Irelia arrived in Teamfight Tactics set 6.5 on Sunday. In TFT: Neon Nights, Irelia is a four-cost Scrap Striker and her Bladesurge ability makes her one of the premier AD burst champions in the entire game. Through a mix of analysis by Upcomer’s TFT expert and data from API sites like Metatft.com, Upcomer has brought players an Irelia TFT guide that goes over what the best Irelia items, comps and positioning looks like.
Item Build
Irelia is a special melee carry champion because she does burst damage instead of constant sustained damage. Because of that, she wants to have a front-load of raw damage so she can land resets. However, because she is a melee champion she also needs survivability. Since that is the case, she has four S-tier items that players should look to always build on her.
Bloodthirster at first glance is the best item as it gives her the survivability she needs. However, thanks to the Socialite package, players can actually just go full damage. If going this route than Infinity Edge, Giant Slayer and Last Whisper are her best in slot. Items in A-tier are good secondary or third items. Items in B-tier should be reserved for third items only. Irelia can also hold certain emblems well like Assassin and Hextech.
Positioning
Because the Socialite package is so strong, it is indeed worth placing Irelia wherever the Socialite hex is regardless of her being a melee champion. This is because she has burst damage that can potentially one-shot any champion, making the time she needs to walk up to the frontline irrelevant. Obviously, in ideal cases, she would be in the first two rows so she can do her damage quickly.
Best Comps
In the current metagame, Irelia is best paired with a mix of Socialite and Scrap champions. This is because the Socialite bonus gives her extra damage but more importantly, extra healing which can allow Irelia to go full damage. The Scrap champions are good to give Irelia and the rest of the comp added durability which buys time for Irelia to get resets off.
