So how do I play Irelia?

farm until phage, shit on faces when they don't expect you to do dmg.

I typially wait till 6 to go all in but what you do is once you get lvl 3 just farm nd if they get close Q/E then activate W and aa them till they run. At 6 you can kill them if they try to engage if you position ur ult properly to go through winions for mar lifesteals

i think the answer to your question is : Yes

Level 6 is generally the change over point in lane. Have sheen and phage by 6 or 7, win. She can fire her R 4 times - each one procs Sheen. No level 6 champ can generally win vs that unless you get insanely outplayed. Well, maybe Darius because Darius can take a giant dump on any melee champ... maybe if you beat him to 6... but that's almost impossible to do without multiple successful ganks.

Run up, pop W and smack them - or use Q on a minion near them that will kill with it so it refreshes. The extra move speed from phage will make it almost impossible for someone to run from you. Fire a Q, AA to proc Sheen. Wait to use E until the enemy uses their Ult or big damage move to get the stun off. If they flash, use Q. Keep proccing Sheen using Rs until they're dead. If you have ignite it makes it even more of a sure kill.

Really, just Sheen is required but Phage is generally a better first buy if you're being harassed.

Also, Flask is you're friend versus almost anyone top lane. Flask + 3 pots is a great start. If you're seeing a ton of harass, a Doran's shield is a great first buy. Between Doran's and flask, you can take almost any amount of harass and be ok, especially if you max W 1st and just get the last hits using Q.

Basically, survive until 6. Get ult, get Sheen, win. Except against Darius. And Wukong... those two champs are pretty horrifying for any melee. Still, knowledge of their skills and smart play can still win vs. them. Learn to use Q to last hit under tower. That's pretty much it.

I don't play much ranked so I could be really off-base here, but I'd definitely say it depends. Play careful, and just punish them if they're unaware of Irelia's deceptiveness (most of the time if you're in range to land an E stun, you can defeat an enemy with greater %max HP than you, assuming you're relatively close in %max hp, like you at 25% and them at 30%)

sheen powerspike at level 6 is absurd. just play safe until then unless they're playing super dumb.

If you cant win your lane dont try to. Some people have mentioned darius and wukong, however the biggest threat (if he isnt an idiot) is nasus since his wither basically destroys your entire kit, The set up they say is right, try to save Q for their escape if you can stun them instead. Bushes are your friends, wait in a lane bush if you can make em think you left and it makes it super easy (but thats how it is with most champs) Its all about analyzing the situation. Can you stun? if yes second question is how much hp difference is there. Unless you are destroying them if there is more then a 1/3 max hp gap then its probably a bad idea to engage but you can use the stun as harass if you dont feel like a trade would go in your favor. Minion waves are your friend with irelia's ultimate, the amount you regen is insane if its more then 1 wave of minions pushing. sometimes you achieve more by hitting the minion wave and healing then hitting your opponent with your ultimate (best case senario is to hit them and the wave obviously) You can win lane as irelia pre lv 6 if you know what you are doing vs your opponent. Some opponents you want to try and squish them pre lv 6 others you want to wait till after lv 6 It takes patience to learn the ins and outs of irelia knowing when to engage and when not to engage,