Hey guys! Ready to dive into the world of Illaoi, the Kraken Priestess, in League of Legends? This champion is an absolute powerhouse in the top lane, capable of dishing out insane amounts of damage while also being surprisingly tanky. In this guide, we're going to break down everything you need to know to dominate your lane and carry your team with Illaoi. So, buckle up, and let's get started!

Understanding Illaoi's Abilities

To truly master Illaoi, you need to understand her abilities inside and out. Her kit revolves around summoning tentacles and using them to crush her enemies. Let's take a closer look:

• Passive - Prophet of an Elder God: This is what makes Illaoi, well, Illaoi! Periodically, tentacles spawn near walls. These tentacles remain dormant until activated by Illaoi's other abilities or when an enemy gets too close. Understanding tentacle placement and management is crucial for maximizing Illaoi's potential.
• Q - Tentacle Smash: Illaoi slams her idol, causing a tentacle to smash down in a target direction. This ability deals significant damage and heals Illaoi for a portion of the damage dealt. Tentacle Smash is your bread-and-butter ability for wave clear and trading in lane. Positioning yourself correctly to hit both the enemy champion and minions with the tentacle is key to winning trades and sustaining your health.
• W - Harsh Lesson: Illaoi leaps to a target location, slamming her idol down and commanding nearby tentacles to smash at the same target. This ability resets Illaoi's auto-attack timer and deals bonus physical damage. Harsh Lesson is your primary engage tool and a great way to quickly burst down enemies. Use it to close the gap and unleash a flurry of tentacle slams.
• E - Test of Spirit: Illaoi sends out a spirit that touches the first enemy champion it hits. If the spirit connects, it pulls a portion of the target's spirit to Illaoi. If Illaoi or her tentacles damage the spirit, the damage is also applied to the champion. If the spirit is destroyed or the champion gets too far away from it, they become a Vessel, which spawns tentacles that attack them. Test of Spirit is a crucial ability for setting up ganks, harassing enemies from a safe distance, and forcing them to make difficult choices. Mastering the use of this ability is essential for controlling the lane.
• R - Leap of Faith: Illaoi slams her idol into the ground, dealing damage to nearby enemies and summoning a tentacle for each enemy champion hit. During Leap of Faith, tentacles smash more frequently and are untargetable. This is Illaoi's ultimate ability and a game-changer in team fights. Using it in a crowded area can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor. The key is to position yourself strategically to maximize the number of tentacles spawned and ensure that they hit the enemy champions.

Runes and Masteries for Illaoi

Choosing the right runes and masteries is essential for optimizing Illaoi's performance. Here's a breakdown of some popular choices:

• Primary Rune (Resolve):
  • Grasp of the Undying: This is a great choice for sustained damage and healing in lane. It synergizes well with Illaoi's trading pattern, allowing her to constantly proc the effect and gain an advantage in lane.
  • Demolish: This rune helps you take down towers quickly, allowing you to push your advantage and roam to other lanes.
  • Conditioning: This rune provides bonus armor and magic resistance after 12 minutes, making you tankier in the mid-to-late game.
  • Overgrowth: This rune grants bonus health as you farm minions and monsters, further increasing your survivability.
• Secondary Rune (Inspiration):
  • Magical Footwear: This rune provides free boots at 12 minutes, saving you gold and allowing you to focus on other items.
  • Biscuits Delivery: This rune provides sustain in lane, helping you stay healthy and farm safely.
• Stat Shards:
  • Adaptive Force: Provides additional damage to help with trading and farming.
  • Armor: Increases your survivability against physical damage.
  • Magic Resist: Increases your survivability against magic damage.

Item Build for Illaoi

Your item build on Illaoi should focus on damage, survivability, and cooldown reduction. Here's a common build path:

1. Starting Items: Doran's Blade or Corrupting Potion
2. Core Items:
   • Black Cleaver: This item provides damage, health, and cooldown reduction, as well as armor shred, making it an excellent choice for Illaoi.
   • Sterak's Gage: This item provides a shield when you take a large amount of damage, increasing your survivability in team fights.
   • Boots of Swiftness/Plated Steelcaps/Mercury's Treads: Choose boots based on the enemy team composition. Swiftness for mobility, Steelcaps for physical damage, and Mercury's Treads for magic resistance and tenacity.
3. Situational Items:
   • Spirit Visage: This item increases your healing received, synergizing well with Illaoi's Q and making you even harder to kill.
   • Dead Man's Plate: This item provides armor, health, and movement speed, allowing you to chase down enemies and engage in team fights more effectively.
   • Guardian Angel: This item provides a second life in team fights, giving you another chance to carry the game.

Laning Phase Tips and Tricks

The laning phase is crucial for setting yourself up for success on Illaoi. Here are some tips and tricks to help you dominate your lane:

• Tentacle Placement: Place your tentacles strategically near walls to maximize their effectiveness. Try to position them so that they can hit both the enemy champion and minions.
• Trading: Use your Q to poke and harass the enemy champion. Be mindful of your mana and try to hit both the champion and minions with the tentacle to maximize your healing.
• Harsh Lesson Usage: Use Harsh Lesson to engage on the enemy champion when they are out of position. Be careful not to overextend and get ganked by the enemy jungler.
• Test of Spirit Harassment: Use Test of Spirit to harass the enemy champion from a safe distance. If they become a Vessel, use your tentacles to punish them and force them out of lane.
• Vision Control: Maintain good vision control to avoid ganks from the enemy jungler. Place wards in the river and near the enemy jungle entrance to give yourself early warning of incoming threats.

Team Fighting with Illaoi

In team fights, Illaoi can be a devastating force. Here's how to make the most of her abilities:

• Ultimate Positioning: Position yourself strategically to maximize the number of enemy champions hit by your ultimate. Try to engage in a crowded area where you can summon multiple tentacles.
• Protecting Carries: Focus on protecting your carries from enemy assassins and divers. Use your abilities to peel for them and keep them safe.
• Zone Control: Use your tentacles to control the flow of the fight. Position them in key areas to deny the enemy team access and create space for your team to maneuver.
• Target Prioritization: Focus on damaging high-priority targets such as the enemy ADC or mid-laner. Use your abilities to burst them down quickly and turn the tide of the fight.

Matchups and Counterpicks

Illaoi has both favorable and unfavorable matchups in the top lane. Here are some champions that she excels against and some that can give her trouble:

• Favorable Matchups:
  • Garen: Illaoi can easily poke and harass Garen with her Q and E, preventing him from farming and gaining an advantage in lane.
  • Darius: Illaoi can out-trade Darius with her Q and W, and her ultimate can turn the tide of a fight if he tries to engage on her.
  • Teemo: Illaoi can easily clear Teemo's mushrooms with her tentacles and punish him for trying to harass her.
• Unfavorable Matchups:
  • Fiora: Fiora can easily dodge Illaoi's abilities with her Riposte and punish her for missing. Her ultimate can also be devastating in team fights.
  • Riven: Riven's mobility and burst damage make her a difficult opponent for Illaoi. She can easily dodge Illaoi's abilities and quickly burst her down.
  • Vayne: Vayne's true damage and mobility make her a difficult opponent for Illaoi in the late game. She can easily kite Illaoi and shred her health with her Silver Bolts.

Conclusion

Illaoi is a powerful and rewarding champion to play in League of Legends. By understanding her abilities, runes, item build, and playstyle, you can dominate your lane and carry your team to victory. Remember to focus on tentacle placement, trading effectively, and positioning yourself strategically in team fights. With practice and dedication, you'll be crushing your enemies with the Kraken Priestess in no time!

So there you have it, guys! A comprehensive guide to playing Illaoi in League of Legends. Go forth and conquer the Rift with your newfound knowledge! Good luck, and have fun! Remember to adapt these tips to your own playstyle and the specific circumstances of each game. Happy tentacle smashing!