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Illaoi Counters: Who Beats Illaoi

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Illaoi counters are top laners who fight her from range, dodge Test of Spirit, and keep trades away from the walls where her Tentacles grow. She’s a 125-range fighter whose damage and healing come almost entirely from Tentacles spawning on nearby terrain.

The five below were picked by comparing kits on patch 26.21 ability text. We didn’t look at win rates.

Illaoi counters: Illaoi, the Kraken Priestess, splash art

How does Illaoi’s kit work?

  • Prophet of an Elder God (passive): Tentacles spawn on nearby impassable terrain and swing at spirits, at cursed targets and at victims of Harsh Lesson; their hits on champions heal her.
  • Tentacle Smash (Q): passively boosts Tentacle damage; active, a Tentacle slams down for physical damage. Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6.
  • Harsh Lesson (W): she leaps to her target and nearby Tentacles swing at it too. Cooldown 4.
  • Test of Spirit (E): pulls a foe’s spirit out in front of her; damage to it echoes to the owner, and killing it or walking too far from it curses the owner so Tentacles spawn around them. Cooldown 16/15/14/13/12.
  • Leap of Faith (R): an idol smash that damages nearby enemies and spawns a Tentacle for each enemy champion hit. Cooldown 120/95/70.

Everything runs through Tentacles. They grow from walls, they hit hard, and every hit on a champion heals Illaoi, so fighting her next to terrain means fighting several attackers at once. Test of Spirit is the scary part: it rips your spirit out, damage to it echoes onto you, and if you run too far, you get cursed and Tentacles start spawning around you as well. Where’s the weakness? Tentacles are slow, they need terrain, and Test of Spirit is a skillshot. Counters keep their distance, dodge the spirit grab, or simply don’t stand where the Tentacles can reach.

Which top laners are the best Illaoi counters?

Jayce

Jayce fights Illaoi from cannon range, outside every Tentacle she can grow. Shock Blast (Q, cannon) fires an orb that explodes on the first enemy hit, and through Acceleration Gate (E, cannon) it travels farther, faster and harder. Hyper Charge (W, cannon) maxes Attack Speed for several attacks. When she leaps in with Harsh Lesson, Thundering Blow (E, hammer) knocks her back out of her Tentacle zone. Mercury Cannon (R) swaps stances, with the first attack in each form lowering resistances or adding magic damage. Swaps also give speed (his passive). Honestly, she never gets to play the game she wants.

Kennen

Kennen has 550 range, and every spell he throws adds a Mark of the Storm; three marks stun. Thundering Shuriken (Q) is fast and long, Electrical Surge (W) adds marks on attacks and on activation, and Lightning Rush (E) turns him into lightning that passes through units and marks anything he touches, which also dodges Test of Spirit’s path. Slicing Maelstrom (R) strikes nearby enemy champions repeatedly. Is a stunned Illaoi dangerous? Not if the stun happens away from walls, because without terrain nearby there are no Tentacles to swing at Kennen while she stands there frozen and the shuriken marks keep stacking (Mark of the Storm is the whole plan).

Gnar

Gnar kites in mini form and stuns in mega form. Boomerang Throw (Q) slows and returns, and Hyper (W) adds damage and Move Speed as he keeps hitting, so mini Gnar stays out of Tentacle reach while chipping her. Hop (E) bounces off units to travel farther, a good way to dodge Test of Spirit. Rage Gene (passive) builds Rage in combat and turns him into Mega Gnar: Boulder Toss slows a group, Wallop stuns an area, and GNAR! (R) throws everything nearby in a direction, stunning anyone who hits a wall. Funny enough, her walls become his walls once he’s mega.

Gwen

Hallowed Mist (W) is the cleanest trick here: inside the mist, Gwen can only be targeted by enemies who also stand inside it, so a Test of Spirit thrown from outside doesn’t find her. Her passive scales each hit with Illaoi’s Health and heals Gwen off champions. Snip Snip! (Q) cuts several times in a cone with true damage at the center, and Skip ‘n Slash (E) hops in with extra Attack Speed and range. Needlework (R) slows from range across three casts. She also kills Tentacles quickly with her cone (they line up nicely for it). To be fair, Illaoi can still Harsh Lesson in after the mist ends.

Yone

Soul Unbound (E) sends Yone’s spirit out with Move Speed, then snaps it back to his body, repeating part of the damage dealt while separated. He can trade inside Tentacle range and return to safety before they all land. Mortal Steel (Q) thrusts in a line, and at two stacks dashes him forward with a knock-up. Spirit Cleave (W) shields him, more for each champion hit, and Fate Sealed (R) blinks behind the last champion in a line, pulling everyone hit toward him. Way of the Hunter (passive) adds magic damage on every second attack. Real talk, the dash out of Soul Unbound is how he dodges the spirit grab.

How should Illaoi counters play the lane?

  • Stay away from walls. Tentacles spawn only on nearby impassable terrain.
  • Dodge Test of Spirit. It’s a skillshot; behind a minion it hits the minion instead.
  • If your spirit is pulled, kill it or stay close. Walking too far from it or letting it die curses you.
  • Kill Tentacles. They heal her whenever they hit a champion.
  • Walk out of Leap of Faith. It spawns a Tentacle for each champion hit, so the fewer it hits, the better.

Which items help Illaoi counters?

Grievous Wounds and Armor. Tentacle hits on champions heal her, so Executioner’s Calling and later Chempunk Chainsword or Mortal Reminder cut that healing by 40%. Her damage is physical, so Plated Steelcaps and Thornmail both help; Thornmail’s Wounds apply when she attacks you. Death’s Dance spreads some damage over 3 seconds, which smooths out a Tentacle burst. Our League item reference has all the numbers.

When is Illaoi weakest?

Away from terrain. In open space Tentacles have nowhere to grow, and without them her damage and healing drop sharply. That’s why ranged top laners and kiters do well: they choose where the fight happens.

And after Test of Spirit misses. It’s 16 seconds at rank 1, and without a spirit or curse, Tentacles only target Harsh Lesson victims (for what it’s worth, a missed E is the best moment to trade). Can she still win an all-in? Yes, near a wall with Leap of Faith up.

New to top lane? Our League role guide explains it. Other champions are in our guides section, and her skins are on the Illaoi skins page. Put simply, Illaoi counters stay off the walls and dodge the spirit.

FAQ

Who counters Illaoi the most?

Top laners with range, kiting or a way to dodge Test of Spirit: Jayce, Kennen, Gnar, Gwen and Yone.

How do you deal with Illaoi’s E?

Dodge it or block it with a minion. If your spirit is pulled out, stay close to it and avoid letting it die, or you’ll be cursed and Tentacles will spawn around you.

Where do Illaoi’s Tentacles spawn?

On nearby impassable terrain, which is why fighting away from walls weakens her.

What is the cooldown of Leap of Faith?

By rank: 120, 95 and 70 seconds.

How were these Illaoi counters chosen?

Each pick had to fight her from range, dodge Test of Spirit, or keep trades away from her Tentacles, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates were not used.