Irelia vs Pantheon Counter Pick

Aegis Assault makes Pantheon invulnerable to damage from the front while he strikes repeatedly, which is a direct answer to a champion who wins by standing in front of people and attacking quickly. Irelia records 42.7% over 136 games on patch 16.13.1.

• Base armour of 40 is an unusually high starting value, and it faces 65 attack damage from a champion whose mixed profile leans physical in the early levels.
• Shield Vault is a targeted dash with a stun attached — no skillshot to sidestep, and enough lockdown to open with his 64 attack damage behind it.
• Mortal Will empowers a spell every few casts or attacks, so short repeated trades reward him rather than the champion trying to stack Ionian Fervor.

Irelia’s counterplay is spacing rather than raw statistics, since Pantheon attacks from 175 against her 200 and moves at 345 to her 335. The level 18 comparison is close — 2,585 health and 115.9 armour against 2,503 and 124.2 — and neither champion scales out of the other. Rated 4 for difficulty to her 5, he asks less of his pilot while offering the same early pressure, which is what a hard grade at this sample usually reflects. Comet Spear also gives him a thrown option at long range for chip damage, and Grand Starfall lets him leave the matchup entirely, so a survived early phase does not necessarily mean the pressure has been contained.