any other illaoi players started rushing deaths dance over cleaver?
i like the 70 ad and sustain you get over cleaver with the hp/ad changes, meaning its better to pick it up later, as generally people will pick characters with poke against illaoi, not all-ins most of the time.
of course you should** still buy black cleaver** but I think deaths dance offers more of what illaoi would want currently as a first item, even though it's very expensive
(incase you're not sure off the top of your head 3,500 < 3,000

my core usually goes something along of the lines of
If they're ap, otherwise replace visage for
as a second item. If I get a lead after
I actually go straight into

followed into
depending on which damage type if more threatening.
sorry if this jumbled mess is a bit hard to read.