I would consider this an easy/medium match up for Camille. Illaoi doesn't scale well into the late game and can easily get shut down by Camille in early game.
*Patch 8.6 Introduced a new rune for bruisers called "Conqueror" Don't have enough experience with this rune or any data to place it in the guides, you'll have to try it out yourself and see how it works*
- Arcane Comet Arcane Comet is a really good choice in this match up, gives a strong poke without putting you in a risk of longer trade that Illaoi could win and stands out as an overall good rune for Camille. A solid choice for this match up.
- Aftershock In my honest opinion Aftershock is bad versus Illaoi. Her long casting times and animations delay her damage enough to avoid the armor provided by that rune. The nerf also extended weakness window while Aftershock is on cooldown which is vital in this match up since you want to play around Illaoi's E CD.
- Phase Rush Phase Rush is my favorite. You can safely engage and dodge all Illaoi's spells thanks to the bonus movement speed. Since Illaoi is immobile you can bait out her ult/E easly with the use of this rune even later in the game. I recommend trying it in this match up.
- Electrocute Never tried it. Could be good if you're focused on bursting squishy targets in the game. Definitely not something I would consider in this match up.
- Press The Attack Press The Attack got buffed recently and I've seen people speculating about it. I wanted to say it's an awful choice because it shines in longer trades which you would want to avoid BUT if you manage to bait out Illaoi's E, this rune may greatly increase your damage. Pretty risky choice, would recommend to try it out for yourself.
ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER RUNES ARE OFTEN A PREFERENCE CHOICE BECAUSE ALL OF THEM OFFER DIFFERENT PLAYSTYLES SO DIFFERENT RUNES MAY SUIT DIFFERENT PLAYERS BETTER
Some things to look out for:
- Illaoi is all about positioning, if you catch her off guard without nearby tentacles you may be able to fight her.
- Always be aware of her E cooldown (COOLDOWN: 20 / 18 / 16 / 14 / 12) It's generally maxed first. Try to dodge Test of Spirit so you don't get poked out of lane and get to play aggressively during it's down time.
- Illaoi's power spike is level 3 and 6. Although you can still be stronger than her if you manage to dodge her E.
- Remember to track Illaoi's ult cooldown ( COOLDOWN: 120 / 105 / 90) and NEVER fight during it's effect. Just run away, preferably with E and engage later on.
- You outscale her. Don't hesitate to lose some last hits in early game because a mistake may cost you the game.
- If you think you are ahead, you're not. Illaoi can fight you even when greatly behind if only she gets to hit her E and have some tentacles around. Hell she can even 1v2 you and your jungler while behind in gold and exp.
This is a macro and micro match up. With wave manipulating you can get enough of an advantage to shut her down early. Remember to force fights during her E cooldown and do your best to avoid getting hit by it. It's often worth to use a flash to dodge it if you're trying to all in her.
Later on in the game Illaoi's damage get nullified by your armor and your true damage destroys her dreams about being tanky. Out of 51 top laners Illaoi's winrate after 40 minutes is the 48th lowest winrate at 39.88%. Just remember, stay calm even if she trys to tilt you with constant harass.
First you need to look at your options: note I'm not telling you to buy this items yet!
- Tabi Ninja
- Tiamat
- Phage
- Sheen
So about Tabi Ninja, I don't think it's a good buy. Illaoi does most of her damage with tentacles and those count as spell damage not basic attacks so Tabi's passive gets wasted. Sure it helps you to dodge her skill shots but so does Phage.
Tiamat You need a good wave clear to stay healthy in lane or else Illaoi is going to poke you under your tower (grabbing your soul while you try to last hit). Get this item and try to make slow pushes so you can get cover from her E. Great first buy if you have over 1300 gold (remember to buy control wards :) )
Sheen Helps you with short trades that are crucial during this match up. Although I would prefer to buy Phage or Tiamat it's a good first back buy if you don't have enough gold for Tiamat.
Phage I would pick Phage instead of Sheen because of my confidence in this match up. Phage helps you stick with your target and extend the trades and again that's what you want to do when her E is down. If you know that Illaoi is bad and misses her E often then this may be your best choice. Otherwise it's a risky option.