How to beat Irelia

Common role: Top / Mid

A snowballing skirmisher who dashes through minions and stuns with her flag.

What makes Irelia dangerous

Irelia resets her Q dash on marked units and low-health targets, weaving in and out of fights while healing. Her W blocks damage while charging, and her ultimate is a wall of blades that damages and sets up a stun (E). Once she snowballs and hits her item spikes, she duels almost anyone and dives the backline.

How to play against Irelia

• 1Deny her Q resets: don't let her last-hit low minions with Q, and avoid fighting when she can dash to marks. A resource-starved Irelia is stuck in place.
• 2Dodge her E stun — she throws her flag, then dashes to it to stun everyone between. Break the line or sidestep and her all-in loses its lockdown.
• 3Her W blocks damage while she channels it. Don't dump your burst into her W — bait it, then trade while it's on cooldown.
• 4Punish her weak early game before her items. Irelia is mediocre at levels 1-5; trade hard and deny her the lead she needs to snowball.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Weak early game before item spikes.
• ✓Falls off if denied Q resets and kills.
• ✓E stun is dodgeable — break the flag line.
• ✓Squishy skirmisher; hard CC and burst punish her.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Irelia's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Fervore di Ionia

  Quando Irelia colpisce i nemici con le sue abilità, ottiene un bonus cumulabile di velocità d'attacco. Al massimo delle cariche ottiene anche danni bonus.

• Q
  Impeto della lama

  Irelia scatta in avanti per colpire il suo bersaglio, curandosi. Se il bersaglio è marchiato o muore per Impeto della lama, la ricarica si azzera.

  Strong: dashes and resets on marked/low units, weaving through fights. Weak: no valid target means no dash — deny her Q resets and she's stuck.

• W
  Danza sprezzante

  Irelia carica un colpo che infligge più danni. Maggiore è la carica, maggiori sono i danni. Subisce danni ridotti durante la carica.

  Strong: blocks damage while she channels it. Weak: don't dump burst into it — bait it, then trade while it's on cooldown.

• E
  Duetto impeccabile

  Irelia lancia due lame che convergono una sull'altra. I nemici colpiti vengono danneggiati, storditi e marchiati.

  Strong: throws a flag and dashes to it to stun everyone between. Weak: break the line or sidestep and her all-in loses its lockdown.

• R
  Lama dell'avanguardia

  Irelia lancia una gran quantità di lame che esplodono verso l'esterno dopo aver colpito un campione nemico. I nemici colpiti dalle lame vengono danneggiati e marchiati. Dopodiché, le lame formano un muro che danneggia e rallenta i nemici che lo attraversano.

Itemization

Irelia is AD with true-damage passive and healing. Grievous Wounds cuts her sustain, Plated Steelcaps and armor blunt her, and hard CC that isn't blocked by her W shuts down her all-in. Ranged laners should abuse her before level 6.

This guide covers Irelia's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.