Champion Stats
| Role | Fighter / Tank |
| Difficulty | |
| Blue Essence | 1575 BE |
Why High-Elo Players Smurf with Illaoi
Low elo players fight inside Illaoi's ultimate. This is the cardinal sin. Rule #1 of League: When Illaoi presses R, WALK AWAY. But they don't. They see a giant health bar and think 'free kill', only to be destroyed by four tentacles slamming simultaneously every second. They also cannot consistently dodge her E (Test of Spirit), which pulls out their soul and makes them take 60% of all damage dealt to the spirit. A smurf lands E consistently to make the lane completely unplayable—if you pull their spirit, they have to either fight you (and lose) or run away and become a Vessel that spawns hostile tentacles for 12 seconds.
The Level 1 Cheese
First Blood Strategy
Start Q (Tentacle Smash). Before minions spawn, walk around the lane planting tentacles on every nearby wall with your passive. Position yourself between two tentacles so that when you fight, both will slam your target. Most players don't realize how much damage tentacles do at Level 1. When the enemy walks up to contest the wave, Q them and watch both wall tentacles slam them for free. You can easily chunk them for 30-40% HP before Level 2. You are significantly stronger than you look when surrounded by your own tentacles.
The 'Pay-to-Win' Skin Advantage
'Snow Moon Illaoi' is crisp. 'Cosmic Invoker' is flashy. 'Resistance Illaoi' is cool. Default sounds are heavy.
When They Ban Illaoi
Backup Pick: If Illaoi is banned,
Yorick for the summoner style.
Darius for the 1v2.
Mordekaiser for the isolation.
Rune Setup
Best Runes: Conqueror (Healing) or Grasp (Trading). Presence of Mind is mandatory (mana issues). Last Stand is key for turnarounds. Secondary Resolve (Demolish) or Inspiration.
Skill Priority
Order:
E → Q → WMax E first for the spirit duration and damage transfer. Q second. W last.
Mastering Illaoi's Kit
Tentacle Smash. Slams a tentacle forward. Passive increases slam damage.
Harsh Lesson. Leap attack. Causes all nearby tentacles to slam the target.
Test of Spirit. Pulls spirit from enemy. Damage to spirit echoes to champion. Killing spirit makes them a Vessel (Tentacles spawn and slam them).
Leap of Faith. Slams ground. Spawns a Tentacle for every enemy champion hit (and Spirit!). W cooldown reduced to 2s. Tentacles slam faster.
Matchup Tips
Vs Yorick
Hard Counter. Ghouls block E skillshot. His wall traps you. Dodge.
Vs Mordekaiser
Skill. His R removes your tentacles (Realm swap). Ult AFTER he ults.
Easy. E him when he Qs. You out-damage him hard.
The Ego Check
WARNING: Stop fighting without landing E first! If you miss E (Test of Spirit), you lose approximately 50% of your damage potential and should immediately disengage. Don't commit to an all-in if you've missed E unless there are multiple enemies on top of you and you're about to ult. Also, DON'T FIGHT IN THE RIVER OR JUNGLE! Illaoi's power is entirely based on having tentacles nearby, which only spawn on walls. Fighting in the middle of the river or an open jungle clearing means you have zero passive tentacles and will lose fights you should win. Always path near walls and position fights around your tentacles.
When to Queue Dodge
Dodge Yorick or Tryndamere. Yorick ghouls block your E. Tryndamere doesn't die. Also ranged tops like Vayne.
Teamfight Role
In teamfights, you don't engage. You let them engage on you. Land E on a frontline. When they dive, press R. Mash W to slam repeatedly. Q to hit multiple people. You are a raid boss. If they run, don't chase. You have no CC.
The 'Disrespect' Build
Duskblade Illaoi (if item exists/Lethality). Your tentacles scale with massive AD ratios. One slam deals 1000 damage. Usually Iceborn Gauntlet is better for slow.
Power Windows
Level 6. E Max (Level 9). Black Cleaver/Iceborn completion.
Tilt Factor
Pulling their soul (E) and killing it while they watch helplessly under tower. 1v3ing a gank and typing '?'.
Recent Patch History
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
| V14.4 | Feb 22, 2024 | NERF | P nerfed, E nerfed |
| V14.3 | Feb 7, 2024 | NERF | P adjusted, W buffed |
| V14.2 | Jan 24, 2024 | BUFF | P buffed, Base stats buffed |
| V13.20 | Oct 11, 2023 | ADJUST | E nerfed |
| V12.15 | Aug 10, 2022 | ADJUST | E adjusted |
Safety Tips
Safety isn't an accident. It's a deliberate process. By the time you log in, the account is already 'cleared' by Riot's systems.
