Talk:Irelia/@comment-186.105.68.88-20110410193840/@comment-3217613-20110423211658

A tank is defined by base stats, ability to CC people and overall survivality, as well as his ability to initiate a fight.

Irelia doesn't have any skill that increases her defenses. Neither resistances or health. She lacks a good initiation skill and her only CC is a single target stun/slow.

Most champions are a no-no as tanks just because they lack the overall design to be able to protect teammates. But, in the case of Annie, why wouldn't you be able to tank with her?

She does have skills that can stun AoE, coupled with flash is a great initiation. She has a spell that last for 15 seconds that gives her 50 armor/mresist and damages back the attackers. With good cdr, she can use an AoE stun at least a couple of times in a teamfight, and in the worst case, 1 AoE and 1 single target.

Why you would pick shen over her to tank after laning phase? Annie's CC is better. Annie's defensive skill is better (imo, 50 armor/mres are way better than the selfcast shen's shield). Annie's not going to run out of resource. Shen still has an ultimate that can save someone's ass way better, but in the casting time he's totally vulnerable and useless. Annie doesn't have that drawback in none of her spells.

About Ashe/Brand (those you were saying): Ashe has one of the best initiations in the game, if not the best, and a permanent AoE slow. But she doesn't have any kind of supportive ability and slows are not enough to tank nothing or help teammates once the ultimate is on cd. About brand, he does have only 1 CC and it's no really realiable, plus it is single target. Other than that, he also lacks any kind of defensive skill.

This is my way to see if someone can or cannot tank. And that's why I think Irelia can't tank.