How to win lane as Zaahen against Illaoi · 49.1% win rate over 1,000 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Levels 1-2 are even before Illaoi's tentacles are online. |
| Level 2 | Illaoi | At Level 2 Illaoi's Harsh Lesson and tentacle slams out-trade you. |
| Level 3 | Illaoi | By Level 3 her tentacle field and Test of Spirit zone win the lane. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 even out only because your R can answer if you pull her off tentacles. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is even as your ult trades against her Leap of Faith commit. |
| First item | Illaoi | On her first item Illaoi's tentacle DPS and sustain out-brawl you. |
| Two+ items | Illaoi | In the 2-item window Illaoi wins the extended fight your kit wants. |
Levels 1-2 are even before her tentacles come online, but the moment Illaoi has Tentacle slams and Harsh Lesson (W) she out-trades you, so the phase belongs to her the instant her kit is up.
The full Zaahen vs Illaoi 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? Illaoi vs Zaahen guide →
All Zaahen top lane matchups →