Everyone says Irelia is a counter to Jayce but i've played the matchup 3 times, twice as Irelia, once as Jayce and everytime Jayce came out ahead easily.
Yes, at level 6 Irelia on even gold can go 1v1 against Jayce… but every game Jayce was already far ahead at that point.
The two times i played as Irelia, Jayce combo'd me at level 2 with Cannon Q, Hammer Q, Hammer E for almost half my health and then forced me back under tower with his Cannon Q at which point i lost a ton of CS since every time i tried to get a minion Jayce shot me for more than my health gain from W and every time i tried to attack him directly i got hit by Hammer QWE and was lucky to get out alive.
The first time i started with Regrowth Pendant + Potion, the second time with Cloth Armor + 5 potions, didn't make any difference.
At level 6 i burst him with my ult and forced him out of lane for a short time but at that point i was already 30cs behind and when he came back with new items he completely trashed me without me even having a chance to run away.
When i played Jayce against Irelia it was basically the same situation with me beating her at every stage and when she hit 6 i was already snowballing hard and beat her 1v1 with 75% health remaining.
I mostly follow this guide, going QWE and then maxing W->Q->E:
http://www.lolpro.com/guides/irelia/74-irelia-guide-top-lane
My opponents seem to be going QEW and then maxing E->Q->W
What is the point i am missing?
It must be something very simple and i'm just too blind to see the obvious but i just can't see Irelia winning this matchup.
Best Answer
----"It must be something very simple and I'm just too blind to see the obvious but I just can't see Irelia winning this matchup."
Don't worry. I don't see it either.
Irelia isn't the best counter versus Jayce. I highly recommend Yorick. He's actually extremely powerful top lane right now, as you might have noticed on the forums when people have asked, "How do I counter ____ top?" - "Yorick. 'nuff said." Other good counters I have found from personal experience include
Why? Because they have a lot more sustain than jayce, and can set up very good ganks with a jungler because of their kits. In addition, they have nice harass while Jayce's harass is skill-shot based, so it is avoidable.
And finally, Viktor. If you haven't read Jayce's lore, read it. WHO DARES QUESTION SCIENCE
----But I want to play as Irelia!
And so here are some tips on how to 'counter' Jayce, because otherwise this would be a pretty off topic answer.
First of all, make sure you have a point in all of your abilities. I tend to go Equilibrium Strike first, in case I get into a fight early or if their jungler ganks before I hit level 2, I can easily stun and get out. Then, I get Bladesurge at level 2, getting Hiten Style and levels 3, 4, and 5 to maximize my healing.
----Note Know how much damage your Bladesurge will do to him. It does 20/50/80 +1.0 Attack Damage, so make sure after you Bladesurge that his health won't be lower than yours, or else you'll be left with a measly slow or be forced to wait until he gets his health higher.
----Note Usually, especially in higher levels of play, the jungler is supposed to make the first move in order not to arouse too much suspicion. However, if you can, make the first move by using Equilibrium Strike to stun Jayce first, so that the jungler has time to close the gap in between the river and wherever Jayce is. However, it's still situational. If you and Jayce are both at low health, it might be best for the jungler to go in first.
Don't push too hard. Irelia is great at getting high creep score with her Bladesurge as well as the healing and extra true damage from Hiten Style. I find that her kit makes it easy to get CS under the tower. Note that Irelia can push fairly hard, so make sure you're not overextending, making you prone to jungler ganks. You're a melee champion, and Jayce can safely kite you at his tower until later levels.
Buy what counters Jayce and the rest of his team; Do not always follow exactly what the LolPro build says. It's a reference, kind of like a note card when you're giving a speech.
Dodge his shock blast, especially when fired through acceleration gate. The 40% increased damage hurts a lot, and could constantly send you back to base, putting you behind.
I've compiled Jayce and Irelia's stats and compared them to see who scales better. The better stat at level 5 is in bold.
Jayce vs. Irelia
Good luck beating Jayce with Irelia! :)
---- Credibility of this Answer - League of Legends player for two years, and I own both Jayce and Irelia with experience with both champions, more notably Irelia. I have also won top lane using the alternative champions I suggested at the very top.
Champion stats found on leagueoflegends.wikia.com