When it comes to champions in Alliance of Legends, few have an air of quality and certainty that can be both intimidating and alluring. One such winner is Illaoi, Kraken Priestess. When I started with picking this effective and massive winner, I thought I had finally found my winner for dominance. But, as countless players have experienced, there’s a huge difference between certainty and actually succeeding on the Rift.
In this article, I’ll share the story of how I thought I was strong with Illaoi, as it’s about to be subjected to a brutal reality check by a few well-timed botches. Let’s dive into the encounters, lessons learned, and why Illaoi might be more grounded than I first gave it credit for.
Guaranteed To Choose Illaoi
In the beginning I chose to play Illaoi, I heard countless stories of its quality. With his giant limbs and his ability to deal massive amounts of damage, he appeared like a powerhouse. I was ready to prove my dominance on the way with him, considering I could easily afford entertainment.
What I thought would make me strong in Illaoi:
- High Damage Yield: Diversion has Illaoi’s strongest single-target damage output. His Detachment, a Senior God’s Prophet, gives his extra damage and damage based repair gifts, which I thought would give me the edge in any matchup.
- Sustain on the Path: I was sure of my support with Illaoi’s Spirit Power Test. Landing this power on the opponent appeared to be a surefire way to keep my enemies out of the way and support the trade.
- Huge AoE close: The more I played Illaoi, the more I realized that his Jump of Confidence ability can destroy entire teams in melee. I envisioned myself as relentlessly straddling the center of a fight.
I was feeling pretty confident – maybe too confident.
Brutal Awakening
The moment of truth came when I faced an intense Illaoi matchup. Early on, I thought I could effectively dominate my lane with my basic abilities, but opposing mid-laners quickly caught up to my overconfidence. Here’s where things start to unravel:
- Appendages fooled me: I didn’t realize how important the situation was when controlling appendages in Illaoi. Early on, I would regularly strain into my position, with my appendages not in the right place when I needed them most. This led to wasted damage and cumbersome locks that didn’t do as well as I had hoped.
- Lack of Mindfulness: The greatest bot I made was minimizing the enemy jungler. Where I was focused on pushing my lead with Illaoi, I was uncomfortable keeping track of where the enemy jungler was. A surprise gank quickly negates my overextension, and suddenly, I find myself falling back into the lane.
- Spirit Test Abuse: Even though I thought I was landing the final shot, I often botched my Spirit Test against a more versatile opponent. Or maybe rather than catch them, I’ll miss or resist. Timing is key in Illaoi, and I had a parcel to learn.
- Lack of Wave Administration: Illaoi thrives in lane when it can control waves. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t able to control the constant wave properly, leaving me defenseless to an opponent’s rambler or desert pressure.
What I Learned From Experience
After starting with a few diversions as Illaoi, I began to appreciate just how complicated this winner actually is. While his abilities are straightforward in the beginning, winning Illaoi requires a deep understanding of his mechanics and a disciplined approach to lane control.
Here are some essential lessons I learned:
Positioning Is Key
- Tent arrangement thing: I have come to realize that the location of the appendages plays a fundamental role in damage management. You have to carefully position yourself so that the appendages are formed in the right place. Appendages in Illaoi don’t automatically attack based on proximity, so it’s important to consider path layout.
- Be safe on the way: While you have to force exchanges with Illaoi, you also have to keep an eye on your surroundings. If you overextend, it’s easy for the enemy jungler to taunt you, especially if you rely heavily on Test of Soul or your appendage positioning.
Learn To Use Soul Testing Correctly
- Time It Right: Taste of Soul is an ability that can change the game, but it’s even easier to abuse. I saw that in order to successfully reach this qualification, I must expect the development of the enemy. Or maybe more randomly than spamming it, I started holding to outrun opponents or when they were suppressed by a teammate’s swarm control.
- Use this to proceed: The glory of Taste of Soul is its ability to jab and repair you. It does a serious sum of damage, but more essentially, it fixes you for a parcel of that damage. Using this ability at the right time can give you an edge down the road, especially against champions with burst damage.
Wave Control Is Essential
- Don’t overemphasize: I’ve learned that pushing waves too quickly is a common blunder that inexperienced Illaoi players make. By pushing the wave too fast, I was regularly opening myself up to the desert gantry and missing a good opening to control the wave.
- Wave Administration: I’ve also found that learning to harden the wave by closing your turret can be a great trick to keep your path weight down and allow you to farm safely. By aking wave administration, I have a better understanding of when to push and when to back off.
Conclusion: Illaoi Might Be Harder Than I Thought
Looking back on my early days as a Illaoi, I realize how much I thought about its complexity. Where I thought I was solid and ready to rule, the reality is that Illaoi requires a lot more than fair certainty. I had to learn to understand timing, conditions, wave control and the intricacies of its mechanics.
Honestly, I ended up playing better in the long run, using the limb situation craft more successfully. Now, when I step into a recreation with Illaoi, I have a deeper respect for his control and a better understanding of how to maximize his potential.
So, if you want to try Illaoi for yourself, remember: certainty is great, but implementing and understanding its mechanics is what will really drive you. Illaoi may have pushed me in the beginning, but now I know exactly how to step back and take charge.
