Aatrox

It should be a skill matchup, but like Illaoi, once you understand the character well enough, it becomes extremely easier. Try to dodge his Q, and NEVER get hit by his 3rd Q. it's fine if you get hit by the first 2 procs, but the third one will make you lose the trade. Once his dash is on cooldown (you can W it), he's a sitting duck. Be aware of his ult, it's a big powerspike for him. Rush Bramble!

Ahri

Akali

Skill Matchup. Aggressive players won't like this matchup. She wins level 1 (her Q outranges yours, play accordingly), she can Q twice before running out of energy. Don't fight her while she W's unless you want to kill her with a single Q. You can stop all of her dashes. Her healing is only really bad if she gets fed, so rushing Bramble isn't a must.

Anivia

Annie

Azir

It's like fighting Heimerdinger, but he deals more damage, and has less CC. You can stop his servants' dashes. You can dash through his R and use his R against him. Be patient.

Brand

Camille

She scales. You don't want that. Be aware of her passive, and try to back off if you feel like it might make you lose the trade. Try your best to not to get hit by the outer cone of her W, and punish the SECOND proc of her E, not the first one. You win early, try to get her out of the game before she gets trinity or anything. Be aggro.

Cassiopeia

A bad Cassiopeia will be like a weaker Teemo, but you shouldn't be seeing those in ranked. Try your best to farm and all-in her ASAP. She scales and is annoying with her extreme poking, as long as you don't eat too much poke, you should survive the lane. If she's pushing, ask for ganks.

Cho'Gath

Kill him early. Avoid his Q's (use your E if necessary) and extend trades against him. He outscales you, so you might try to end the game before he starts eating stuff. Be aware of his R, it's true damage, and if you die, it'll only make him stronger and bigger.

Corki

Darius

The ultimate melee lane bully. Rush Steelcaps (lmao rip tabis). Take short trades at level 1 and try your best to poke him. Back off afterwards, and look for opportunities to punish positioning and DISENGAGING INMEDIATELY. Try playing 'footsies' and baiting his E. If you do, it's safe to poke for the next 15 seconds or so. If he Q's, do your best to stay really close or far from him (try using your E to a minion or to him if he uses it! You'll need practice to time it correctly. Be aware of his combos, if he has ignite/ghost play passively. If you're not used to playing this matchup, my advise is to start playing some matches with him yourself and to ask a friend to play some 1v1s against him. It's easier than it looks, but it's really unforgiving, because your mistakes will hurt much more than his.

Diana

You can avoid her Q. She struggles with mana, like you, but you can stop her engages with your W. She likes using her W during trades, so be careful and abuse your passive as much as you can. Be aware of her powerspike with her ult.

Dr. Mundo

Hide behind your wave to avoid his poke. Poke him and rush Grievous wounds. You win pre-6, but then he starts to become a really big problem. Try to take him out of the fight early, and if the game gets too long, ult him away from teamfights.

Ekko

Skill matchup, and a pretty complex one. Avoid his Q by walking away and aside, Avoid walking in his W. His E has 2 phases. The first one is a dash, and the second one is a blink (you can't W it). Try poking him whenever he misses his Q, and getting him out of the fight before level 6. When he gets at level 6, be extremely aware of his ult.

Fiora

Skill matchup, reaction time is key. Poke with your Q, use your W only when running away or when chasing. She can combo her dash into her Riposte (nulllifying CC and stuning if you applied hard CC), so be cautious. She can bait you into dashing towards her, looking for a parry, use this to your advantage and be aware of her reaction time. Testing the waters might dictate how to treat this matchup. If her passive is well positioned, try to stay between her and a wall if she tries to engage. If you don't like where your blind spot is, back off so it resets. If she ults you, go into a bush and ult her away so she doesn't notice your channeling (this is a general R usage tip btw!)

Fiddlesticks

If he builds tank, things are getting nasty. (Progressing)

Fizz

You don't stop his jumps, try to back away or to walk around him when he does so. His dash is stoppable, though. His R is a skillshot, so you might try baiting him into using it. He's hard to kill if played correctly, and his roamings are really good. You win early, punish his mistakes and poke him.

Galio

He doesn't have the tools for fighting you. Avoid his Q, farm and poke with your passive. Be aware of his passive and poke him, try not to be too close when he goes for CS. His taunt is a pain to deal with. W and/or E away from him. You can stop his E with your W, so his engages aren't good against you. He'll play for his team, so you might want to do the same. Before 6, you own him, but might not be able to kill him. After 6, he has more presence. Tone him down before then.

Gangplank

Can't pressure him, he has oranges (citrus heals him and nullifies CC). Try your best to farm and look for when he's about to shoot to his barrels. Try to hit them before they become a problem. His global ult is dangerous. Be aware of it. (Honestly, this might be Poppy's worst matchup yet.)

Garen

Actually a skill matchup. Like most juggernauts, he'll win almost every extended trade. He's really annoying. My recommended strategy? Farm, and KITE HIM. Use your Q and hit your passive whenever he Q's and back off when he E's . He might use his W to avoid CC, and he heals a lot, so fighting him can be pointless if he takes enough care. Try to get him away from the gold and the experience. He'll slowly become an unstoppable machine of stats coming for your towers, so don't forget about him.

Gnar

Good damage in mega form, ranged in normal form, so he's hard to deal with. Play to farm and go into bushes to avoid his pokes. If he tries to engage or escape from you, W him reactively. His R can be EXTREMELY POWERFUL in teamfights. Try to R him away when he's about to go Mega.

Gragas

Heimerdinger

Boring lane. It might remind you of Teemo, but with diagrams. His turrets hit hard if you try to get to him mindlessly, what might lead you to a farming lane. If he's top, he might as well lead the game to a 4v4 until he decides to do anything else. Remember to always look at positioning mistakes and rushing MR. His level 6 is strong against your all-ins, be careful. Since he pokes so much you might as well ask for a gank.

Illaoi

Skill matchup. Her Q heals her, her W is a dash and her E might be your doom. Almost every ability is a skillshot, dance around and AVOID HER E. If she E's you and you have a health advantage, try to contest it by hitting her, so you reduce the duration of the ability. She's inmune to CC when her R animation goes up, be careful when using your own R, she might bait you into using it.

Irelia

When minions are close to die, most bad Irelias will mindlessly Q them. If you notice a pattern or prediction, go for a W. If she gets her stacks, however, you might want to disengage for a while. Look out for her stun, dance around and poke her like any melee matchup. At level 6, ult her if her R hits and she becomes a problem.

Jarvan IV

Really good matchup. This matchup is so bad, that when he reaches level 6, it's a powerspike for YOU (it's a free wall). He shouldn't ult you, try to save your E for when he does so. His dash is easy to predict, look closely to any attempt of his to engage on you, build your mythic and you'll outscale.

Jax

Jax can be a nuisance if the Jax player has better mechanics. Overall, punish him level 1 with your Q, and be careful about his all-ins at level 3. He's weak in early game but his dash is fairly fast when he's close. Try to poke and retreat and only engage when trying to kill. If disengaging, combine E to a minion and W instantly to avoid him proactively jumping towards you. You should do fine in this matchip.

Jayce

Before level 6 he's really dangerous. Don't eat his poke, dance around to eat his projectiles and be patient. Rush Steelcaps, and when he reaches 6 you can look for fights. If he EVER GOES MELEE (uses his R), you can W it, engage on him and bully him. He shouldn't be using his hammer for melee combat against you, so keep him on his toes. Build tanky, outscale and win.

Kayle

Kayle's looking really good against Poppy's poor wallet. She can build both AD and AP, so don't be afraid to use your ordinary build against her. Before level 6, bully her out of lane. Try to kill her as many times as possible. Set up dives with your jungler. When she reaches level 6, it becomes a ranged matchup and her R can make you lose a dive, so be careful. She outscales almost everything, so try your best to win the lane, avoid her pokes and stay afloat.

Kennen

If played correctly, he won't be satisfied with bullying you out of lane, but dominating teamfights too. Play like you'd play against Teemo, but be aware of his mobility and stun. His level 6 is a big powerspike and a nuisance in teamfights, it's a good idea to R him out. If doing badly, rush chemtank and force of nature. There are no dashes to W.

Kled

Surprisingly easy matchup if you're aware of his pasive. Building tabis against him can win you the lane. Dodge his Q, if it lands, W/E away. Poke him when you can, it'll be hard for him to reach you. You can W his E, but if he reaches you with it, he can proc it again. Try to use your W reactively. If he's dismounted, his pocket pistol shot counts as a dash, try to catch him and end him while his W is on cooldown. By the way, DO NOT ENGAGE ON HIM if he has his W. It has a long cooldown, but when it's up, the damage can be really high and can help him remount if you're not careful.

Lillia

Like Darius, but she's fast and deals magic damage. Play passively and ask for a gank, she's really squishy. Her W is a dash! It's a little tricky to stop with your W, but it might help you with trades.

Lucian

Play smart. He can push and poke easily (his damage is BIG). Try to get around bushes, and once you get to him, pay attention to his dash and W him. If you managed to get him, he's dead. If he R's you, W/E away diagonally, so he misses his shots, or pin him on a wall.

Lulu

She's not really fit for Solo Q as a toplaner anymore. Hide behind your melee minions and poke her with your buckler. Play passively and don't underestimate her damage. If she messes up, don't be afraid to flash towards her and a wall, as she's relatively easy to kill. Once she reaches level 6, be extremely careful.

Lux

Her Q is dangerous for you. Play when it's on cooldown. Before then, farm carefully and avoid her pokes (there's a lot). There's not a lot going on in this matchup, but it's annoying.

Malphite

Thanks to the new items, he's actually a threat now. Poke him as much as you can, since he doesn't have any sustain (his passive shield only comes up if he doesn't receive damage for several seconds). Wait out for his E, and if he whiffs it, go jam on him. His level 6 is a really big powerspike. Be careful when diving him, you can't stop his ult.

Maokai

Rush Grievous Wounds items. His Q outranges yours and you can't stop his W. His trades are particulary strong, but he's really mana hungry in early game. Be careful when he reaches lvl 6, like with Malphite. Be careful with bushes, since he could've thrown a sapling in there.

Mordekaiser

Lane bully, don't extend trades unless you're definitely killing him. Try to win against him before level 6, constantly avoid his Q and E by walking in and out of range, trying to bait it (footsies). If he R's you (he will at some point) go into a bush or wait out his E, charge your R and hit him with the hammer. This can easily help you survive without fighting.

Nasus

Use your wave management knowledge here. Bully him out of lane as MUCH as you can and try not to completely destroy his tower unless your team is winning. He's really weak early. Fight him level 1 with your Q. It's extremely important to do so since the start, so he can't farm safely. Be careful with pushing towards his tower, since he can farm safely under tower. Be careful with his level 6, because he can use it even when stunned. Stay out of his E, wait out his W.

Nautilus

Do NOT underestimate his damage. His E has an annoying range, his autoattacks can root you and he has a shield like you, but at the cost of mana. His gank setup is insane, and he's pretty big, so try to bully him out of lane with vision. You can W his Q (he still pulls you) and you CANNOT avoid his R. Don't bother to flash if far enough, just try to get hit in the safest place possible.

Neeko

Cassiopeia but easier. Neeko has more range, can trick you with her Shapesplitter and can root you, but doesn't scale as hard, has skillshots and feels squishier due to her poking-from-afar nature. Build MR (Turbo Chemtank isn't that bad here, but try to get Force of Nature and Mercury's Treads). Try to all-in her if she misses her E. Level 6 can be dangerous, don't dive her carelessly.

Nunu & Willump

He can perma-shove and beat you at 1v1s at level 6. Set up ganks. You should do fine if you play to farm. He's no direct threat as he has no way to approach you aside from walking towards you.

Olaf

Avoid his axes (you can't take cover in your wave) and do your best to poke him and kite away. Be extremely careful at level 6. If you weren't winning your lane and you don't want him to melt your team, look for him and ult him when a teamfight is about to start and force it, don't wait for him to ult.

Ornn

Laning phase can be pretty challenging if you lack the experience, but as long as you're in teamfights, he shouldn't be able to do much. His dash is extremely telegraphed, so you can avoid it if you're in a wall or parry it with your W. His Q counts as a wall, and he can combo from it, so be careful. His W makes him inmune to CC, but he can't move while using it, so poke him and ALWAYS walk away. You can stop the 2nd proc of his R if you position correctly and W the headbutt. It might take some practice. He outscales you, so try your best to avoid him from dominating teamfights.

Pantheon

He was buffed and every toplaner could feel it. His damage is really big early game, so be careful. You can stop his W with your W, but it's pretty fast. Do your best job at avoiding his spears. Remember that his E avoids any frontal damage. If chasing, stun and hit at his back. His R lets him roam or come to lane easily, ping him when he's missing.

Pyke

You out-damage him, can stop his dash with your W and avoid his sustain with wards. You outscale. Poke him, all-in him, repeat.

Quinn

She's like your average ADC in toplane, but she has more consistent pokes, has an annoying dash and pretty big roams. You have your W (stops her dash, which is pretty fast) and once you get to her (she wasted her dash) it's hard for her to get away and survive your early damage. Play for reactions if she ever overcommits, ask for ganks if she's giving you trouble, and try to take her down early.

Renekton

Lane bully, his level 3 is amazing. Be careful with his damage early, use your W defensively and punish him for engaging carelessly. He has a stun and a strong burst, so you need to respect him. Don't stop farming, build tabis and you'll outscale. If he ults, disengage inmediately. It's not worth it.

Rengar

His damage is big early, but his main source of damage is through autoattack dashes. Play passively (really) until level 2, level up your W and play reactively, start punishing him. Not only you outscale, but can bully him out of lane. Be careful with his E, try to duck in the minion wave if he's getting a better trade. At max ferocity, his W can help him avoid CC. Be careful.

Riven

A really, really good Riven can outplay anyone and anything, so this matchup is heavily dependant on the riven player. Level up your W at level 2, and punish her third Q with your W, not the first 2. This is my recommendation (and every Poppy main recommendation) mainly because of 2 reasons. Her third Q CC's you and it's more telegraphed than the other Q's, so it's easy to react to. Her Q's are dashes, and her E is a dash, so it's pretty easy to mess her combos up. Remember to only punish her 3rd Q or her E with your W. This tip is EXTREMELY important: play passively before level 2, because Riven's level 1 is powerful. You win this matchup, but your main winning point isn't available at level 1. Be cautious.

Rumble

Bully him at level 1, there's a hell coming at you. Once Kamina gets his Flamethrower, if you don't have an EXP/health lead, it's really hard to come on top. Play safely, respect his damage, and take trades when he's about to overheat. Force of Nature is an splendid item against him.

Ryze

Pokes a lot, outscales most of the cast, but is inmobile. He's like Neeko, but what makes Neeko bearable isn't here anymore. Ask for ganks, be extremely careful, don't let him kill you or poke you out of lane. Try to make an early impact on the game.

Sett

His damage can be a big deal. Try to disengage if he Q's (he'll run faster), so you can Q him and run away. Poke him while taking care of his E. If he gets you and a minion, not only will he catch you, but also stun you, and you don't want that. Get used to the range. When he W's (his damage gets higher the more you damage him) run to a side, not away. This will help you avoid the most damage (the line in the center of the figure). You can't stop his R with your W, but he dashes just AFTER he reaches the ground, when he rapidly moves away from the champion he ulted. You can W inmediately after the animation ends, so you limit his mobility and take better trades. Be careful when diving him, he has a lot of resources to mess that up. Also, BEWARE OF HAIL OF BLADES SETT, DO NOT TRADE, ONLY POKE (Please respect his ult. His level 6 is big.)

Shen

His Q deals a lot of damage, remember to disengage when he moves his sword. His W will keep him healthy when he engages. Speaking about engages, your W stops his E (it's fairly fast, though), but Shen players know this and will try to use their E really close to you, so they taunt you and don't get hit by your ring. You can stop both his R and tp with your E and R. Be aware of this since level 6, all the time you'll be laning against him.

Singed

Really weird lane, requires a little bit of practice to understand. Kite him (Q him, throw your buckler and walk away), don't chase him and try to keep up with farm. Be careful with his level 6, his dust becomes way too polluted. Force of nature is a really good item for this matchup. Everything else is guts.

Sion

As long as you can constantly avoid his Q and E (use your W and E), everything is fine! He'll outscale, but you can outduel him pretty much all the time. Try to poke him as much as you can, walk around so he doesn't land his Q or E, and be careful with his passive, it'll hurt if he catches you. His R makes a loud sound, ping him when he's missing and try not to get hit by it. You can stop his Q charging with your E and R, but his cooldown will be reduced.

Swain

He hurts. Avoid his multiple spells by walking around and try to keep up with farm. He's inmobile, so look for ganks.

Sylas

Actually fun matchup! Avoid his Q and try to land yours (he outranges you and will try to do the same against you). His E (both procs) is a dash, and it's kind of easy to react to it, you can W it. He heals a lot, remember to bring Grievous Wounds at some point! If he R's you, it can be as much of a nuisance as your own R is to him, you better outplay his stolen hammer.

Tahm Kench

The matchup is heavily decided by the runes he brings. If he goes Press The Attack, you might want to be extra careful. Avoid that tongue and you'll be safe to poke him. Try not to extend your trades too much unless he has his abilities on cooldown, his damage hurts a good bit. He can also eat any champion. If he tries to save an enemy champion, when they get out of TK's mouth, they'll 'dash'. You can W that.

Talon

He literally can't do anything in lane against you. His pokes are weak (build Steelcaps and he deals no damage lmao), his jumps are dashes and he's squishy, so HE WON'T FIGHT YOU. He'll roam and has better waveclear. If you're playing in the toplane, it's ok! It's not that bad and you can actually be a big bully there. If he's mid, you can't do a lot to stop his roams, so I recommend focusing on cleaning the wave.

Teemo

He's stronger than before now. He can blind you (you can't land your AAs) and his poke is STRONG. Turbo Chemtank/StrideBreaker (only if ahead) into Force of Nature is a really good option if he's the classic AP Teemo, he'll melt you every time you try to all-in him too early. Speaking of All-ins, try NOT to do so early on, E'ing to a minion, poking, and retreating to the nearest bush to avoid his kiting. He's really easy to dive, but be aware of his blinding! Use your buckler to avoid the extra damage. His mushrooms are annoying, buy control wards and Oracle Lens!

Tristana

Can poke you like any ADC, but has a particulary weak early game. All-in her at 3 if you get a good chance. She can avoid your E stun with her W, but it's a dash, so you can W-E towards her and trap her (Try playing mind games with those cooldowns if you're bad with reaction times). Her R is a significant disengage tool. Also, she's really good at splitpushing, don't let that tower alone with her!

Trundle

He heals, slows you and can be a really good bully. Try to kite him and don't fight him directly unless you're trying to all-in him. Be really careful, because he can set up ganks and melt you easily.

Tryndamere

Build any tank mythic, Thornmail and Randuin's/Frozen Heart (depends on the build) and he won't deal damage to you anymore. You can stop his dash, he can't dive you because of his CC, and you can use your CC to dive him, even when his R is up. Avoid him at level 1, and play aggresively at 3. If you keep up with him (if you win the lane and play smart he's free) you'll outduel him practically everytime. Remember though, his damage is stronger when he's lower. Also, DO NOT LET HIM KILL YOU AT LEVEL 1. IT MAY HURT.

Twisted Fate

Like any mage, but he also has stun. He'll normally shove and go do something else, try to use this to your advantage if he ever decides to stay and try to poke you out of lane. Stay healthy, his presence with his R can hurt a lot.

Udyr

Garen matchup, but with stuns, which is worse. He won't really melt you early, so be smart and kite him out. Nothing to really point out here.

Urgot

He's not doing really good right now. Poke him with your buckler and farm. He can't engage on you (you stop his dash), so you'll have a pretty good time if you don't engage on him. Play to poke and farm, and you'll be able to all-in him. Avoid all-ins at level 6 unless you can kill him in one combo or so, because his R is a pain to deal with (once you get hit by it, no matter where he is, you'll die).

Vayne

Don't give her kills. Play offensively at level 3 (only if confident). She can stun you in walls like you do, so be aware of the same angles but at further distance. She outscales you by a lot. You can W her dash. Remember to walk into bushes more than to walk backwards when she's kiting you.

Veigar

Vladimir

You can go Conqueror here! Poke him and be as aggresive as you can. If he becomes that blood cloud thing, W to keep up. He scales really hard. Build Grievous Wounds as soon as you can. Be careful with ranges, and with ganks.

Volibear

You can W his Q (it will still stun you), and poke him with your Q. His passive deals more damage than you might expect. Respect it. His R disables towers, so be ready to stall him out of your tower if he ever tries to dive you (pretty easy to do btw).

Warwick

He heals a lot, so consider rushing Grievous Wounds. His E gives him better resistances, disengage when he is howling. His R is kind of easy to dodge, but once he hits you with it, there's no escape outside of him being killed. Treat this matchup as a Garen-like matchup.

Wukong

His W is a dash (you'll see the real Wukong getting hit!) and his E is a dash, you can W both. Go for Steelcaps and it'll reduce his damage a lot. He scales, but what you really must be afraid of is his R. He can proc it twice! disengage if you can't oneshot him.

Yasuo

Avoid his Q, level up W at level 2, then E, and poke him. Even though his level 6 is a powerspike, as long as you have a Bramble Vest or Steelcaps on your side, it won't be a bad time. You stop his E.

Yone

Avoid his Q, level up W at level 2, then E, and poke him. Even though his level 6 is a powerspike, as long as you have a Bramble Vest or Steelcaps on your side, it won't be a bad time. You stop his last proc Q and E, NOT HIS R, avoid it with your W/E.

Yorick

Before level 6, poke him out of lane, be aggressive. When he gets his maiden, you won't enjoy it that much. If his early game did good, you'll see him destroying your turrets and you won't be able to do a lot. You can stop his ghoul jumps with your W, and escape his wall with your E (or attacking it twice).

Amumu

Cho'Gath

Ekko

Elise

Evelynn

Fiddlesticks

Gragas

Graves

Hecarim

Ivern

Jarvan IV

Jax

Karthus

Kayn

Kha'Zix

Lee Sin

Lillia

Master Yi

Nidalee

Nocturne

Rek'Sai

Rengar

Pantheon

Sejuani

Rammus

Shaco

Shyvana

Olaf

Nunu & Willump

Xin Zhao

Zac

Alistar

Annie

Ashe

Blitzcrank

Brand

Braum

Caitlyn

Janna

Jinx

Kai'Sa

Kalista

Jhin

Karma

Kennen

Kog'Maw

Leona

Lulu

Lux

Malphite

Maokai

Morgana

Nami

Nautilus

Pantheon

Pyke

Rakan

Rell

Senna

Seraphine

Sett

Shen

Sona

Tristana

Miss Fortune

Quinn

Taric

Thresh

Sivir

Samira

Vayne

Veigar

Vel'Koz

Xayah

Xerath

Yasuo

Yuumi

Zilean

Zyra