I've been playing Irelia since the last nerf. I didn't exactly love her, but since the Blade of the Ruined King buff, she's really back into the game. She's going to be seen a lot season three, I can already tell. However, this is just a really basic guide that's still partially under construction.

The reason I pick the runes that I do, is because of the simple fact that a first blood puts their lane behind, not to mention it causes Irelia to snowball into a HUGE threat.

The reason I pick these masteries is because Irelia is mean to jump onto their carry, and beat his **** in. So, the tankiness of these masteries, and the damage they give really helps her out during fights, and keeps her alive during trades.

Oh boy, I put a lot of situational item builds, and such, and the reasoning behind them in the builds themselves.

The reason behind this is the fact that she can really do a lot with her W. Her E is used for utility, to stun, etc.

Using Irelia's W to your advantage whilst trading is the main idea of her. As well as her on-hit nature.

Pros:

Extremely strong mid-game
Can be build tanky, and still do damage
High mobility
Decent utility

Cons:

Easily loses if played incorrectly
High skill required