PSA: Junglers, if an Illaoi is pushing top, gank her pre 6!

ValyrianBlade··6 votes·507 views

I don't understand why every game I play melee vs Illaoi, I'm fine in lane until I either get ganked or have to otherwise base when she doesn't and she pushes the wave in. Once she has it pushed, she gets free harass and endless grabs under tower (so you can't even CS under tower).

So why is it, that with an illaoi permanently pushed pre-6 for 10minutes, no escapes, not yet tanky, and no ult, does every jungler still completely ignore her?

It's one of the easiest ganks in the game, and it changes your top laner from a sitting duck getting under 40% CS to someone that can actually be relevant...

Like, the champion is not broken. Even once she has ult she's easily gank-able (come behind her, bait her ult, use your mobility ability to get away, then come back 10sec later...). And even if you don't get the kill on her, simply forcing her off of your tower makes the lane even again. Like I said, it's EASY to lane against Illaoi (even as melee) when she's not pushed in to your tower. You can use minions to intercept her grabs. You can dodge everything else. It's only once she somehow has you pushed in (which inevitably will happen eventually because she has good pushing power and a simple gank will push you back even if you don't use any summoners) and she's suddenly harassing you constantly under tower if you try to last hit at all, and clearing each new wave as soon as it arrives.

So please junglers, take advantage of her immobility. Take advantage of her being without ult. Take advantage of her being perma-pushed to tower for 10min... let your top laner actually play league of legends and not dodge the tentacle all game long...

5 Comments

TTK Dreadnought2 votes

actually. Once illaoi is level 3 she can still do a 2v1 if they play it right.

Astôlfo2 votes

Eh, that requires her to land her E between a few spawned tentacles, or them to be just dumb enough to continually duel her in a place with multiple tentacle spawns.

ValyrianBlade1 votes

{quoted}

actually. Once illaoi is level 3 she can still do a 2v1 if they play it right.

Not under tower at least... which means the gank will still accomplish the goal of making her back the hell up and give me a non-pushed lane to easily farm in again.

E.g. As J4 as I can clear the caster minions with a Q then E (so I don't dash). The melees I can hit behind the safety of my own melees. I can keep the wave from pushing against me as long as I'm there, and have no problem keeping even in lane. Only issue is once I'm forced to back (e.g. from a gank) and she has me pushed, I now have to clear waves under tower without allied minions. That's where Illaoi is strong. Illaoi is all about establishing a zone of control. If that zone is not even halfway through the lane, she's no threat. When her control zone is YOUR tower, she's a nightmare.

Astôlfo1 votes

Because people don't like to use their brain when it comes to playing against a champion that requires a different counterplay method from normal toplaners.

But yeah, Level 7 Illaoi main here. Abusing her pre-6 in ganks is the easiest way to get a lead over her.

After 6 is still fully possible, you just have to dodge the E. Bait her ult, back out of it, pin her against your tower and the two of you, proceed to CC and kill her outside of the range of her ult pit.

Weathered1 votes

Better PSA to junglers is that if there is an immobile top laner pushing top, look to gank. Not just Illaoi :P

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