How to win lane as Illaoi against Mel · 55.99% win rate over 759 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Mel | Level 1 Mel out-ranges you and pokes freely while you lack a gap-closer. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 is even as you gain a spell but still can't close on her spacing. |
| Level 3 | Illaoi | Level 3 hands you W and E to finally reach and grab a champion with no escape. |
| Levels 4-5 | Illaoi | Through Levels 4-5 you walk her down between cooldowns and slam her fragile frame. |
| Level 6 | Illaoi | At Level 6 your R field is lethal to a mage who can't dash out of the tentacles. |
| First item | Illaoi | At first item bruiser scaling lets you out-trade her falling poke damage. |
| Two+ items | Illaoi | Into 2+ items one E grab or R commit deletes the squishy Mel, keeping you ahead. |
Level 1 Mel out-ranges you and pokes with her Q while you have no way to close; at Level 2 it evens out as you gain a spell but still can't punish her spacing.
The full Illaoi vs Mel report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Mel vs Illaoi guide →
All Illaoi top lane matchups →