A Master guide to climbing with Socialite Irelia in TFT Set 6.5

The metagame is starting to stabilize in the Teamfight Tactics: Gizmos and Gadgets expansion and one of the premier comps for TFT Set 6.5 is the Socialite Irelia. In this guide, Upcomer’s TFT expert and 17-time Master ranked player will give players everything they need to know in order to climb up the ranked ladder with one of the strongest compositions in the game.

Overview: Win condition and how to play

This comp plays around one of the most powerful hyper-carry champions in the history of TFT: Irelia, a four-cost Scrap Striker with a devastating ability. Her Bladesurge does a ton of damage, and if she kills someone with it, she gets her mana refunded and dashes towards the lowest health enemy champion.

This creates scenarios where she can just kill the entire team in a blink of an eye. But as a melee damage dealer, keeping her healthy enough to get resets and making sure she has enough damage to do so is the primary goal. That’s where the Socialite trait comes in.

The Socialite trait gives Irelia everything she could ever dream of. She gets built-in healing, bonus damage and extra mana to keep the one-shot attempts coming. In this comp, players will want to pack Irelia with damage items while having a supporting cast that can keep enemies off of her while also buying enough time to 1v9 boards.

Early-game: Stage 2 and 3

When playing Socialite Irelia in the early game, players will want to start with either Scrap or Innovators. Regardless of which opener a player picks, Ezreal will be the primary item holder until you find Irelia.

Ezreal is perfect for this as he uses Irelia’s items well and is both a Scrap and Innovator champion. The path a player should pick is up to the champions they find. If players find early Singed and Zilean, then go down the Innovator path. If players find early Blitzcrank and Ekko, then go for Scrap.

In Stage 2 and 3, just play the strongest board while hitting econ thresholds and avoid rolling. Item priority on the carousel should be swords, bows and gloves. Players should also be hitting level 6 at 3-2. If rich, level to 7 at 3-5. Hold onto socialite champions like Gnar, Senna and, if players get lucky, Seraphine.

Mid-game: Stage 4

At the start of stage 4, players need to start making a transition to their final comp. If players are healthy, consider sacrificing a little bit of HP in order to go to level 8 at either 4-2 or 4-5. If not, roll some gold to stabilize your board and then proceed to go to level 8 at 4-5 or 5-1. At either point, players should all in and roll for their late-game board. Continue rolling gold until the board is completely upgraded.

Late-Game: Stage 5 and beyond

At the start of Stage 5, if players haven’t done so already, they need to go all-in at Level 8 in order to hit their end-game board. This board varies depending on the direction one is going.

If playing the Scrap version, then players will want a four Scrap champion core of Blitzcrank, Irelia, Ekko and Jinx. Ezreal can be the replacement for Jinx until you find her. To complement these champions, players will also want to throw in a Braum as a frontline champion alongside Blitzcrank. And of course, having three Socialite in is a must for Irelia. Once this comp is completed and upgraded, players can look to go for Level 9.

For players going down the Innovator route, the comp looks pretty different. Instead of the Scrap champions and Braum, players will want to field a frontline consisting of Jayce and Vi. This is because these two activate the Enforcer trait, which is among the strongest in the game. As for the fill-in champions, Zilean goes in as the third Innovator, and he pairs nicely with Orianna to activate the Clockwork trait and give Irelia increased attack speed. The strategy for getting there is same for this version of the comp. Keep rolling at Level 8 until the board is completely upgraded.

Once both comps hit Level 9, Silco can seal the deal on first-place finishes, as he can keep the rest of the team alive long enough for Irelia to run through everyone. Also, no matter what, always place Irelia on the spotlight hex — even if it means getting hit with a Zephyr or Shroud. Don’t worry, Irelia will still 1v9.