this is a pretty simple build for xerath and there is probably much room for improvement but i find it as a very good basic build for mid. first off, one could argue about the fact that i chose clarity as one of the summoner spells, but as one can notice from the runes used, i prefer the early game than the late game. the continuous use of the q spell in the beginning uses quite some mana. also, i find it very useful as a deceitful way. when low on mana, the opponent generally tries to take advantage and push as much as possible. the sudden use of clarity, e, and q (and if available - ulti) would result as quite a surprise, and also deal a huge amount of damage.

kage's lucky pick might seem as a useless item in terms of ap, but i find that the extra gold given by its passive very useful especially when trying to later buy some of the more expensive items such as rabadon and rylai's.