Illaoi has never been the most popular champion in League of Legends. You don’t see her too often in the top lane and she’s practically non-existent in the other roles.
But when Illaoi is in a game, she can easily carry it with her damage and tankiness.
This is also due to the fact that Illaoi, like many champions in League, deals both physical and magic damage. She uses her abilities and her auto-attacks while fighting, so the way to counter her is not always clear.
And so, here’s a quick guide on Illaoi’s damage.
Is Illaoi AP or AD in League of Legends?
Illaoi is an AD fighter in League of Legends that primarily deals physical damage. All of her abilities are technically physical damage but some of them have AP ratios too.
The best build for Illaoi consists of AD/bruiser items. And the best way to counter Illaoi is to build a lot of armor.
In other words, Illoai is just another AD top laner. And the only confusing thing about Illaoi is her passive which spawns tentacles.
And even though these tentacles deal physical damage, you can improve them with AP items too.
When you play Illaoi, any AD bruiser item would be a good fit. Players usually go for Divine Sundered, Goredrinker, Sterak’s Gage, or Death’s Dance – all items which improve Illaoi and synergize with her powers/playstyle.
And when you go against Ialloi, it’s best to build armor items such as Frozen Heart or Thornmail.
And don’t buy too many maximum HP items against Illaoi since her Q – Harsh Lessons does more damage to enemies with more maximum health.
Read Also: Full AP Rammus Build Guide
Is AP Illaoi Viable in Season 13?
If season 13 of League of Legends has proved anything it’s that you can almost play any champion with any item build.
The damage and the healing in the game are so high that builds like full AP Illaoi don’t seem too bad.
So, is AP Illaoi really viable?
Playing full AP Illaoi isn’t a viable build for ranked League of Legends. None of Illaoi’s abilities are magic damage and only her tentacles (passive) scale with 40% AP.
This doesn’t give you enough damage or survivability to carry a ranked game. However, AP Illaoi might be very fun in normal games.
Simply put, AP Illaoi in season 13 stinks. It doesn’t have the same potential as it had in the past. Honestly, I’ve only tried it once this year and it wasn’t really good.
AP Illaoi is definitely an interesting build to try out in casual games with your friends, especially with items like Lich Bane and Zhonya’s Hourglass. But 40% AP on only one passive ability isn’t enough this a God-tier champion build.
I found an interesting YouTube video of full AP Illaoi gameplay if you’re dedicated to making this build work. It’s definitely insightful.
Read Also: Volibear AP Build Guide
Is AD Illaoi Better than AP Illaoi?
AD Illaoi is better than AP Illaoi in every possible aspect. Illaoi with all physical damage/tanky items deals way more damage than any Ability Power item combination.
The AD build grants more survivability so Illaoi can stay longer in team fights. And the AP build only improves Illaoi’s tentacles.
Like I already mentioned, the AP Illaoi build isn’t strong enough so you could carry games in ranked solo queue. But if Riot Games ever change the scalings of Illaoi’s abilities, it could become better.
Conclusion
Illaoi is definitely a unique champion in League of Legends. Illaoi’s playstyle is interesting because she’s a fighter that deals most of her damage through these tentacles.
Her tentacles are a mechanic that Riot hasn’t really explored much. In my opinion, they should’ve been made as magic damage with higher scalings so we could play full AP Illaoi too.
However, I’d recommend you to stay with the AD damage build for Illaoi in season 13.
Read Also: Sion AP Build Guide
