v1.0.0.105
Now that Hearts of Gold is getting a nerf it does not provide the survivability that I'm looking for. So I am considering replacing it with a sunfire cape.

v1.0.0.103
With the recent changes, especially in movement speed, I've changed the the masteries I get because I really enjoy having that extra movement speed. With the HP nerf I just try and play safer. Also with the 3 points in Meditation I've noticed that there are fewer mana issues, so going sheen first is easier to do, but i still recommend catalyst first generally.

Irelia is a well balance champion that excels at dealing damage to squishy dps/burst champions. If you want to do well as Irelia you'll need to be able to lane aggressively and take control. If you get pushed around you'll have a difficult time as the game progresses.

Pros:
great farmer
good burster
hard to stop
good survivability

Cons:
gets targeted
must be able to farm quickly

Greater Mark of Desolation
Since after you initial burst of damage you'll be relying on auto attacks to do damage you'll want these to maximize the damage


Irelia suffers from mana issues during early phases of the game, and this will allow you to continue to farm quickly

Greater Glyph of Vigor
Since most items that give you HP also give armor this helps during later when you're lacking that extra magic resistance


This is mostly for the early game so that you aren't squishy. Since you'll mostly likely be taking a few hits when farming you'll want these so you won't die

I go with 21/0/9

Since you'll be using catalyst you'll want Awareness for max effectiveness

Besides that it's a fairly standard layout. No need to grab the ignite mastery since you don't rely much on AP

I enjoy taking flash and ignite just a personal preference


This is good for chasing and escaping. When you know you can kill a champion during laning phase but they stay out of your range this is good for surprising them.


A great way to finish off champions that almost get away in unison with an offensive flash. It also has great utility against champs that regen lots of hp such as warwick and mundo.


This is good for AD carry champs, if you're playing ranked and you feel like you will have a hard time against AD carry champs feel free to grab this one


lots of people take this for chasing, but I'll be honest, if you can't get that kill immediately chasing using ghost halfway across the map isn't really helping your team since you'll be isolated and flash can get you in and out instantly i prefer flash. but this is good too if you're used to it

I prioritize
R>Q>E>W
Since this is where the majority of your burst comes from.


Ionian Fervor:
This is what allows you to walk through lots of the CC that would stop most AD champs from killing the squishies.


Bladesurge:
This is what lets you farm and harass champs. Don't underestimate the damage output of this skill.


Hiten Style:
This is good during the late game. It gives true damage bonus and a little bit of life back for each hit. Always activate it after your throw your E on them or right before you Q in


Equilibrium Strike:
Another great burst skill that adds to your damage output. Though it scales 1:1 off AP you don't need much to punish the squishies


Transcendent Blades:
This skill is on smart cast so it shoots where your cursor is when you hit R. It's good during the early-mid game, but it loses a lot of strength during the late game. Throw it down almost every time it's up. It lets you lane longer and harass champs.

This is the part you need to get good at if you want to do well as Irelia

At level 1 you just need to auto attack or bladesurge low hp minions

the key is to never miss a single last hit with your bladesurge since the cooldown refreshes and mana a little is refunded

Once you practice a few games you'll know when to bladesurge minions and you'll be able to farm like a boss

At level 9 when your bladesurge is maxed you'll be able to hit archer minions once and then bladesurge them for the last hit. Melee minions take 2 auto attacks before you can bladesurge for the kill

Your first chance to get a kill is at level 2 when you have both bladesurge and equilibrium strike.

If you can beat the other champ to level 2 you'll have a big advantage to just Q and E, and auto attack, along with ignite and flash for more auto attacks you can very easily get first blood.

You can further exploit this combo of Q > E auto attack again when it's stronger at level 5, and go for an easy kill once you hit level 6 since you have your ult. I use ctrl + r to level my skill so the second i level i can surprise them with the burst from my ult and ignite to finish. You'll get a good feel for the damage of this combo the more you play and who you can and can't kill. Irelia can burst down many champs from full hp to no hp with even a small level advantage.

Alright this is the juicy part

Here's the full build:


But I'll go into detail

into catalyst the protector

I like to start off with sapphire crystal because it gives you early mana to farm with because your goal is to hit 925 gold as fast a possible and go back to grab a catalyst

into
If you're doing well meaning you killed a champ already or got firstblood, you can choose to buy the sheen first to further your ability to harass, but if you do this you'll have to watch your mana

now with your catalyst your laning presence will be much greater since you can use your skills freely to farm and harass.

or
At this point you have a few choices, to get the merc treads as soon as possible or get boots of speed if there is a lot of CC in your lane or magic users that are out harassing you you'll probably want the merc treads, otherwise boots of speed are fine.

or
From here you can grab the sheen if you haven't already, or the phage if you're doing well sheen is preferred, if you're doing poorly the phage is a better choice since it adds to survivability.


Now you want to finish your trinity force and you're fairly set on the core build

Up to this Point you should be looking like this
catalyst the protector

moving on

or
If you're doing poorly you can take your catalyst and make it into a banshee's viel immediately. On the other hand you can also choose the heart of gold if there's more AD damage.

or
If you're doing well and on already on a roll, feel free to move on to last whisper the if they're high on armor, otherwise consider the ghostblade if they lack armor

or
From here you'll want to finish off everything that hasn't been made such as randuins if there is a lot of AD damage, or force of nature if there's lots of AP damage

OPTIONAL CHOICES
Being the AD champ you are there are other choices such as


but only take these if you're doing EXCEPTIONALLY well because it could bite you later if you need the armor

This is fairly simple

obviously don't start one if you're out numbered and/or outleveled but if everyone is ready

To start off a teamfight you can just dash in at their squishy champs throwing down all your skills. If you aren't feeling bold and want to wait for a more tanky champ to start just wait. Your goal as Irelia is to break through and take out their dps/mages. If you've done this your job is complete. Feel free to make use of flash to get out if you get low on HP and need to go back.

In summary

R > Q > E > W for skills

during laning phase throw lots of Q and E once you get your catalyst

always go for the squishies first. you have lots of hp and survivability using this build a long with lots of burst damage on squishies so don't be afraid to initiate a fight