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Illaoi
Patch 16.2.1
TopDifficulty
Medium
Strength
Early
Mid
Late
Win Condition
Draw the enemy jungler or mid-laner to your side lane while split-pushing. By forcing multiple enemies to answer you, you use to win the 1v2 or 1v3, allowing your team to take objectives elsewhere.
Playstyle
A zone-control juggernaut that punishes aggression. You aren't a chaser; you're a raid boss. You want to set up shop in a lane, lure the enemy into your 'nest' of tentacles, and win through massive healing and AOE damage.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Unmatched 1v2 and 1v3 potential when is available
- +Extreme lane pressure once a target becomes a Vessel via
- +High sustain from tentacles hitting champions
- +Excellent at taking neutral objectives like Dragon or Baron due to setup
Weaknesses
- -Highly reliant on landing ; missing it leaves you vulnerable for ~15 seconds
- -Very low mobility—can be kited easily by ranged carries
- -Reliant on stationary tentacles; weak when forced to fight in the jungle or river without setup
- -Weak early levels before and are established
Abilities
spawns tentacles on walls. These are your lifeblood. They heal you for a percentage of your missing health when they hit a champion. Always fight near at least two tentacles.
is your primary waveclear and poke. It passively increases the damage of all your tentacles. When trading, try to line it up to hit both the enemy champion and their spirit from .
is a short leap that makes all nearby tentacles slam the target. Use this to focus damage on a spirit or to finish off a low-health enemy. It is also your only (very short) gap closer.
is your most important ability. Pulling a spirit allows you to deal safe damage. If you kill the spirit or the enemy leaves the zone, they become a Vessel and spawn tentacles that attack them.
is your 'win' button. It deals AOE damage and spawns a tentacle for every champion hit. The more people that dive you, the more tentacles spawn, and the more you heal from .
Teamfight Role
Zone Protector / Counter-Engage Tank
You aren't great at diving the backline. Instead, stay near your carries. If the enemy engages, use on a frontline tank and then to create a 'no-go zone' of slamming tentacles.
If you have Flash and see the enemy team grouped in a tight corridor, a Flash + can end the fight instantly even without an pull.
Combos
Standard Trade
-> (on spirit) -> (hit spirit + champion)
The basic way to win lane. Pull the spirit, use W to force tentacles to slam it, then Q to hit both the spirit and the actual champion for massive echo damage.
The Counter-Engage All-In
-> -> (on champion) ->
Use this when the enemy jungler ganks. Pulling the spirit first is CRITICAL because counts the spirit as a champion, giving you an extra tentacle for the fight.
Flash Hook
+ Flash (mid-animation)
Start the animation for and then flash forward. This hides the startup animation and extends the range, making it much harder for the enemy to react and dodge.
Vessel Pressure
-> Kill Spirit -> Walk away
If the enemy is too strong to fight directly, kill the spirit to turn them into a Vessel. This forces them to dodge slams for several seconds, giving you priority in lane.
Power Spikes
| Spike | Why |
|---|---|
| Level 3 | You have access to , , and . You can finally start pulling spirits and forcing the enemy out of lane. |
| Level 6 | transforms you from a lane bully into a 1v2 threat. You can now bait and win ganks easily. |
| Level 9 | With maxed, your waveclear is instant, and your tentacles deal significantly more damage. |
| Level 11 | Rank 2 provides a huge damage boost in mid-game teamfights around objectives. |
Tips & Tricks
- •Always fight near walls so your tentacles have places to spawn.
- •If you are turned into a Vessel by an enemy Illaoi, stand near a 'dead' tentacle that has already slammed; a new one won't spawn nearby until that one is killed.
- • makes you displacement-immune during the jump. Use it to block Lee Sin kicks or Ornn's ultimate headbutt.
- •Don't just spam on the enemy champion during ; sometimes hitting the spirit with is safer and deals more reliable damage.
- •If the enemy is hiding behind minions to avoid , use to kill the minions and then immediately fire .
- •Wait for the enemy to commit their dash or CC before using ; it's your most telegraphed and important move.
Common Mistakes
- ✕Using without pulling a spirit with first→You spawn one less tentacle and lose a significant portion of your burst and healing potential.
- ✕Chasing kills far away from your tentacles→You lose your healing and damage, making you an easy target for any mobile champion.
- ✕Panic-casting at max range→The projectile is slow and easy to dodge; if you miss, you lose all lane pressure for 15+ seconds.
- ✕Ignoring the spirit during the duration→The enemy takes zero damage and you fail to turn them into a Vessel, wasting your mana and cooldown.
- ✕Fighting in the open river or jungle without setup→You have no tentacles to slam with , effectively cutting your damage output by 60%.
AI-generated guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached