Irelia · Top

Irelia Laning Guide

Laning phaseData-drivenMediumPatch 16.19.1

1.3KUpdated 18 hours ago

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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

Top is an island: few ganks, long trades and a lot of wave management. Freeze the wave near your tower when you're weaker and push it when you want to roam or recall. Early, fight for tower plates and help your jungler with Herald or grubs when your wave is pushed.

Strengths

Sustain from Bladesurge.
Crowd control: Flawless Duet applies a stun to set up kills.
Mobility: Bladesurge lets you reposition, engage or escape.

Weaknesses

Melee range: ranged opponents can poke it in lane.
Isolated lane: vulnerable to ganks when you push.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Lane buildBalancedRecommendedHow to open: starting items, then the components of Bastionbreaker on your first backs, and boots when the lane allows.
Standard buildBalancedAdvancedThe default path: Bastionbreaker, Black Cleaver and Serylda's Grudge give the attack damage, armor penetration and ability haste this class relies on. Pick it when you have no reason to adapt. Built from Riot's item tags and the champion's class; Riot publishes no build statistics.

Builds

Lane build

BalancedRecommended

Open build

When to use it

How to open: starting items, then the components of Bastionbreaker on your first backs, and boots when the lane allows.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Summoner's RiftRed side · bottom leftBlue side · top right

TopMain59% of matches
MidPriority 241% of matches

Starting items

Doran's BladeHealth, attack damage and life steal.Health PotionHealth regeneration.

Early game

The BrutalizerAttack damage and armor penetration.Serrated DirkAttack damage and armor penetration.

Core items

1Bastionbreaker

Boots

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

Runes

Primary· Domination

Secondary· Precision

Shards

Summoner spells

Flash
Teleport

Abilities

Ionian FervorPassiveWhen Irelia strikes enemies with spells she gains stacking bonus Attack Speed. At maximum stacks she also gains bonus damage on hit.
QBladesurge10/9/8/7/6s15 mpIrelia dashes forward to strike her target, healing herself. If the target is Marked or dies to Bladesurge, its cooldown refreshes.
Cooldown
10·9·8·7·6
Cost
15
Range
600
WDefiant Dance20/18/16/14/12s70/75/80/85/90 mpIrelia charges a strike that deals more damage as she charges. She takes reduced physical damage during the charge.
Cooldown
20·18·16·14·12
Cost
70·75·80·85·90
Range
825
EFlawless Duet16/14.5/13/11.5/10s50 mpIrelia sends out two blades which converge on each other. Enemies caught in between are damaged, stunned and Marked.
Cooldown
16·14.5·13·11.5·10
Cost
50
Range
850
Basic ability — applies a stun. Save it for priority targets or to interrupt a channel.
RVanguard's EdgeUltimate125/105/85s100 mpIrelia fires a massive number of blades that explode outward upon hitting an enemy champion. Enemies hit by the blades are damaged and Marked. Afterwards the blades form a wall that will damage and slow enemies that walk through it.
Cooldown
125·105·85
Cost
100
Range
950
Ultimate — slows. Plan your fights around its cooldown.

Strategy

1Starting and early items

The first items decide how comfortable the lane is. The lane build below lists them with what each one gives you.

Key early items: The Brutalizer and Serrated Dirk.

2Trading

Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Flawless Duet, mobility with Bladesurge and sustain with Bladesurge.

3Wave management

Freeze the wave near your tower when you're weaker, slow push before a back and crash the wave when you want to roam or take a plate.

4Early objectives

Early, fight for tower plates and help your jungler with Herald or grubs when your wave is pushed. Your spikes are level 6, when Vanguard's Edge comes online, and each completed item: Bastionbreaker first, then Black Cleaver.

Tips

Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back.
The Brutalizer is your first purchase that changes the lane: get it early.
Use Flawless Duet in lane only when your partner or jungler can follow.
Keep Bladesurge ready when the enemy's gankers are missing.
Use Bladesurge to cover great distances by targeting low life minions on your way to champion targets.

Matchups

Strong against

Ambessa
Flawless Duet (stun) lets Irelia pin Ambessa down before Lacerate gets them out.
Aatrox
Flawless Duet (stun) lets Irelia pin Aatrox down before Umbral Dash gets them out.
Fiora
Flawless Duet (stun) lets Irelia pin Fiora down before Lunge gets them out.

Weak against

Renekton
Ruthless Predator (stun) lets Renekton pin Irelia down before Bladesurge gets them out.
Gnar
Hyper / Wallop (stun) lets Gnar pin Irelia down before Bladesurge gets them out.
Zaahen
The Darkin Glaive (knock-up) lets Zaahen pin Irelia down before Bladesurge gets them out.