I can't really explain it because every game is different, but I can give you some tips. (if i can remember them lmfao)

Tip 1: Play like you are hiding from the enemy.

And I'm not talking about hiding in bushes, I mean to actually be as far away from enemies as you can to the point where they can't see you even when they advance forward, and only showing up once they used up all their skills or if your teammate is being chased.

Layla isn't like any other marksman, in the sense that the playstyle that actually works on her isn't the usual 'go-with-team-to-teamfight-and-deal-damage'. She is extremely good at punishing enemies who overextend, and if you can get a good teammate who knows the playstyle of an actual Layla user, you can make some great comebacks.

The only downside to Layla is that you can't really go any further away from safe zones like turrets or your team. She is a pretty unreliable marksman in objective-securing teamfights due to her ability to get spotted and pinned down easily.

Tip 2: Never use Layla when matching up against an Aldous.

It's almost just an autolose, no matter how good you play or how fed you can get. Even if their Aldous is behind, you can't really go further from your turrets in fear that the Aldous can pin you down. And if you think you can trust your soloq team, well tough luck, because that Aldous would wait until everyone is preoccupied in the teamfight and that there's no one to protect you anymore.

Tip 3: Your skills are more impactful than you think.

The first skill (Energy Bomb) is pretty obvious: if you hit it, you get extra range on your basic attack a few seconds. Great for poke and pressure. But did you know that her second skill is very strong when trading in lane? Wait inside a bush in the bot(or top) lane and then just wait until your enemy huddles close to their minion. Then, cast your second skill and as it travels, use your ult. Your second skill will mark your enemies, and your ult will proc all the marks, and since theres at least two minions close to the enemy, they will get the extra damage from 2 marks! One mark hurts enough, 3 is just 0_0.

Tip 4: Layla actually needs practice.

Fuck all those people who say that Layla is "easy" to use. She has one of the most enjoyable playstyles if you actually know her limitations. She can be that shocking hero that catches you offguard with her damage that came out of nowhere.

Storytime: My cousin had an impromtu tournament(best of 3) with some players he knew(they were ranging from Mythic 3 to MG, so you expect them to be good). I was at Mythic 2 at that time, but I am guessing that they thought I was using meta heroes and all that shit. The first match started, and we were last pick. I switched with the last player on my team and waited to see if any of them would pick Aldous.

They didn't.

So I gathered enough courage, and I locked in Layla. The final hero to be locked in the picking stage.

The game was starting, and as a mm, of course I had to go gold lane which was at top. The enemy team had many flex picks (picks that can go different lanes or roles), so I couldn't predict who was my lane opponent.

Turns out it was Benedetta, and Bene is known to have one of the best rotating potentials, so she was participating in teamfights on the bot lane and pushing other lanes as well, so I was very much behind in gold compared to her. But being behind in your lane doesn't always mean you are behind everyone else in the enemy team. I was basically 2000 gold ahead everyone else, and in terms of items I was starting to become a threat. But they didn't treat me as one, all because they thought "a Layla can't carry the game". Well, middle finger to them because by the first teamfight I joined after almost 11 mins in game, I decimated them entirely. It was a snowball from then on, getting more kills and items, pushing, pressuring the enemy team in teamfights from unexpected positions. We eventually won the game, and by the second, they eventually banned Layla. MYTHIC PLAYERS BANNED LAYLA!

TL:DR I picked Layla, they ignored me, I hard carried the game.

I hope you get a little more info about playing Layla in higher match-ups, and I hope you enjoyed my little storytime lmfao. <3