@Ironstylus - Here's a thought: What if Irelia were to fill in the "living sword" niche?

What do I mean by that? Well, to give an analogy, I'd have to refer to the Murakumo Units from the Blazblue franchise.

nu-13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAbn8OL8RIU

mu-12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNylpd9kepA

Basically, they have hovering blades akin to Irelia, but basically they move as if their whole body is a weapon, not just their floating swords. You even see extra blades attached to their arms and legs and, in nu-13's case, she's even got one at the end of her ponytail. Yikes.

Essentially, I think Irelia being redesigned like a "living sword" would be freaking cool. Certainly more fun than what we have right now.