Talk:Irelia/@comment-4926072-20120314173145/@comment-2124153-20120316171515

Just for the sake of an example, suppose we get Cloth Armor + Phage instead of a Lantern. Price is basically the same (1615g vs. 1600g), and they both work itemization-wise with a Cloth + 5 start that you'd use against a physical lane. Wriggles advantage:


 * 12 Armor
 * minion proc
 * 15% lifesteal
 * 5 AD
 * free ward every 3 min

Phage advantage:


 * +225 health
 * 25% chance to slow by 30% for 2.5 seconds on-hit

Lantern is more cost-effective, the magnitude of which depends on how much you value the slowing ability of Phage ( I very much like it: it's a kill or a burned Summoner against a lot of people). But note that AD difference is negligable, Irelia generally has no use for the minion proc (not involved with Dragon control, although it helps some for counter-jungling top lane buffs), and the health advantage on Phage means you have to scrub through your HP bar a few times before the Lantern's Armor beats it long-term. This comes down to the ward, and the lifesteal.

I can buy wards. If I don't need the lifesteal for laning (and I usually don't), going Phage early means that I can get into my core items that much more quickly, be it a Frozen Mallet for tank/initiation, or a Triforce for bursty DPS. I will buy Lantern in a losing lane, much like ranged carries stack Doran's when they are being pressured, but in a push or a flat-out advantage I am going to go for the neck and build my core.