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Playing Against Irelia
TopPatch 16.2.1
What They Do
A high-mobility AD diver who wins through extended auto-attack trades. She uses to dash through minions, stacking for massive attack speed. If she lands or , she gets resets on her dash to stick to you indefinitely.
Abilities (What to Watch For)
| Ability | What You'll See | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
| Her blades glow gold/yellow and she has a 4-bar indicator under her health | Max stacks of . She gains huge Attack Speed and bonus magic damage on-hit. Never 1v1 her when she is glowing. | |
| A fast dash to a target, often chained multiple times | Resets if the target dies or is 'Marked'. It also heals her. If she misses a reset (Qs a healthy target without a mark), it goes on a 11-7s cooldown, leaving her vulnerable. | |
| Irelia channels in a defensive stance, spinning her blades around her | She reduces incoming physical damage significantly. Do not waste your main physical burst or execute abilities while she is holding . | |
| Two blue blades placed on the ground that snap together in a line | Enemies caught are stunned and Marked. This Mark allows her a free reset. Dodge this by moving perpendicular to the line, not away from it. | |
| Fires a massive arrow-shaped wall of blades | Damages and Marks everyone hit. The perimeter forms a wall that slows by 90%. If you're hit, she can to you twice for free. |
Respect
- !4 Stacks of →At max stacks, her basic attacks deal massive damage. Even if you have a health lead, she can out-duel almost anyone if her passive is active.
- !Low-health allied minions→She uses these as 'stepping stones' with to close the gap or dodge your skillshots instantly. She is most dangerous when your wave is dying.
- !Blade of the Ruined King spike→Once she completes this, her will usually one-shot caster minions from full HP, giving her infinite mobility and massive 1v1 power.
- !The wall slow→Walking through the edges of her ultimate slows you by 90%. This makes it impossible to dodge her follow-up or escape her auto-attacks.
Punish
- +reset fail→If she uses on a target that doesn't die or isn't marked, the dash goes on a long cooldown. All-in her immediately while she has zero mobility.
- +is on cooldown (18-12s)→This is her only hard CC and main way to Mark you safely. You have a long window to trade or zone her off the wave while this is down.
- +Level 1 and early Level 2→She needs 4 stacks to be a threat. Bully her off the first three melee minions so she can't start her stack chain.
- +Wave is frozen on your side→If the wave is near your turret, she cannot use to escape a gank or chase you down without taking multiple tower shots.
Laning Tips
- •Always keep track of your own minion's health; Irelia will look to to any minion that is within execute range to get a stack.
- •Buy Bramble Vest or Executioner's Calling early to cut the healing she gets from and her standard lifesteal build.
- •Dodge by moving perpendicular (left/right) to the line formed between her two blades rather than running straight back.
- •If she starts channeling , stop attacking and wait for it to end before using your high-damage abilities.
- •Don't stand near low HP caster minions; she will dash to them and then immediately onto you to start a trade.
- •If she lands , stay inside the diamond wall if you have to fight. Touching the edge slows you so much you'll die anyway.
Teamfight Warning
- ⚠Do not group in tight corridors; a good can mark your entire team for multiple resets.
- ⚠Save your hard CC for the moment she finishes her first dash onto your backline carries to burst her down.
- ⚠Check her passive bar before a fight; if she starts with 4 stacks of , she will shred your frontline extremely fast.
- ⚠If you are playing a carry, stay away from low-health minions that she can use to bridge the gap and reach you.
- ⚠Ignite her immediately when she commits with to reduce the healing she will get from her resets in the cluster.
AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached