To counter Illaoi, choose a champion with high mobility or movement speed. Illaoi has trouble chasing opponents because she has no gap closers. Always try to leave the range of her E (Test of Spirit) to stop her from dealing extra damage to your champion. Once out of range, watch out for tentacles that spawn and attack.
If Illaoi is focusing on damaging your soul, attack her while she does so. You can deal more damage to her than she can to you while she is focusing on your soul. Do not stand close to her tentacles when she is near. She can use her W (Harsh Lesson) to command each of them to damage your champion and heal herself.
Which Champions Counter Illaoi?
Illaoi has a hard time against champions with high mobility or movement speed. For example, Garen or Riven/Irelia. Opponents with crowd control abilities (stuns, reversals, disables) are also good counters—for example, Heimerdinger, Fiora, and Renekton. Champions who can harass Illaoi are also good counters. For instance, Darius and Yorick. Ranged champions like Jayce and Lulu can farm, poke, and can avoid her.
- Darius
- Heimerdinger
- Renekton
- Yorick
- Fiora
- Garen
- Malzahar
- Lulu
How Do You Lane Against Illaoi?
- Illaoi’s damage comes from her tentacles. Keep an eye on them and actively try to dodge them.
- Always be aggressive. Farm/destroy her tentacles when her E/W is down.
- Try to destroy tentacles when she isn’t near them.
- When she ults, WALK AWAY. Don’t engage her. When her ult is over, attack her.
- Illaoi is a lane bully and forces most champions to farm under tower.
- Have your jungle help the lane when she overextends. Illaoi is defenseless against ganks as she has no escapes except for flash or ghost.
Who Counters Illaoi Top?
| Illaoi Counter Pick | Win Rate | Ban Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Swain | 52.37% | 0.35% |
| Garen | 52.23% | 0.64% |
| Sion | 50.74% | 0.28% |
| Gangplank | 50.19% | 0.44% |
| Fiora | 49.79% | 1.16% |
| Jayce | 45.62% | 0.34% |
| Irelia | 47.52% | 1.2% |
| Akali | 47.09% | 4.16% |
How Do Illaoi’s Tentacles Work?
Illoai’s tentacles attack each time she hits targets nearby with her W. Her tentacles also automatically attack nearby Vessels/Spirits every 10 seconds. Illaoi’s tentacles heal her for 5%of her missing health each time they hit enemy champions.
References
- How do you lane against Illaoi? | Reddit
- The Best Counter Picks Illaoi is Weak Against | Ranked Boost
- How to Counter Illaoi: Mobalytics Counterplay (Video)
- All there’s to know about Illaoi’s mechanics: | LOL Fandom Wiki
- How to beat Illaoi | League of Legends Forums (NA)
- How do you counter Illaoi | League of Legends Forums (EUW)
Darius vs Illaoi
In a Darius vs. Illaoi matchup, Illaoi players should try to farm until level 6. Darius players should try to maximize mobility to avoid Illaoi’s tentacle slams.
How To Beat Illaoi As Darius?
As Darius, you can beat Illaoi: 1. Your stats are better than hers 2. You have the mobility to dodge her damage, and 3. You punish her when she thinks she can punish you.
Poke Illaoi as much as possible. For example, auto-attack, then move, auto, then run away. Items like Phage help with movement speed. Save Darius’ Q for your retreats. Try to land a hit with the tip to deal more damage.
Never engage Illaoi when she uses her ultimate. Do NOT fight in her ult. Always try to move away from her during her ult. But if she has 10% HP and you can kill her before the first tentacle smash, do so.
It’s a calculated risk that you’d have to decide to take during the moment. Illaoi’s tentacle smash restores her HP.
If she grabs your soul using her E when her ult is down, take the opportunity to attack her. Do NOT do so if her ult is up.
Tips for beating Illaoi as Darius:
- Learn how to dodge her tentacles, which nullifies a lot of her damage.
- Try to keep minions between you and her; she’ll have a hard time landing her soul grab. If Illaoi DOES get your soul, try to use your pull to grab her. DO NOT stand in one spot and auto-attack her (move around). If you stay stationary, you risk a bunch of tentacles damaging.
- Get boots of swiftness, right before or right after Black Cleaver. The movement speed + slow resistance + speed passive of phage will help a lot. Once you combine these with Deadman’s Plate, you should be able to beat Illaoi.
- Don’t overcommit to trades; Darius excels at long trades, but Illaoi is better at the early stages. Take small trades, out sustain her (Q heal + Grasp of the Undying), and let her push to your tower. If she is under your tower, ask your jungler for a gank, she has no escape abilities.
How To Beat Darius As Illaoi?
As Illaoi, beating Darius depends on how well you farm and avoid pre-level six engagements. Darius mains tend to go for movement speed items like Phage, Ghost, and Boots. Play as safe as possible to prevent pokes, and his all-in engages.
Try to land your E and deal some damage (especially if tentacles are nearby). But, disengage if he tries to attack you while you attack his soul.
Illaoi and Darius are both excellent at drawn-out trades. But, it is best to avoid these as it can go either way, and the risk is not worth it. Once you have your ultimate, grab his soul and land your ult when he tries to engage you.
References
- Darius countering Illaoi: Counter Picking Stats for Illaoi | CounterStats
- Illaoi vs Darius Tips | Reddit
- How does one lane against Illaoi as Darius? | League of Legends Boards (NA)
- Darius vs Illaoi (TOP) (Video)
Teemo vs Illaoi
Teemo vs. Illaoi: Teemo can harass Illaoi in the lane while staying out of her range. Teemo’s blind negates the Illaoi’s melee damage. More so, when she uses the Test of Spirit (E). He also has the movement speed to kite her while his shrooms slow and damage her.
How To Beat Illaoi as Teemo?
To counter Illaoi when playing Teemo, keep moving to avoid her tentacle slams. Teemo has the range and abilities to poke Illaoi and render her useless.
Use Teemo’s empowered basic attacks (E) to deal damage over time. Use his Q to prevent Illaoi from last hitting minions and to negate her damage when she uses the Test of Spirit.
At level 6, set up mushrooms in strategic places to help kite her while slowing and dealing damage over time. Never fight Illaoi when she uses her ultimate. If she does, move away from her and wait until it is over.
Being a ranged champion, he can destroy her tentacles and stay out of Illaoi’s Harsh Lesson (W) range. His passive movement speed (W) allows him to kite/run away.
In a 1v1 fight where Illaoi lands Test of Spirit, Teemo can blind Illaoi and deal damage. His Toxic Shot (E) can deal damage over time. Thus, while Illaoi is focusing on his spirit, he can peel.
Reasons why Teemo counters Illaoi:
- Teemo is a ranged and AP champion.
- Teemo is faster than Illaoi.
- Teemo has better zone control.
- Teemo has a blind which counters any Illaoi’s melee attacks.
How To Beat Teemo as Illaoi?
As Illaoi, you are already at a disadvantage versus Teemo. Your goal is to farm as much as possible and build early magic resist items. Oracle’s Lens and Control Wards are essential to counter Teemo. Both reveal his wards and mushrooms. Oracle’s Lens also shows Teemo’s location when he is in stealth.
Try to land Test of Spirit with 2 or 3 tentacles nearby. If it connects, use your combo to deal as much damage to him. But, landing your abilities on a Teemo is difficult as a good summoner knows that he has the movement speed to flee. Call for ganks to get an advantage.
Try to max your Q and use it to clear minion waves. Buy Mercury’s Treads and Spirit Visage to negate his magic damage. A tank build will be more beneficial for your team in the late game.
References
- Teemo vs Illaoi | League of Legends Forum (NA)
- What to do against Teemo as Illaoi | Reddit
- Illaoi countering Teemo: Counter Picking Stats | CounterStats
- Teemo vs Illaoi (Video)
- How do I beat Teemo as Illaoi?| Reddit
Jax vs Illaoi
In a Jax vs. Illaoi lane, the key to winning as Jax is to dodge her tentacles and Test of Spirit (E). Destroying Illaoi’s tentacles and retreating when she uses her ult also sets her back. As Illaoi, it’s vital that you land your tentacle hits (Q, W) and to land Test of Spirit. Your abilities allow you to poke and harass Jax without getting in range of his basic attacks.
In the end, it’s all about which summoner is more skilled. If Jax can dodge Illaoi’s abilities, then he can go all in once they are on cooldown. But, if Illaoi can land her skills and trap Jax in her E, W, R combo, then there’s nothing to save Jax except for Flash.
How To Beat Illaoi as Jax?
As Jax, the best way to beat Illaoi is to fight her before she reaches level 6. To do this, use a corrupting potion when you plan to attack. Not only will you damage her with your basic attacks, but the potion deals damage over time.
Use your Leap Strike (Q) and Counter-Strike (E) as escapes. Jax’s E can negate some of the damage dealt by Illaoi’s Test of Spirit (E). The key to defeating Illaoi is dodging her E and tentacle strikes. Once those are on cooldown, Jax can trade with her (pre-level 6).
Never fight her when she activates her ultimate. Back away and wait for it to go on cooldown. Once her ult is on cooldown and you destroy her tentacles, happens, Jax can use the opportunity to engage.
How To Beat Jax as Illaoi?
Illaoi has the advantage in a matchup vs. Jax. Use her Tentacle Slam (Q) to damage Jax and heal yourself. Landing it is crucial as it helps you sustain. Jax has no sustainabilities. If Jax uses Leap Strike (Q) to engage, use the Test of Spirit (E) to counter. If there are tentacles nearby, use them to damage him. If you have your ult, use your E and pop your ult to engage hard if he engages.
References
- How do you lane vs Illaoi as Jax? | Reddit
- Jax vs Illaoi | League of Legends Forums (NA)
- Jax countering Illaoi: Counter Picking Stats
- Jax Top vs Illaoi (Video)
Garen vs Illaoi
In a Garen vs. Illaoi matchup, save Garen’s Q for silencing Illaoi and preventing her from using her tentacles.
Use Garen’s E to spin into Illaoi and use the speed buff from his Q to kite or dodge her Q.
How To Beat Illaoi As Garen?
The key to winning is to dodge her tentacles. Even if Illaoi manages to land the Test of Spirit (E), you can use your E to damage her and your Q to silence her. Which, in turn, reduces the damage and duration of her ability.
Building a Bramble vest or Thornmail helps reduce her healing and gives you armor. Never fight her while her ultimate is active.
References
- How do you beat Illaoi as Garen? | League of Legends Forums (NA)
- Garen vs. Illaoi: Top Lane Match-up | Reddit
- GAREN vs ILLAOI (TOP) – Video
