and arriving to the 5:00 Regi fight at level 9 with Unite, making her a real win condition for the team.
Don’t Tunnel on Rotations
The biggest takeaway was Zelot’s phrase:
“Rotating is not always correct. Scaling correctly is what wins games.”
The mid-game should always be viewed as a balance of XP parity, objective contest, and safety, not as a fixed checklist of where you must be at specific minutes.
5) When You’re Behind
Falling behind in the top lane is inevitable at times, even for strong players. Zelot explained that the worst mistake players make when behind is trying to play as if they’re even. If you’re down in levels, you can’t force the same fights, instead, you need to adapt your role and your priorities until you catch back up.
Step 1: Stop Bleeding XP
If you’re a level 5 Tsareena facing a level 7 Lucario, you’re already at a disadvantage. Walking up to contest every last hit or fight is just feeding more XP. Zelot emphasizes playing safer under tower or in areas where your team can quickly support you.
The mindset shift here is: “My job isn’t to win trades right now, my job is to survive and farm safely until my spike.”
Step 2: Prioritize Safe Farm
When behind, every bit of XP matters more than every fight. Zelot highlighted that you should:
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Farm nearby wild Pokémon that are low risk (backside birds, safe bees, side Audino).
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Avoid rotating away from the lane unless you’ll 100% secure farm or a kill.
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If your jungler comes top, let them take the fight lead while you focus on cleanup or soaking free XP.
Example: A Tsareena at level 5 shouldn’t waste cooldowns diving a Lucario at 7. Instead, wait for jungle gank pressure, then clean up if the Lucario burns cooldowns.
Step 3: Adjust Your Team Role
Zelot pointed out that when you’re behind, you often need to temporarily shift roles:
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Instead of playing the carry, you may need to become the peeler or disruptor until you catch up.
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Example: A weak Tsareena may need to peel for her Cinderace or Gardevoir instead of diving into the enemy backline.
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As soon as you hit level 9, you can resume your usual engage/disruption role.
Step 4: Don’t Force Objectives Early
Being behind doesn’t mean never rotating, but you shouldn’t throw yourself at early objectives without Unite moves or proper support. Zelot gave the example of a Lucario who’s already ahead at 7:00, if you walk into that fight as a weak Tsareena, you’re just feeding. Instead, farm into your level 9 spike and commit to the second or third objective with full strength.
Step 5: Mental Reset
Finally, Zelot stressed the mental side: don’t let an early disadvantage define the rest of the match. Unite has plenty of comeback mechanics, birds, mid-game Regi fights and especially Groudon / Groudon, that allow a disciplined player to recover. The key is avoiding tilt plays like “forcing 1v1s I can’t win.”
Takeaway:
When behind, your role is to stall, soak XP, and buy time until your character comes online. A smart top laner doesn’t measure success only in KOs, sometimes, “not dying” is the win condition that lets your team scale into late game.
6) Late-Game & Groudon: Positioning That Wins
Zelot stressed that late game isn’t just “play for Groudon”, it’s about how you arrive to Groudon and what role you play once you’re there. The last 2 minutes compress all the mistakes from earlier into one fight, so discipline matters more than mechanics.
1. Entering the Final Stretch
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If you’re behind: Don’t facecheck bushes. Zelot noted that greedy top laners die alone trying to “get vision” when they’re underleveled. Instead, move as a unit with your team and let your defender or support lead checks.
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If you’re even or ahead: Set up early bush control on the Groudon side. Zelot explained that winning the vision war before Groudon spawns can secure you a pick or force the enemy to funnel through choke points.
2. Role Identity in Late Game
Zelot was clear: “Know your job at Groudon.”
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Bruisers (Lucario, Serena, Urshifu): Your role is to disrupt carries, not solo Groudon. Dive only if your team can follow up.
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Carries (Cinderace, Greninja): Stay disciplined. Zelot said many carries throw by overchasing a 10% HP defender and dying, instead of hitting safe damage into Groudon or frontliners.
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Supports/Defenders: Peel is often more important than engage. A well-timed BlissAssist or Eldegoss Unite can flip the fight harder than a risky initiation.
3. The First 20 Seconds After Spawn
Zelot broke down how the first fight setup after 2:00 decides most games:
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Teams that blow Unites immediately often get punished in the re-engage.
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He recommended holding your Unite until you see at least 2 enemy cooldowns burned. For example, wait for Lucario Bone Rush + Extreme Speed before diving with Serena Unite.
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If your team is behind, stalling is winning. Groudon has a 2-minute window — the longer it goes without being taken, the more wild XP spawns, letting you catch up.
4. Win Conditions & Patience
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If ahead, your win condition may simply be to zone and defend. Zelot described how a team with XP lead can wall off the pit and punish desperate engages.
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If behind, your win condition is often a steal or a pick. Zelot emphasized setting traps, hiding Tsareena or Zoroark in a side bush to delete the enemy carry when they check.
5. Common Throw Patterns
Zelot warned of these classic mistakes at Groudon:
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“Hero plays” — diving 1v5 while your team is still regrouping.
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Early flipping — starting Groudon at full HP without securing picks first.
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Ignoring side lanes — forgetting to defend goal zones when enemies sneak scores during the Groudon fight.
6. Closing the Game
After securing Groudon, Zelot advised not to overcommit to scoring. Instead, split score intelligently:
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Send your fastest scorer with shields to enemy base.
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Keep at least 1–2 players mid to deny backcaps.
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If you’re already ahead in points, sometimes the best play is defending with shields rather than risking a team wipe on overextensions.
Takeaway:
Late game isn’t about “press Unite on Groudon.” It’s about role clarity, discipline, and patience. The players who remember their jobs in the chaos of the last fight are the ones who consistently close games.
7) Offlaning, Roles, & Who Stays Where
In competitive Unite, offlaning refers to holding the “quiet side” of the map to safely collect XP while the main group sets up elsewhere. Zelot explained that this is one of the most misunderstood responsibilities in high-level play, because players either overcommit to objectives and leave XP wasted, or they send the wrong Pokémon to offlane and stall their own comp.
Who Usually Offlanes
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Tank / Defender: Most often, your tank will stay behind to soak up safe XP (like Audino or Swablu waves). They don’t fall off as hard if they’re underleveled for a few seconds, and their Unite availability for the next fight is often more important than hitting a specific damage spike.
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Top Laner: Sometimes the top laner offlanes instead, especially if they’re a scaling bruiser like Garchomp or Serena. These Pokémon benefit massively from solo XP and can turn the tide of the next big fight if allowed to safely farm.
When It Swaps
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If your tank is close to their Unite (say level 9 Eldegoss or Blastoise at 8.5), you may want them grouped mid while a bruiser holds the quiet lane.
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If your carry needs a final level for their Unite move, let them take the offlane wave instead. Zelot emphasized that sometimes a single level 9 spike is worth more than a tank grabbing an extra Audino.
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Team comps with split win conditions (like double-bruiser tops) can rotate who offlanes depending on timers. Example: Buzzwole might offlane at 6:30 if Serena already has her Unite, then swap roles later.
Coordination Is Key
Zelot stressed that the worst outcome is indecision. If two players both rotate mid and no one offlanes, you’re bleeding XP for free. To avoid this:
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The jungler calls who should take the lane if they’re pathing through.
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The support confirms rotations (“I’ll hold top,” “Buzz stay behind,” etc.).
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The offlaner’s job is to safely clear and then regroup, never staying too long.
Practical Example
At 5:00, your team is prepping for Regieleki. Your Lucario and Blastoise are top, while your Cinderace is jungling. If Lucario is still level 7 but Blastoise is 8.9, you send Lucario offlane to grab Audino + Swablu while Blastoise groups mid to guarantee his Unite. That way, your comp enters the fight with 3 Unites instead of 2, which can be the difference in securing Regi.
Common Offlane Mistakes
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Greedy overstays: Offlaner keeps farming while the fight starts mid, arriving late or not at all.
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Wrong assignment: Sending your tank to offlane when your carry desperately needed the XP spike.
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No communication: Both players assume the other will stay, leaving the wave unclaimed.
8) Mindset & Improvement (The Part Most Players Skip)
Zelot stressed that the mental side of Pokémon Unite is often more important than mechanics. Everyone knows how to press buttons, but the best top laners separate themselves by staying disciplined, consistent, and focused on growth even through setbacks.
Don’t Tilt Over Early Game Losses
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Top lane is naturally volatile, sometimes you’ll get double-ganked or lose early bees. Zelot reminded players that losing lane ≠ losing game.
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Instead of tilting, reset your mindset and focus on arriving strong to the next timer (5:00 Regi, 3:00 Rayquaza).
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Unite is a game of timers and spikes, not who wins the first fight. The question isn’t “Did I die at 9:20?” but “Will I be ready at 7:00, 5:00, and 3:00?”
Focus on Optimizing Mid/Late Impact
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A weak early game Serena can still dominate fights if she reaches Unite move by 3:00.
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A Lucario that lost early trades can still control bushes and peel carries at Rayquaza.
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The key is not letting an early deficit snowball by forcing fights that don’t matter.
Practice Specific Interactions
Improvement comes from drilling the details that separate average from elite:
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Move windows: Know exactly when to trade (e.g., Serena’s Triple Axel timing vs Lucario’s Bone Rush reset).
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Animation cancels: Learn how to smooth your autos and abilities for faster combos.
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Secure combos: Understand the damage thresholds for last-hitting bees, Regis, and Rayquaza.
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Stack routes: Plan how to safely build attack weight stacks in different matchups.
Play Up to Stronger Opponents
Zelot emphasized that you only grow by scrimming against players better than you. Losing reveals habits you don’t notice when you’re stomping weaker opponents.
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Example: A stronger Lucario punishes every greedy dash. Review those deaths and ask: “Was I greedy, or did I just not respect his timer?”
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Playing against comfort picks of pros teaches you matchup respect in a way ladder games never will.
Learn by Asking & Reviewing
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Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to DM or ping experienced players. Most competitive players enjoy talking shop.
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VOD review: Watch your replays, not just when you lost, but also when you won. Ask yourself why the win condition worked.
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Get coaching: Zelot highlighted that structured feedback (from pros, TOs, or even teammates) speeds up learning tenfold.
Build Consistency
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Teammates: Playing with the same core squad builds synergy that random solo queue never will. You start trusting rotations and calls without overthinking.
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Champion pool: Don’t spread yourself too thin. Master 2–3 top laners deeply (e.g., Lucario + Serena + one flex pick). Knowing their spikes and matchups inside-out will give you more value than being “okay” at 8 different ones.
Takeaway:
Improvement isn’t about never making mistakes — it’s about managing your mindset, drilling fundamentals, and learning from stronger competition. The best top laners don’t just play Unite; they study it, practice it, and stay consistent even when the game throws curveballs.
9) Practical Drills You Can Do Tonight
Zelot emphasized that most players “play to play,” but pros “play to practice.” If you want to level up quickly, you should treat each scrim or ranked set like a laboratory where you isolate skills and repeat them until they’re second nature. Here are the drills he recommended (with explanations):
1. Three Stack Routes per Main Pick
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For each of your core Pokémon (Serena, Lucario, Buzzwole, etc.), create three different lane openers (A/B/C).
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Rotate them between games so you’re never predictable to enemy laners.
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Example (Serena):
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Route A → Stack early at bot goal, then rotate top for bees.
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Route B → Contest first Audino aggressively, then fall back to stacking later.
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Route C → Ignore stacks early, play for fast level 5 spike with jungle leash.
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Practicing all three builds adaptability and prevents enemy teams from scouting your habits.
2. Cheese Playlist
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Rip your top-left unseen → cross to their side. This forces the enemy to guess whether you’re committing to denial.
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If they mirror (doing the same cross-play), flip it the next game to keep them off-balance.
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The point isn’t to “always cheese,” but to drill when it works, how they punish it, and how you adapt.
3. Buzzwole Practice: Body-Block Neutrals
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Set up drills with a partner jungler where you body-block neutral Pokémon (like bees or Swablu) against Fell Stinger.
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Then repeat the drill focusing on counter-securing after the Buzzwole commits.
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Goal: Build the instinct for denying Fell Stinger resets and flipping neutrals back in your favor.
4. Garchomp Denial Drills
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Run custom drills where one player is Garchomp, and the other practices resetting his passive.
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Technique: Kite off camps, step out of range for just long enough to break stacks, then re-engage.
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Goal: Condition yourself to never give a free “perma-boosted” Chomp — the difference between trading evenly and getting shredded.
5. 8:30 Double-Gank Call
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Scrim full sets where your jungler always double-ganks top at 8:30.
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Feel how much this timing shifts lane control and flow into Regi fights.
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Rotate who the kill setup is on (tank engage vs bruiser burst) to learn different variations.
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This drill teaches teams how to recognize and punish openings when top pressure flips a lane.
6. 9:00 Four-Man Top
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Practice two versions of a 4-man gank at 9:00:
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Tank gank version: Defender rotates with jungler to force a goal dive.
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Lv. 5 attacker gank: Bring a spiking attacker (like Cinderace hitting 5) instead of tank.
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Run multiple scrims with each version, then review which one your team executes more cleanly.
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This builds confidence in calling 4-man tops in real matches without hesitation.
Takeaway:
Pros don’t just grind ladder — they drill specific mechanics and timings until they’re automatic. By running these routines, you’ll internalize both micro-skills (like Buzzwole denial) and macro timings (like 8:30/9:00 ganks), giving your team the consistency to win against stronger opponents.
10) Closing & Contact
Top laners are expected to be steady, first to bushes, first to info, and last to int. Win lane by respecting spikes, securing yours first, and forcing trades when weak. Win games by arriving strong to the second objective and playing your job at Groudon.
Zelot shares updates and offers coaching (via Discord/Linktree). If you want targeted feedback, VOD timestamps plus your intended stack route/cheese plan will make a session insanely productive.