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Illaoi vs Smolder
Top Lane MatchupIllaoi vs Smolder TOP matchup tips: who wins, how to trade, wave control and common mistakes.
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VS
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Who Wins
- Pre-6, you win most extended trades if you land E to extract the soul, but Smolder's range lets him poke you down before you can engage, and his W gives him enough sustain to offset short trades; you need to force all-ins rather than trade back and forth at range.
- Post-6, your R is a massive power spike that Smolder cannot duel through if you land E first, as the tentacles during R punish any attempt to stay in melee range.
How to Trade
- Your best trading pattern is to land E, then immediately stack Q hits on the soul while using W to sustain through his poke; the goal is to force him to either fight you on your terms or burn his E to disengage, at which point you all-in before it comes back up.
Wave Control
- You want to slow-push the wave into his tower so he is forced to last-hit under pressure from your tentacles; placing tentacles near the wave forces him to choose between taking tentacle hits or losing CS, and a large wave crashing into his tower denies him safe farming range.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not walk up to trade without E landing first — trading without the soul extraction means you are a melee champion eating ranged poke for no return, and Smolder will simply kite you down over several short trades until you are too low to all-in.
Created on 07/04/2026
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