Irelia's Current State

Riot, here me out.

I think, overall, the Irelia rework was a success. The new gameplay is more exciting, the higher skill ceiling lends for more expressive play, and the visuals are stunning.

BUT--and it's a big but--I'm at the point where even though she is one of my favorite champions, I hate to play her.

The OLD Irelia was a very strong bruiser in that she was a relentless off-tank who had a lot of hybrid damage on her auto attacks. If she could get close with a Bladesurge, she was a massive threat. However, the rework has put her much farther into the realm of an AD caster than an AA fighter. Her core identity as a playable character has changed.

But even that's okay.

The problem is this: The recent changes over the last few patches have tried to force her back into the role of an AA fighter when her kit no longer facilitates such a play style. Her new kit emphasizes the interactions between Bladesurge and the rest of her kit, meaning that her burst combo is really all she has as trading tools.

Numbers nerfs, I can understand to a point. No one with burst potential who isn't an assassin should be able to just steamroll over a fight (CHO'GATH). However, having some of the lowest base AD in top lane--especially when her best starting item is a Corrupting Potion--along with numbers nerfs, item reliance, and even going so far as to nerf the range of her abilities means that she just doesn't have trading power. Lanes that used to be skill matchups or even hard counters now overwhelm you for the majority of the game. Even once you get to three or four items, she doesn't have the damage to make an impact, nor does she have the survivability to be the AA fighter she's being forced back into. There's not a single time where playing her is a strategically viable move.

But I'm sure your numbers already show this. So what's the impact?

I MARATHONED Irelia after her rework dropped. I don't think I had even 10 games over the two weeks of her release patch where I played other champions. I was so enamored with her, and grinded to the point where I got two level seven tokens. Suffice to say, I practiced a LOT.

But with round after round of nerfs, on top of the hotfixes not 12 hours after her release, I don't have fun anymore. Losing every lane, transitioning into a midgame where I can't even play as a damage sponge, and seeing shorter and shorter games so I can't reach a late game power spike, I hate playing one of my favorite champions because I'm always behind. Even playing where I'm up two kills, I have to assume I'm behind my opponent because of how little I can do.

I tilt far more playing her than anything else, which feels all the worse because I want to play her. But fighting the uphill battle against the game's meta and the constant nerfing isn't worth the frustration.

I promise I'm not trying to just come across as a whining main. I actually main support, but Irelia made me WANT to learn top. But I can't have fun with her anymore and I'm back into a rut of playing the same things over and over because I don't want to just lose.

So please, PLEASE, give her some strength back. I just want to be able to have fun on one of my favorite champs again.