Laning as Illaoi: when to trade and when to wait
Wave management and trading windows for Illaoi, built from its real range, resource and ability costs.
What your range lets you do
At 125 attack range Illaoi has to walk into damage to deal it, so every trade begins with a decision about whether you can afford the walk.
Illaoi is mana-gated, which is the real limit on how often you can contest a wave early.
The costs that decide how often you can contest
Prophet of an Elder God
Illaoi and the Vessels she creates spawn Tentacles on nearby impassible terrain. Tentacles swing at spirits, Vessels, and victims of Illaoi's Harsh lesson. Tentacles deal physical damage to enemies hit, and will heal Illaoi if they damage a champion.
Tentacle Smash
Increases the damage dealt by Tentacles. When activated, Illaoi smashes down a Tentacle that deals physical damage.
Harsh Lesson
Illaoi leaps to her target, dealing physical damage and causing nearby Tentacles to also swing at the target.
Test of Spirit
Illaoi rips the spirit from a foe's body, forcing it to stand before her. Spirits echo a percentage of the damage they take to the original target. If killed, or if the target gets too far from the spirit, the target will become a Vessel and begin spawning Tentacles.
Leap of Faith
Illaoi smashes her idol into the ground, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies. A Tentacle spawns for each enemy champion hit.
The wave decides the trade
Trades are won by the wave before they are won by the champion. Standing in the larger minion wave means taking chip damage for every second the exchange lasts.
Illaoi wants to trade repeatedly, survive the return damage, and win the third exchange rather than the first, so the good window is the one where the wave is not helping them and your key cooldown is up.
Recall timing
Backing on a shoved wave is free. Backing on a wave crashing into your own tower costs you the next two minutes. It is the most transferable habit in the game and the one that moves a smurf's MMR fastest.
Riot's own notes on playing Illaoi
These are the designers' words, not ours — the tips shipped in the client for Illaoi.
- Tentacles are an immense source of power. Don't fight without them.
- Spirits inherit their target's current health. If making a
- Vessel
- is your goal, try whittling your opponent's health down a bit first to make killing the spirit easier.
- Leap of Faith is best used to follow-up a strong engage or when being engaged upon. Be careful about being the first one into a fight.
What the stat line does between level 1 and 18
| Stat | Level 1 | Level 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 656 | 2611 |
| Attack damage | 65 | 65 |
| Armour | 35 | 120 |
| Magic resist | 32 | 66.9 |
Movement speed 350 and attack range 125 do not grow with levels — they are the two numbers that stay true all game.
Full Illaoi page — abilities, stats and every skin →