Hey guys! Today we're diving deep into the world of one of League of Legends' most iconic duelists, Irelia, the Blade Dancer. If you've ever wanted to feel like a true force of nature, weaving through enemies with unmatched grace and devastating speed, then you've come to the right place. We're talking about the Irelia attack speed build, a playstyle that focuses on maximizing her Bladesurge stacks and hitting those critical moments with blinding velocity. This build isn't just about going fast; it's about a calculated dance of death, empowering Irelia's already potent kit to its absolute limits. Get ready to learn how to dominate your lane, snowball your lead, and carry your team to victory with the ultimate Blade Dancer build.

Why Attack Speed is King for Irelia

So, why should you prioritize attack speed on Irelia? It boils down to her core passive, Ionian Fervor. Every time Irelia hits an enemy with an ability or basic attack, she gains a stack of Fervor, up to four stacks. At max Fervor, she gains bonus attack damage and magic damage on-hit, which scales with her attack speed. This means the faster she attacks, the quicker she stacks up her passive, and the more damage she deals. It's a beautiful synergy, right? But it doesn't stop there. Her Q, Bladesurge, is her primary mobility and damage tool. Each cast of Bladesurge applies on-hit effects, and critically, it refunds a portion of its cooldown if it kills a target. More attack speed means faster auto-attacks between Qs, allowing you to maintain pressure, stack your passive more consistently, and potentially chain Qs more effectively, especially in minion waves or teamfights where multiple targets are present. Irelia's attack speed isn't just a stat; it's the engine that drives her entire combat effectiveness. It allows her to proc Conqueror faster, sustain with Blade of the Ruined King, and generally feel more fluid and responsive in duels. Without sufficient attack speed, Irelia can feel clunky, her passive stacks might not be as potent, and her ability to chase down targets or escape tricky situations by chaining Qs is significantly hampered. Therefore, building into attack speed is crucial for unlocking her true potential as a carry and a duelist.

Core Items: The Foundation of Your Speed

When we talk about the Irelia attack speed build, a few items immediately spring to mind as the absolute cornerstone. These are the pieces that will define your early and mid-game power spikes and set you up for success. First and foremost, the Blade of the Ruined King (BotRK) is non-negotiable. This item is practically tailor-made for Irelia. It provides attack damage, attack speed, and lifesteal, all essential stats for her. The passive, which deals % current health damage on-hit, synergizes incredibly well with her rapid attacks, making her a menace in extended trades and against tankier opponents. Plus, the active slow is invaluable for sticking to targets or creating distance when needed. Following BotRK, Rageblade (Guinsoo's Rageblade) often becomes a critical component, especially if you're leaning heavily into on-hit effects and critical strike synergy. Rageblade converts your critical strike chance into on-hit magic damage and grants bonus on-hit damage per attack. This synergizes fantastically with BotRK and Irelia's passive, turning every auto-attack into a multi-layered threat. It amplifies both your physical and magic damage output significantly. Another crucial item, depending on the matchup and team compositions, is Wit's End. This provides attack speed, magic resist, and, crucially, on-hit magic damage that also grants you magic resist and health regeneration. It's phenomenal against teams with heavy magic damage threats and further boosts your overall damage output. Death's Dance is another strong contender, offering attack damage, ability haste, and a crucial passive that delays incoming damage, converting it into a bleed-over time, which can be life-saving when combined with her lifesteal and defensive capabilities. These items, when combined, create a terrifying synergy that allows Irelia to shred through champions and objectives alike, embodying the speed and ferocity of the Blade Dancer.

Boots: The Swift Path to Victory

Choosing the right boots can significantly impact your Irelia attack speed build, offering a crucial boost in mobility and combat effectiveness. For Irelia, the go-to choice most of the time is Berserker's Greaves. These boots provide a substantial amount of attack speed, which, as we've discussed, is fundamental to maximizing her passive and overall damage output. The faster you attack, the more damage you deal, the quicker you stack Fervor, and the more fluid your Bladesurge chains become. Berserker's Greaves directly feed into all of these strengths, making them an almost automatic pick in the vast majority of games. However, there are situations where other boot options might be considered, though they are less common for a pure attack-speed focused build. Plated Steelcaps can be a lifesaver against heavy AD teams or auto-attack reliant champions like Yasuo, Yone, or the enemy ADC. While they sacrifice attack speed for survivability, the damage reduction they offer can be game-changing in specific matchups, allowing you to survive crucial burst damage and still contribute effectively. Similarly, Mercury's Treads are your best friend against heavy AP threat or teams with a lot of crowd control (CC). The magic resist and tenacity they provide can prevent you from being locked down and bursted, allowing you to unleash your full damage potential. Tenacity is especially valuable for Irelia, as being CC'd is one of the quickest ways to die in League. Despite these alternatives, Berserker's Greaves remain the default and generally most effective choice for an Irelia attack speed build because they directly enhance her core damage-dealing capabilities. The decision often comes down to assessing the enemy team's threats: if they have overwhelming AD or auto-attackers, Steelcaps might be worth the trade-off. If AP burst or CC is the primary concern, Mercury's Treads offer crucial survivability. But in a vacuum, or when facing a balanced threat, the raw attack speed from Greaves is usually the path to maximizing Irelia's offensive pressure.

Situational Items: Adapting Your Dance

While core items form the backbone of the Irelia attack speed build, adapting your subsequent purchases based on the game state is what truly separates a good Irelia player from a great one. Let's talk about those crucial situational items that can turn the tide of battle. If the enemy team is stacking armor, Lord Dominik's Regards becomes an absolute must-buy after your core items. The armor penetration it provides is essential for slicing through even the most fortified tanks and bruisers. The bonus damage against targets with more maximum health than you also adds a significant punch, especially during your assassination attempts. On the flip side, if magic damage is proving to be a major hurdle and Wit's End isn't enough, Banshee's Veil offers a powerful spell shield that can negate crucial enemy abilities, giving you the window you need to engage or disengage safely. It also provides a healthy chunk of ability power, which, while not the primary focus, does add a bit of extra punch to your abilities. For more general survivability against mixed damage or when you need sustained healing in fights, Sterak's Gage is an excellent option. It provides a substantial shield when you drop low on health, effectively doubling your effective health pool for a short duration, and also grants tenacity. This can be a game-changer in prolonged teamfights where survival is key. If you find yourself needing more ability haste to reduce the cooldowns on your Q and E, allowing for more frequent engagements and disengages, items like Essence Reaver (which also provides AD and Crit) or even building into items that offer Ability Haste alongside other useful stats can be considered, though they often come at the cost of some raw attack speed or on-hit damage. Remember, the goal is to maintain that Irelia attack speed advantage while ensuring you have the necessary tools to survive and thrive against whatever the enemy throws at you. Don't be afraid to deviate from the standard build path if the situation calls for it; flexibility is key to mastering the Blade Dancer.

Runes: Powering Your Blades

Runes are the silent architects of your champion's potential, and for the Irelia attack speed build, we want runes that amplify her aggressive, dueling-focused playstyle. The undisputed king for Irelia's primary rune choice is Conqueror. This keystone is perfect for extended fights, which is exactly where Irelia excels. As you stack Conqueror with your auto-attacks and abilities, you gain increasing adaptive force (bonus AD or AP), and at max stacks, you heal for a percentage of your damage dealt. This synergy is phenomenal, as it enhances your damage output while simultaneously bolstering your sustain, allowing you to out-duel almost anyone. For the secondary tree, Domination is a popular and effective choice. Sudden Impact is fantastic, granting bonus lethality and magic penetration after using a dash ability like Bladesurge. This gives your subsequent attacks and abilities a significant damage boost. Eyeball Collection is also great for scaling, providing permanent adaptive force as you earn takedowns, further enhancing your damage. Alternatively, the Precision tree secondary can offer Triumph for crucial healing and gold on takedowns, and Legend: Alacrity for a substantial boost in attack speed, which is always welcome on Irelia. If you're running Conqueror as your primary, Legend: Alacrity might feel redundant, but if you opt for a different primary or want even more AS, it's a solid pick. Some players also explore the Resolve tree for secondary runes like Second Wind for lane sustain against poke-heavy matchups, or Bone Plating for added protection against burst. However, for the classic Irelia attack speed build, focusing on maximizing damage and snowball potential through Conqueror, Sudden Impact, and scaling runes like Eyeball Collection or Triumph/Legend: Alacrity usually provides the most consistent results. Remember to tailor your secondary runes slightly based on your lane opponent and the enemy team composition, but Conqueror remains the go-to keystone for unleashing Irelia's full potential.

Playstyle Tips: Dancing Through the Fight

Mastering the Irelia attack speed build isn't just about itemization and runes; it's about understanding how to pilot her effectively in the game. Your attack speed is your primary lever for success. Use it to stack your passive, Ionian Fervor, as quickly as possible before committing to a full engage. A four-stack passive provides a significant damage boost, making your initial burst much more potent. When laning, practice last-hitting minions with your Q, Bladesurge, especially when they are low health. Successfully executing a Bladesurge on a minion allows you to reposition or chain into another target, making you incredibly slippery and dangerous. This is crucial for setting up dives or escaping ganks. In teamfights, your role is often to find an opportune moment to engage. Wait for key enemy crowd control abilities to be used before diving in. Use your E, Flawless Duet, to stun priority targets, and then follow up with Qs and auto-attacks, weaving in your BotRK active or other item actives as needed. Remember that your Q refunds cooldown on kills, so try to prioritize lower-health targets to chain your mobility and stay alive. Irelia's attack speed allows you to proc Conqueror rapidly and maintain pressure, but don't get tunnel vision. Always be aware of your surroundings, your team's position, and the enemy's threats. If you're focused, use your mobility to dodge crucial abilities and look for opportunities to disengage if necessary. The faster you attack, the more chances you have to proc effects, heal, and dodge. Practice makes perfect, especially with Irelia's complex mechanics. Spend time in practice tool mastering your Q resets and understanding the breakpoints for your damage and sustain. With enough practice and the right Irelia attack speed build, you'll be dancing circles around your opponents in no time!

Conclusion: Unleash the Blade Dancer

So there you have it, guys! We've broken down the essential components of the Irelia attack speed build, from her core items like Blade of the Ruined King and Rageblade, to the crucial boots choice in Berserker's Greaves, and the adaptable nature of situational picks. We've explored how runes like Conqueror, Sudden Impact, and Eyeball Collection amplify her strengths, and touched upon the playstyle nuances required to truly master the Blade Dancer. Remember, Irelia's attack speed is the key that unlocks her potential, allowing her passive to shine, her Q to become a true menace, and her dueling power to become unmatched. By focusing on these elements, adapting to the game's flow, and putting in the practice, you'll be well on your way to dominating the Rift. Now go forth, channel your inner dancer, and let those blades sing!