Olaf Jungle vs.Olaf Solo Top? Which one?

[quote=Foose][quote=markthema3] I love jungle Olaf simply because his ganks are insane. If your solo top player is remotely decent, even if the opposing team has no jungle and top is a 1v2 lane, a level 3 gank from olaf = 2 kills. Just my 2 cents. That's also how you get your gold, massive amounts of kills. It's also nice to be able to solo blue buff at level 1 and still have 50-75% health depending on runes and masteries and starting items. [/quote] I haven't found his ganks to be so impressive, especially if you are relying on undertow to hit. It can work very well it just doesn't have the "shit my pants" effect that other champs have.[/quote]

[quote=markthema3][quote=Foose] [quote=markthema3] SNIP[/quote] I haven't found his ganks to be so impressive, especially if you are relying on undertow to hit. It can work very well it just doesn't have the "shit my pants" effect that other champs have. [/quote] Personally, I shit my pants when olaf shows up out of nowhere. Another thing about Olaf as a jungle, his q is really similar to Nocturnes except that rather than speeding up one attacker, it slows down the defender. I do agree with what some people have said about lacking hard CC. I think really, it depends on the rest of your team. If you are capable of landing his q 90% of the time, his ganks can be great, otherwise, leave smite at the champ select screen and head for top.[/quote]

[quote=JEFFY40HANDS][quote=Xenasis] [quote=JEFFY40HANDS] So YES Olaf can succeed in the jungle, but running him in the top lane is infinitely more useful at all stages of the game. [/quote] I'd disagree with that statement without question. Olaf's speeds are crazy. Olaf's ganks are surprisingly good (especially when coming from brush) and he can make sure that he cannot be out-duelled. His counter-ganks, I'd say, are the best in the game right now. Olaf's early in top is pretty bad. He is shut down by ranged harass and needs to land his Q to get in range to E. He starts being a bit more powerful come 7 or so, and then he is a beast in lane. Late game their usefulness is similar, excluding the argument that he will be more farmed if he goes top because the same can be said for any champion, like Shyvana. Relative scaling into late game needs to be taken into account. I think, don't quote me on this, but I think Olaf was used more in the jungle than he was top lane at IPL4. Nintendude was to thank for that, as he jungled as Olaf the most, pretty much. Olaf's seeing competitive play in both of his roles, and Olaf in the jungle fits snugly into the whole counter jungle based meta that seems to be seeping in nowadays. He's great in both places, just like Shyvana. He's not one of those where you should only ever do X and never Y with like the predicament Mundo is viewed to be in at the moment. He's great at both, and a strong pick in most team comps, though he's not somebody who fits everywhere. [/quote] His clear speeds are fast, his ganks are average, same with Shyv. His strongest gank potential is in lane, he CAN gank from river, but missing an axe throw basically foils the attempt without some serious misplays from the person he is ganking. I'm not saying Olaf's jungle is weak, his jungle is solid. But top lane Olaf is better. It's simply where he can basically snowball himself. Jungle Olaf is too unreliable, there are strong points for both jungle or top, but the real question that needs to be answered is "where does Olaf have the greatest potential to succeed?" To me (in my honest opinion) top lane is where Olaf is most reliable. That isn't meant to dissuade anyone from going jungle Olaf. Just offering my opinion.[/quote]

[quote=iWalk_With_A_Twist]i think olaf solo top is ridiculously stong currently. with reckless swing in the lane, he can force the other solo top out easily, ignoring potential defenses with the true damage. also, his ganks, being skill shot dependent, have more of a chance to go wrong, as opposed to a 1 v 1 fight in the top lane.[/quote]

[quote=DuffTime]Agreeing with Jeffy. Also with a gear reliant champ like Olaf, a solo lane's worth of gold is cash money.[/quote]

[quote=b3astliness]BTW guys how would you counter a [[Riven]] Solo top as [[Olaf]] against the 5 [[Riven]]'s I faced I barely won the lane against 2 and lost pretty badly to the other 3. Any tips?[/quote]

[quote=Zoki]Build armor and HP to counter her. True damage from E should be enough for you in the laning phase.[/quote]

[quote=DuffTime]Lots of armor. Her damage is 100% physical.[/quote]

[quote=JEFFY40HANDS]Early Wriggles+Glacial Shroud. Problem solved.[/quote]