Although Irelia was just added to Teamfight Tactics in season 6.5, she has quickly demonstrated her incredible damage potential in the current meta. With her skill, Blade Surge, which allows both target engagement and significant damage, Irelia is truly a nightmare for compositions with many backline units. So how can we maximize Irelia’s power? Let’s find out.
Essentially, the composition we’re aiming for will be the Recycle – Idol team with Irelia as the main carry. With the substantial shields from the Recycle trait and a strong buff for Irelia standing in the Idol position, this champion can deal massive damage in most matches. Additionally, with support from Ekko, Irelia’s attack speed is also quite high, so this champion won’t be lacking in energy.
To start with this composition, you should select the basic Innovator team with Ezreal, Zilean, and Singed. Blitzcrank is also a very strong choice at this stage as it helps you quickly take down a target on the opponent’s side and activate the 2 Recycle threshold. The advice here is to build early attack items for Ezreal as he is an excellent unit to hold equipment for Irelia.
In the mid-game stage, you should pay attention and buy important 3-cost units like Senna or Gnar to activate the Idol effect. If the Idol position is in the backline, it is the perfect spot for Ezreal, allowing this unit to deal tremendous damage. If the Idol position is at the front, you shouldn’t be too upset as Gnar can stand there and deal decent damage, and it’s also a suitable position to place Irelia in the later stages.
Moving towards the late game stage, what you need to do is obtain Irelia as soon as possible. This is the main damage dealer of the composition, so it is essential to upgrade her to 2 stars as quickly as possible. Other high-value units such as Seraphine and Braum should also be invested in by players as they provide very useful healing and crowd control capabilities.
In terms of technology upgrades, enhancements like Recycle Core or Long Blade are best suited for this composition as they help Irelia deal effective damage and provide the team with more items. Additionally, support cores for the Idol system such as Duality with the Idol, Idol Spirit, or Radiant Aura are also incredibly useful in the late game. If you can assemble the Assassin Emblem or acquire it from a technology core, the advice is to give it to Irelia.
For item builds, Infinity Edge, Bow of the Blue, and Quicksilver are top priorities for Irelia. If you can acquire the Mystic Cloak core, you can skip Quicksilver and add a healing item like Bloodthirster instead. In cases where you have the Assassin Emblem, you might consider not building the Bow of the Blue anymore, as backline units usually don’t have a large amount of armor.