Hello everyone. My name is Spr33n, and I will be your guide through the beautiful world of Irelia - the Toplane Champion Blender.

I've noticed most of the guides on Irelia are barely scratching her medium potential and i have no idea why most people follow them. It is your choice tough.I am just here to give you the most of my knowledge about my favourite champion.

PROS



+High burst
+Easy CS and farm mechanic
+Versitile
+Not very item dependent(still dominates without many expensive items)
+High base stats
+Assassin
+Good at chasing
+TONS OF DAMAGE
+CC resistant
+Hot

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CONS



-No AoE except ult
-Hard escape mechanics
-Stun doesn't always stun
-Bad against solo champions with ranged attacks
-Bad against HP tanks
-Lacks reliable CC
-Probably under 18 years old :(

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Irelia is a tanky assassin that deals "TONS OF DAMAGE"(thank you Phreak) to both tanks and non-tanks. However her main role is not to push,nor to be main tank. Her true role is to dash into the teamfight and obliterate the AD and AP carry with a burst, powerful enough, to plant terror into the toughest of champions. However, a good warrior must know his weaknesses, especially if he/she is an underage girl, wielding huge flying blades that could hurt someone.

Irelia is a champion like no other. She is an AD caster, a burst caster and a bruiser with medium sustain. Well,all of the above also depend on how YOU wish to build her (e.g. Trinity Force or Frozen Mallet).
In this chapter I will explain how her skills work,some tips and combos.

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* OP
* The more the merrier
* Makes you almost ungankable
* Synergises with Mercury's Treads


* Procs and applies Trinity Force
* Applies all on-hit effects including Wit's End and Frozen Mallet
* Synergises with Youmuu's Ghostblade
* Farming tool
* Chasing tool
* Should be maxed last

* Irelia's main spell
* TONS OF DAMAGE!!!
* Provides sustain
* Provides a lot of damage to your burst
* Synergises with Bladesurge and Wit's End
* True damage


* Rather Unreliable
* A stun/slow depending on yours and your targets HP%
* Amazing for baiting
* Good to stop towerdives
* Second best spell to be maxed


* Early game for fast farming a lane and restoring some of your missing health.
* Chasing down enemies that slowed/stunned you and managed to get some distance but are at low HP.
* To proc Trinity Force as each blade shot does it. In a duel this is amazingly efficient if you don't just mash the R key but wait 2 seconds for Trinity Force to recharge.
* At a teamfight to drop some of the enemies' HP.(very effective if they stick together)
* Add some damage to your burst.
Its low CD and amazing range give this ability both great utility and damage output.

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* Exhaust also reduces the enemy's Magic Resist and Armor
* Ghost gets a descent speed bonus
* Ignite gives you an insignificant AD and Ap bonus while it is on CD(this is pretty useless)



* Self explanatory

Aclarity
* Works well with Hiten Style



* Self explanatory(for idiots-you ignore 10% of enemy's armor on each strike)



* 1.5% more damage is a very nice bonus so I always take it. You should do it too.



* I changed my mind about this mastery. It stacks very well with Hiten Style's passive
* Useful mostly early game



* Armor is always usefull against enemy solo tops(unless they are AP)



* Minion damage is OP early
* Minion damage can ruin early game exchanges for you



* Works well with Irelia's naturally high HP regen
* Synergises with Regrowth Pendant and Doran's Shield
* Helps lane sustain



* Useless early game
* Less useless late game
* You need it for the next mastery



* OP early game
* Helps during exchanges
* 30 bonus HP at lvl 1 is a lot



* Thx to bitpik for the great idea
* Helps versus minion damage early game
* Minions deal almost no damage AT ALL

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* All masteries are self explanatory or have been explained.

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These masteries are basically pointed at aiding the laning phase. They will win you many exchanges during early game but let's get this clear. MOST masteries get pretty useless late game. But lets not forget that late game is highly dependent on early and mid game. This mastery build is very effective.


* Great for getting faster to your lane
* Helps get a small edge if you are getting ganked



* Damage reduction is self explanatory



* This is an amazing ability
* Works well with Mercury's Treads and Ionian Fervor
* Extra % max HP is self explanatory

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Here I will present 2 choices of runes I would use because I believe they are the most effective.

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Just to be clear, the order of the items above the introduction may not be the same exact one,but it is the easiest to make. For instance if you have a big gold income at the start, you may make Wit's End right after Trinity Force. My build may seem a lot like the recommended one,but you would be surprised that the recommended build is very good for Irelia.

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Traditionally,start with normal Boots , 2x Health Potion and a single Mana Potion. The reduced price on Mana Potion is truly amazing on a champion such as Irelia - easily mana starved after a few bursts against the enemy solo.
Keep the Boots untill you make Trinity Force, then make them into Mercury's Treads. No matter if you are facing more AD champions than AP. Mercury's Treads work perfectly with your passive and you can achieve the maximum possible Tenacity with this combination, turning you into an unstunable,unfearable,unslowable and ungankable top lane master. Ninja Tabi are the second best boots after Mercury's Treads for Irelia's role. The armor and passive help you fight opponents like Olaf and Lee Sin. During trades these boots could give you a small victory.

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Now for Trinity Force. Relly's core item. Her world revolves around this item. It allows her to be Irelia. It increases her burst damage tenfold. Gives her speed,slow,HP and etc. This is truly the most universal item in the game.
Let's get to the point,shall we? Before you return to base for the first time, you must have enough money to make Phage, or at least enough money to buy its underitems - Ruby Crystal and Long Sword. If you can't afford them,well,you need to farm more.
After Phage grab a dagger. That doesn't mean your next item should be Zeal. No, you just need it because your W works amazingly with some attack speed.
After the dagger, build yourself a Sheen-the heart of Trinity Force. The next time you die or return to base finish your masterpiece. After that you will be ready you burst the hell out of your enemies.

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If you have loads of money at this time due to your monstrous RAMPAGEs, I realy recommend you make Wit's End. But if you aren't doing so well,it is best you start working that Sunfire Aegis. The armor will reduce the damage from their carry or/and solo top drastically. But what we realy want from this item is the HP. When your enemies see that you have a big healthbar,they will instinctively ignore you and start focusing something else. The tiny AoE will help you farm and push a bit. As for Wit's End I must say that it is a very underated item. It is so perfect for Irelia that it is ridiculous. Bladesurge applies the passive,the Attack Speed is stupidly OP for Hiten Style and the MR will help you against some of their AP damage. I love this Item and so does Relly :3.

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The Brutalizer. It's name is as fearsome as the stats it gives you. Armor penetration to counter them pesky top laners and junglers. CD reduction for "MAXIMUM SHLAPING POWER" as a great LoL player once said. And last but not least- Attack Damage. Keep The Brutalizer out of Youmuu's Ghostblade until you've completed all your other items because its sole stats are enough for you until lategame. As for Youmuu's Ghostblade, well, remember to activate it before dashing into the teamfight because your Q will actuarly extend it's effect just like a normal attack. It will give you the needed attack speed to decimate their damage dealers in an instant. Always remember that beautiful spell - Hiten Style.

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"GUARDIAN ANGEL BICHEEEEESAAAAAAAAHHH"- Siv HD.
Yes, our beloved item,that stands good on any champion. The item that can win teamfights. but on Irelia it is more than just a revive spell. It gives her much needed armor and magic resist, to help her thrive in nasty situations. i would recommend grabbing it right after The Brutalizer for maximum helpfulness. There isn't much to say about this item except that it is awesome.

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Heart of Gold is a very sexy item. The HP early game realy comes in handy during early exchanges or teamfights. The extra gold never hurt anyone either. You can later sell it to buy something else or you could keep it to make Randuin's Omen.Either way this item is a MUST.

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Typical bruiser build. However you won't build Trinity Force becuase the build will get too expensive and it just won't fit very well. WARFRATMA'S Irelia is viable and powerful but I do not recommend it as TRINITY Irelia is much more useful.

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I mentioned this item in the Item Discussion chapter but the truth is that its place is in the alternatives. It is an AMAZING item. It gives such utility that it is just ridiculous. The Attack Speed and Movement Speed slow is stupid good and the AoE active makes the difference between "Your team has scored an ACE" and just "ACED".

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This is a matter of debate. However, my personal favourites are:

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Solo top is what Irelia exceeds at. It is her purpose of existance. Jungling with her is a viable alternative but it is not as effective a good Irelia solo, since she needs a lot of farm. If she farms-she wins,if not she can still win but harder. This is why you need to know against who and how she can dominate solo top. She does have counters however....

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She is truly pathetic against Irelia. Normaly played hybrid( Hextech Gunblade, Trinity Force or Lich Bane) you can easily outburst her. After you buy Mercury Threads, a big part of her magic damage will be negated. Do your combo-W,Q,E,auto attack-and after 2 bursts she will be out of business. Make that her asian butt feel the true damage
* Easy difficulty
* Better to be engaged before level 6
* Mercury's Treads
* If she engages oyu in a duel DO NOT RUN

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This guy is tough. But in his case offense is the best defense. He will try and hit you with his Q,then W,land a couple of auto attacks with his E and then...well...OMNOMNOMNOMNOM. this is why,the moment he stomps the ground you must charge at him with your combo(W,Q) stun/slow him and make his life miserible with your true damage.
* Medium difficulty
* Play agressively
* Engage him before lvl 6
* Prevent him from farming because it gives him lane sustain
* Dodge his Rupture with Bladesurge

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F***,F***,F***,F***, RIOT pls ner,nerf,nerf PLS. Do I need to tell you what to do against him? DEFEND and hope he doesn't towerdive. If he does - Exhaust will come in handy to counter his ulti - then STUN HIM HARD and drop all your CDs on him including ult. It is either this way or if your jungler comes to gank. Don''t initiate a duel with him. His low CDs will destroy you. Just stay away from him and farm whatever you can. Guardian Angel will help you fight him but not 1v1...
* Hard difficulty
* Do not engage in 1v1
* If you do engage in 1v1 do it before lvl 6
* Counter ultimate with Exhaust
* Be aware of ganks because Ionian Fervor does not stop his pull.
* Bait him to your turret then stun and Exhaust

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Yet another nasty solo top. Unlike Akali, this chick will give you a very hard time. Her Q is hard to dodge due to it's unusual skillshot. She will always play hard AP with lots of health and will slow you and apply CC on you with every spell. Not to mention how annoying that passive is. What you need to do here is to just dodge her Q by running TWOARDS her. Not away from her. Then drop your load and return to the false safety of your minions. Call your jungler early.
* Dodge Q by using Bladsurge to dash twoards her
* Medium difficulty
* Engage at any time
* Get some distance when her passive triggers
* Mercury's Treads

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Dodge the cleavers. Then BURST. your true damage will make him suffer. Take ignite when soloing against him. Ask your AP carry to make Morello's Evil Tome. Overall it is not hard to lane against him. Just make sure that before you charge at him with your combo you are below his percentage of HP so you can stun him with Equilibrium Strike. Drop an Ignite to stop his ulti and destroy his large health with several slashes of your flying weapon thingy.
* Medium difficulty
* Dodge cleavers
* Take Ignite
* Engage before level 6
* Play passively

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DAAAAAAMN SHE'S HOT. A..uh...I mean.... Look, she is hard for Irelia to solo against because she can repel your entire combo if she sees it coming. Then,just when you think you've got her, that f*ggish ult will drop you very fast. Just harass her now and then, make her think she's got you cornered,let her push, drop yourself below 50% and stun her when she towerdives. Similar to Darius. You will rarely see Fiora toplane in ranked however. She prefers jungling. That makes her just as nasty.
* Medium difficulty
* Rarely top, mostly jungle
* Can stop your burst
* Hard to run from
* Don't engage in 1v1 after lvl 6
* HOT

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This guy is amazing. Sometimes if he goes solo top he will be AD. It sounds innocent and stupid,but trust me, it hurts. He CAN dodge your initiating combo, but it is almost impossible. He needs VERY fast reflexes to do it. STAY AWARE OF THE SHARK. At lvl 6 it deals amazing damage and his burst is stronger than yours,so just try staying safe. That shark will chop you in half. What ever you do,DO NOT towerdive him. He can become untargetable,just long enough for you to die by the turret, he will then drop ontop of you and take you out with one Q. Ganking is a bad option too. Let him use his combo first,then it is your turn to drop that little pest.
* Hard difficulty
* Very agile
* Hard to chase
* Hard to towerdive
* Has a badass shark
* Play pasively

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Har har,hibidy har...He will harras the sh*t out of you with that Parrrley. Critplank is one of the most annoying solo tops ever. He has infinite mana when it comes to farming,especially after his last buff. When you try to combo him he will eat some oranges and everything will be Kay.Kay, but for him, not you. Just get some ganks. He can't towerdive very well so that is not a problem, but ganks might be hard due to that W. So you and your jungler need to apply your CC in intervals of time. You can try and harras him with your combo,but after you're finished with the combo try getting in a bush or something to get back to your minion wave.
* Easy difficulty
* Is a pirate
* Hard to gank
* Enagage at any time
* Harrass him a lot
* Bad at towerdiving,will rarely do it

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Just avoid his spinning and Q. Your combo outdamages his any day. Watch out for the ulti. If he is a Potion Master Garen, you are gonna have a bad time holding the lane. Try conserving mana to burst him down when he is close to your turret.
* Easy Difficulty
* Run when he activates Q
* Run when he spins
* Exhaust to counter ultimate
* Enagage at any time
* Build The Brutalizer a bit earlier

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The best one wins. Make her get mana starves by taking her combos like a man...girl...whatever and then BAM-burst. Nothing more you can do but give yor best shot
* Medium dificulty
* Provoke her combos
* Start with Regrowth Pendant
* Play defense
* Best one wins

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Most people think he counters Irelia but that is completely untrue. How can it be true when your TRUE damage slaughters his armor? You can dodge his ult if the jungler comes to gank by dashing to a nearby enemy minion and stun the sh** out of this guy. Easy breezy lemon squeezy.
* Easy difficulty
* Engage at ANY time
* Prefferable engage early on
* Play agressively
* Do not over-extend

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Jax is probably one of the best counters to Irelia. He can dodge your W enhanced attacks except your Q and by doing so he amplifies the damage of his stun. Then he will hit you 3 times and your health will be gone if his 3rd strike has an Empower on top of it. It is hard to escape him with that Leap Strike. Try to surprise him from a bush when using your combo and stun him before he activates his own stun. It is hard to time it,but after you empty your CD load on him, just RUN. He has low CDs and a nasty ult passive. Play defensively.
* Hard difficulty
* Start with Regrowth Pendant
* Don't engage alone
* Run when he activates E
* Build Frozen Heart or Randuin's Omen

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This superman rip-off is annoying as heck. The E hits like a truck and he can harass you with his cannon. He is complete non-sense to me. I'd just play passively and W,Q him when I feel like it. He is very unpredictable so don't do anything stupid.
* Hard difficulty
* Playing defense won't help so it is best if you switch lanes with your mid
* Starting with Doran's Shield is not a bad idea
* Never engage alone unless he is low HP

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I have one thing to say before i continue. Awwwww sh*t. His uber DMG is impossibly high,that shield absorbs true damage too and he can negate your combo. He is truly a counter to Irelia. I see no possible way to initiate a fight against him. The worst part is if you die to his ult. then you give him a super ghost that can tank turrets and can towerdive alongside him. Hue.


* Hard difficulty
* Hue
* Call a lot of ganks
* Hue
* Switch lanes with AP carry
* HUE

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"Play dead.Good boy."
He is an overaly weak solo top. Just burst him down and back off when he uses his W. That is an annoying slow. His damage is way below yours. You can take him down very easy if you have Exhaust. But whatever you do, DO NOT LET HIM FARM. No,just don't. If you do it will end bad for you.
* Easy difficulty
* Play agressively
* Stun and run when he slows
* DO NOT LET HIM FARM
* Avoid engaging after level 6

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Sorry for the language but this guy is absolute bullsh*t. Every spell except his W has CC. EVEN HIS PASSIVE. And on top of that his has an ult that will ruin your day. It is not a good idea to tower dive him but you can take him down if you dodge the Riptide. True damage FTW. Watch out for their jungle. With that CC their jungler will catch you very easily. Play def,let him push, annhialate him.
* Medium difficulty
* Play agressively
* Be carefull for pulls because this eases ganks on you greatly
* To counter him build Mercury's Treads along with your naturaly high CC resistance
* Do not push, you will be basically praying to get ganked that way

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This is an easy top to learn, but is also an easy top to take down. He might give you some trouble with the snow ball thing, but your own slow/stun and W,Q combo will end him fast. Try not letting him hit anything or he will have free spells very often. Stun when he ulties.
* Easy difficulty
* Broken Q and broken Passive
* Play agressively
* Engage him at any time
* Don't let him hit creeps
* Don't push under any sir***stances
* Mercury's Treads

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You can make this guy cry. The only problem is with his ult that will negate your stun. Avoid fighting him 1v1 after lvl 6 and before lvl 11. Before lvl 6 you can decimate him. Dodge axe,stun,W,Q,ult. Simple,no?
* Medium difficulty
* Dodge axe
* Play agressively but only before level 6
* Do not engage alone after level 6 and before level 11
* Maybe call a gank once in a while

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He is an even match for Irelia...until he gets that ult. When he activates it don't bother fighting him, just run and waste his ult time. Then when he is small again COMBO, bam , pow, stun,ult. Avoid his stun and Q. The bad thing about him is that he just needs a lot of health potions and everything is K. You need mana. Try making him waste his large CDs and then counter- attacking.
* Hard difficulty
* Do not engage after level 6
* Play defense and stun him before he stuns you
* Don't let him build up a lot of fury

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Her early game damage is ridiculous, but she isn't much of a threat. You can eliminate her from the lane due to the lack of good escape mechanics. i mean think of it: 0.5 sec stun,a 1 CM dash and a Q that can easily be outrunned and caught up with if you have your Q. Warning though, if you somehow get to low HP avoid fighting her. That ult hits like a truck. You can still easily dominate her. She is rather predictable.
* Medium difficulty
* Don't fight her if both of you are at low HP
* Play agressive all the time
* Ninja Tabi are a very good idea
* Doran's Shield is also a good idea

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According to LoLking this is the most successful solo top champion in the game. I have to agree. Low CDs and a Q with very high sustain. A Rumble master truly outplays an Irelia master. I have him and I have played many games VS Irelia solo top. Trust me it ended bad for her. To stop him in his tracks you need mercury threads and Force of nature. When he turns on that flamethrower you just have to run. Don't try fighting him. And don't think that if he is silenced he will deal little dmg. His autoattacks are crushing. He can deal more than any solo in the game if he has around 500 AP. With his auto attacks I mean.

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You counter this lizzard. She lacks CC just like you but her escape and chasing mechanism is good. However she will almost never outdamage you. Get that Sunfire Cape and you will slaughter her. You can easily engage a 1v1 with her both early and late game.
* Easy difficulty
* Play defense
* Don't engage when she has ult
* Engage both before and after lvl 6

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I love this guy almost as much as I love Irelia. His spells work in perfect sync together. However he is no match for the Top Lane Champion Blender. Make sure you have activated your Hiten Style before he taunts so he can feel the punishment of taunting an Irelia with 75 bonus true damage on every hit. It is easy to kill him especially if he wastes his taunt in order to take you down. Sorry Shen, Irelia has the advantage.
* Easy difficulty
* Engage whenever the f*ck you feel like it but be careful for their jungler
* Play agressively
* Stun him when he tries to ult away

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As long as you don't chase him, he will be an easy top to murder. He can build all the armor and HP in the world,it will still not be enough, because to deal damage, he needs you to chase him. Be smart, burst him down and if he has more than 10% of his Hp left don't chase.
* Medium difficulty
* DO NOT CHASE
* Play agressively but don't overextend
* OR play passively and both of you will have peace(not recommended)

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I hate him soooooooo much. He counters you with his stupid blind. If your jungler tries to gank SURPRISE!!! SHROOM. You can't land any hits and his ranged auto attacks and poison will punish you. Play defense and buy magic resist and Mercury's Treads to stop them slows and blinds.
* Hard difficulty
* DO NOT ENGAGE EVER
* Best if you switch lanes
* Buy vision wards
* Let him push
* Mercury's Treads

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A very rare solo top,but contrary to popular belief, he is useless against Irelia. Udyr is only viable as a jungler, solo he will get completely OBLITERATED by Relly. His escape and chase mechanic is not very good and you have a very high burst. Slow him, your passive will negate his stun and then you will unload hell upon this zoophile.
* Easy difficulty
* Drop your combo but don't stay and fight
* Let him push
* Ionian Fervor counters his stun
* You have better chasing mechanics
* Build Ninja Tabi
* Do not engage alone late game

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One bada*s motherclucker. He will give you a bad time. The passive is OP, his frenzy is OP and his ult is OP. He has,however,high cooldowns. This is when you strike, combo him,stun/slow,IGNITE, drop your Transcendent Blades on him and land a few finish auto attacks. However be wary of his combo. The moment he slows you with that roar you must run. Don't even bother fighting. Poke him and then run. It is your only hope. Get him mana starved and push the lane. Wait for your jungler to come and use ignite when Voli falls low. Make your AP carry buy Morrelo's Evil Tome and your Bear problems will be at their minimum... THAT DOESN'T MEAN SMALL.
* Hard difficulty
* Take Ignite
* Play defense
* Do not engage at level one
* Do not engage after level 6
* Call a lot of ganks

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This is the only confirmed solo top to have about 1-2 counterpicks. One of them is Cho'Gath, the other one is either Rumble or Renekton. I don't understand why...why would riot make a champion with so little counterpicks. It is just stupid. Irelia has no chance against him but to poke and wait for ganks. Stay on your turret and farm what you can reach without him sending an undead batallion after you.
* Hard difficulty
* Abuse his cooldowns
* Play defense
* Run if he ulties himself
* He is bad against ganks so call plenty
* Thank RIOT for the nerfs so now he is atleast playable against

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****CHASING****
Use your Q on a minion with low HP so you can catch up with the enemy you are chasing. Make sure you activate W before that so you surely kill the low HP minion. It is also a useful KS technique. Once I picked up a penta with that. Just dash through any low HP enemies and your Q will reset again for the next Kill Secured.

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****STUNNING****
Help your jungler take the blue buff by leashing it. Taking some damage from it is not bad,because when you meet your solo top rival you will have less HP than him and you will be ready for a stun on your next combo.

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****SURVIVAL****
A few patches ago they buffed Irelia's health base health regen,which gave her better lane holding powers. However if you find yourself at low Hp and no enemies around you can always hit their mobs with basic auto attack for the small lifesteal the passive of Hiten Style gives you. It helps. Especially if you decide to put a few points into the Vampirism mastery. I like that mastery.

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**** Doran's Shield****
It is a good item to start with on Irelia. Screw the haters. It amplifies the naturally high health regen and gives you some HP and armor to counter that nasty AD solo top.

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****WARDS****
It is always a good idea to carry a ward around so if you are chased you can put it down into a wraith or some other monster camp and dash to one of the monsters there to save your life. Wards are everyone's friend. Good thing RIOT hasn't nerfed them yet.

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To summarize everything I must tell you that you can play Irelia any way you want, and you might actuarly find a better build than this one. She is a very versitile champion with incredibly high potential. She has almost limitless possibilities and even tough I think this is the best Irelia build on Mobafire but that doesn't mean the best Irelia build EVER. See what I have given you, and enhance it and maybe.

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Also, the possible Irelia roles are, NOT SUPPORT, offtank,jungle,SOLO TOP and can even be mid in order to counter their AP carry, but this is a vrey risky strategy, and is rarely used in ranked.

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I would be very happy if any of you would like to play with me, to show you some pro Irelian skills<(show off) in high elo ranked, but that is not possible,considering I am in ELO hell and i have given up on trying to emerge out of there. The noobs only pull me down deeper. I would, however , play normal with anyone of you on EUNE who wishes to and have fun. My summoner name is Spr33n on EUNE only.

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I would like to thank Myself for being brave enough to actuarly write a guide on MOBAFIRE and for being in the mood to do it.

I would also like to thank RIOT for creating Irelia, and I would like to thank Morello for not nerfing her for the past few patches and actuarly giving her a buff.

I would also like to thank everyone who read and upvoted this guide and I hope it brings you success. Also thanks to bitpik, Noizekill and pepsiM4A1 for the tips. Special thanks to all the artists who made the beutiful art I added to the guide.

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Success on the fields of justice friends!