# Illaoi Counters, Matchups & Tips | Baron Buff
See Illaoi counters, hardest matchups, and tips to play against or draft around Illaoi in League of Legends.
Canonical HTML: https://baronbuff.com/champions/illaoi/
Markdown URL: https://baronbuff.com/champions/illaoi.md
Language: en
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## Page Content

Juggernaut · Juggernaut · Top

Prepare for battle with Illaoi — master their strengths and exploit their weaknesses before the game starts.

## Playstyle Profile

Illaoi is a frontline juggernaut — dominates melee range and punishes anyone who steps too close

Teamfight Role Juggernaut Frontline

Power Spike Mid game

Split Threat None

Backline Access Low

## Illaoi's Strengths

- Dominates close-range fights — Illaoi shreds through anything that stays in melee range

## How to Play Illaoi

Champion-specific pre-match tips

### Lane Phase

Position near terrain where your passive has already spawned tentacles before initiating a trade with your W.

### Lane Phase

Hold your E until the enemy steps outside the minion wave, as missing it leaves you defenseless against all-ins for its entire cooldown.

### Lane Phase

Aim your Q to strike both the enemy champion and the caster minions simultaneously to maintain push priority and sustain your health.

### Mid Game

Push side waves past the river to draw multiple enemies, but only cast your ult after successfully pulling a spirit with E to guarantee an extra tentacle spawn.

### Mid Game

Arrive at neutral objectives one minute before they spawn so your passive has enough time to generate a defensive perimeter of tentacles around the pit.

### Mid Game

Throw your E at defenders while sieging towers to force them off the minion wave or chunk their health through the pulled spirit.

### Late Game

Cast your ult and immediately Flash into grouped enemies during major teamfights to bypass your lack of mobility and instantly spawn maximum tentacles.

### Late Game

Force teamfights inside narrow jungle paths or objective pits where enemies cannot easily sidestep your E or walk out of your tentacle slam range.

### Late Game

Spam your W continuously on the closest target while your ult is active to trigger rapid tentacle slams and maximize your healing.

For matchup-tailored tips, download Baron Buff's AI Coach & Companion App.

## Core Build

Ranked from real ranked-match itemization

We look at ranked games after each item was bought. If the player or team gained ground in gold, we rate that item higher.

- Black Cleaver — 3,000

- Mercury's Treads (Boots) — 1,250

- Overlord's Bloodmail — 3,300

- Bloodthirster — 3,400

- Spear of Shojin — 3,100

- Titanic Hydra — 3,300

total: 17,350

## How to Counter Illaoi

Counter strategies and draft context

deny access, disengage, or apply pressure from range

- Easily kited from range — Illaoi dominates melee but struggles to close distance without help

- Early aggression that denies farm and forces a lead before item spikes

- Split-map strategies that avoid grouped fights where juggernauts thrive

- Burst-heavy compositions that kill before sustain and resistances matter

### Illaoi's Weaknesses

- Ranged kiting compositions — Illaoi gets kited without allied CC to lock targets in melee range

## Best Synergies with Illaoi

Team synergies and draft context

- Speed-up or gap-close enablers that help Illaoi reach fights — closing distance is their biggest challenge

- Mixed damage compositions that prevent enemies from stacking one resistance type

- Split-push allies that force enemies into awkward map rotations

- AOE wombo-combo setups that group enemies for devastating melee damage

### Draft Context

- Picks all melee with no ranged damage — enemies kite Illaoi and the whole team for free

## Learning Curve

[Based on 1.2M+ matches](https://baronbuff.com/blog/mastery_by_tier/) across all ranked elos, showing how Illaoi's win rate changes with mastery level

Illaoi has a typical skill ceiling, but getting results takes patience. Expect lower win rates early while building the experience to unlock this champion's potential.

Skill Cap Medium

Cost of Learning High

Win Rate Delta by Mastery

Mastery Level | Win Rate |

1-2 | 40.2% |

3-4 | 49.0% |

5-6 * | 53.2% |

7-8 | 53.2% |

9-12 | 53.2% |

13-16 | 53.2% |

17+ | 53.2% |

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