Irelia can make all the difference on the top lane when played correctly. This is the best build to play her with.
Irelia is one of the most popular bruisers in Legaue of Legends. This class includes champions who are very tanky, but at the same time can deal a lot of (attack) damage. In this guide you will learn how to get the best out of the Blade Dancer.
Attack Speed, Attack Speed and Attack Speed again
Irelia’s strengths come to the forefront with high attack speed. With her basic tankiness and a few tank items, she has enough resistances to withstand smaller attacks. In the meantime, however, she tries to get through as many auto attacks as possible and thus do damage. In doing so, she is supported by a variety of items that can make the decisive difference to the opponent, especially in the beginning.
Start with Doran’s blade. As soon as you have acquired the vampiric sceptre, League players like to call it the “Irelia Full-Build”, because the combination is an extreme power spike in the early game. Especially when last-hitting minions with the Q, it gives back a lot of HP, which means that poke-damage (occasional attacks by opponents) doesn’t affect Irelia much, as she can quickly heal herself. The Sceptre can then be upgraded into the Blade of the Ruined King (BOTRK), which already gives Attack Speed, Damage and Life Steal, making it the most important component in the item build.
Apart from the BOTRK and the armour shoes, the Immortal Shieldbow is also indispensable. The remaining three slots offer space for a situational selection from these items:
- Death’s Dance
- Guardian Angel
- Wit’s End
- Chempunk Chainsword
Depending on whether you’re playing against opponents with AP or AD damage, these items give you the Magic Resist or Armor you need, while also giving Irelia the damage she needs in battle.
Exploit strong early-game and power spikes
The most crucial time frame for the top lane bruiser is the early game. Due to the power spike after acquiring the vampiric sceptre, Irelia lasts a long time on the top lane and should definitely look for a good moment to attack. This phase makes a solo kill especially possible. She can invest the advantage from this early into a BOTRK, which even makes 1v2 fights possible.
In general, secure early kills, heal with the Q ability, last-hit minions and use the Summoner Spell Teleport to quickly get back to the top lane after a back-call. Since the Q’s cooldown resets when you get the load-hit on a unit with it, minions on the lane are good to use as a bridge to jump from to the opponent and launch a surprise attack.
Get it all out with runes
