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Irelia is one of the few champions in League of Legends who can single-handedly take over a game. She has a kit tailored towards brute-forcing enemies with raw power and cutting them down through sheer physical damage.
Her mobility, ability to lock enemies in place, and passive make Irelia one of the strongest bruisers in League of Legends. As a result, most players are often too scared to face Irelia in the lane.
However, the reality is that Irelia is quite easily countered as long as users know the right match-up. In this article, five such champions have been listed who can counter Irelia and make her laning phase miserable and destroy any form of impact she wishes to have for the rest of the match.
Every counter to Irelia that League of Legends gamers should consider
1) Tryndamere
Irelia is someone who loves to go head-to-head against most opposition champions. However, Tryndamere is someone who has the capability to beat Irelia at her own game.
This is mainly because Tryndamere is much easier to play compared to Irelia. The former can win a fight simply by right-clicking his enemies, while the latter needs to perfectly land her combos to dish out the damage.
As a result, if Irelia tries to go all-in on Tryndamere, he can flash out or use his E to dodge her. If Irelia misses her combo by any chance, she will become a sitting duck.
Once that happens, Tryndamere can launch a counter. If things get dicey, he can pop his ultimate (gives him invulnerability for a few seconds) and cut Irelia down without breaking any sweat.
2) Volibear
Irelia is a strong champion, but early in the game, she is absolutely nothing. She needs farm and at least two items ready to get strong enough to carry. However, if she faces a Volibear in the lane, achieving that second item can become an issue.
This is because, in the early game, Volibear is a monster. He is exceptionally tanky, can stun-lock enemies, and deal massive damage. Irelia’s health bar can melt the moment Volibear goes all-in on her.
Facing a Volibear in the lane often forces Irelia to play safe, significantly damaging her laning phase.
3) Jax
Irelia does not enjoy her laning phase when champions start beating her in a fistfight. The problem is that Jax does precisely that, making him one of the most robust counters to Iirelia.
Jax has an ability where he can consistently dodge all incoming attacks and then land a counter which ends up stunning the enemy. Apart from that, Jax's ultimate provides him with additional armor and magic resistance.
These two skills combined make it difficult for Irelia to go head-to-head against Jax. If Irelia tries to fight Jax early in the game, the chances are the former will come out on the losing side.
Once that happens, and Jax gets 2 or 3 kills over Irelia in the lane, the game is pretty much over as the latter cannot recover against this match-up.
4) Gangplank
Gangplank is one of those champions against whom Irelia will always be afraid to go all in. This is primarily because of Gangplank's third ability, Powder Keg. When used, he will basically put an explosive barrel on the ground.
If Gangplank shoots this barrel, it will explode and damage any enemy caught near the same. The fun factor is that if Gangplank goes for barrel damage builds, he can one-shot Irelia.
Apart from that, even in the lane, Irelia will struggle to keep her health pool intact as Gangplank can consistently harass her by exploding the barrels on her face.
5) Darius
The last champion to make this list is none other than one of the best fighter champions in the game, Darius. He feels so strong against Irelia mainly because of his passive ability, Hemorrhage.
This ability causes enemies to bleed and can stack a total of 5 times. Darius gains massive attack damage at full-stack, which can hit like a truck. The fact is that this passive ability is much easier to use than Irelia's passive, making it easier for Darius to trade hits better.
Besides that, Darius can also use his E ability to pull Irelia closer if she tries to run away.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
