Reworked in 2018, Irelia is one of the most skill expressive champions in the game. With a ton of flashy combos and some really satisfying gameplay, she quickly became the favorite champion of many players. There are a few different ways to build Irelia depending on the situation and this article will take you through the 5 best Irelia builds to crush your enemies
1. Damage
Building Irelia full damage may make you not as tanky as usual, but this is more than made up for with the amount of sustain you get from lifesteal items like Immortal Shieldbow. Irelia is a champion designed to gap close and with this build you’re guaranteed to do a lot of damage to whoever you’ve gap closed on. You can go this build if your team already has a tank in the jungle and support role and your team needs a bit more damage
What the Damage Build Excels In:
- Heavy sustain through lifesteal items
- Sustained and heavy damage
- Making up for a lack of AD damage in your team comp
Irelia Damage Build Full Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drbhibzAGL8
2. Tank
Irelia can also function quite well as a tank. She only needs one damage item to be enough of a threat, and the rest of your build can be devoted to being an unstoppable force in the mid and late game. This build is a great option if the rest of your team is very squishy and vulnerable
What the Tank Build Excels In:
- Makes your W more impactful by giving bonus damage reduction
- Makes it much harder for you to die while still dishing out heavy damage
- Gives access to some great utility items like Randuin’s and Dead Mans
Irelia Tank Build Full Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jejRPbiXb7Y
3. Bruiser
The most common and traditional Irelia build, building a mix of damage and tankiness gives Irelia the best of both worlds. It’s the build that usually works best for Irelia in most situations because it emphasizes the tanky aspects of her gameplay and kit while still giving her enough damage to be a hyper carry
What the Bruiser Build Excels In:
- Provides enough tankiness to where the enemy team cant kill you easily
- Gives enough damage to make sure you can still be a big threat
- Overall is just the build that pairs best with Irelia and will likely give you the best results on an average game
Irelia Bruiser Build Full Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr1TFCNX6WA
4. Lethality
While definitely one of the more off-meta Irelia builds, the amount of damage this build can provide if it gets going is absolutely insane. Having this amount of damage on a character with so many dashes can result in some really crazy plays. This is the build to go if your team is lacking damage and you’re looking to experiment with something unusual
What the Lethality Build Excels In:
- Above all else, this build will give you the most damage out of all other builds
- Some of the lethality items like Duskblade and Edge of Night offer some nice utility abilities that can be super useful in a teamfight
- If your team is lacking in a carry champion, this is the build that is going to help make Irelia into a great hyper-carry
Irelia Lethality Build Full Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoISDJMnmk0
5. AP
While by far the most off-meta and potentially the least effective, full AP Irelia is undeniably incredibly fun. It can deal a decent amount of damage if it gets going, and it’s definitely the build to go if you’re looking to have some fun with something very unusual
What the AP Build Excels In:
- Every single part of Irelia’s kit except for her Q has a pretty high AP ratio, especially her ultimate and stun. This can turn Irelia into a massive burst mage that can dominate teamfights
- Building Irelia AP gives her access to some fantastic utility items like Rylai’s and Zhonya’s
- If your team is hurting for a source of AP damage, this can help out because your big damage dealers are all AOE
Irelia AP Build Full Details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29LyRwvzPes
From typical to off-meta, Irelia can be built in many different ways with varying degrees of success. But no matter the build, ultimately Irelia is a champion that can perform well no matter the build as long as you’re confident in your abilities on her
