This is my first guide so I decided to do it over my favorite champion: Xerath. Xerath has the perfect squishy deletion and fight clean-up kit. He can kite better than any other champion, and brings a lot to the table

Pros:

> Xerath has some of the greatest range in the game with his Q and R.
> His 1v1 against squishies will almost always end in his favor.
> His combo will usually result in a kill or the enemy backing away for more security and poke potential
> His Q
> Tons of Utility
> Tons of Damage!
Cons:

> Low Mobility
> Susceptible to dives
> Ult hard to hit
> Susceptible to ganks

All of Xerath's spells are useful, each with its own purpose.

Mana Surge (P): This ability lends a ton of power to Xerath. Every 14 seconds, his next basic attack will restore mana, based on level and target. Minions, monters, and wards restore a set amount, and champs restore double. If an enemy gets within attack range when this is up, take the shot. Also use it when you land your stun.

Arcanopulse (Q): This spell is Xerath's main damage output. It does the most damge of all of his basic spells, and has a Jesus level range. The best and worst part about this ability is the charging. While charging, you can move the ability direction with your mouse. Use this aiming to line it up so the enemy walks into it or so it clips the enemy with the tip. If the enemy is close, don't spend all the time to charge it; it doesn't increase the damage.

Eye of Destruction (W): This spell is a great zoning tool and has plenty of utility and damage. When you cast this spell, an indicator ring appears on the ground, then the spell hits after about 0.5 seconds. Use this to alter where the enemy will move. This spell also slows and damages enemies based on how close they are to the center. If you can lead abilities into enemies, get them with the center of this, as it will allow you to catch them or at the very least get one more Q in. This ability also reveals the area it hit, so use it to check bushes without getting too near.

Shocking Orb (E): This spell does low damage, but you don't want for that anyway. Its true power is its 0.75-2 second stun, based on how far the ability travels. if you can snipe with this, do it. it will open a huge window to land your Eye of Destruction and Arcanopulse, resulting in massive damage. This move is what I refer to as The Combo. In the early game, use it to punish laners, and in the late game, use it to delete carries.

Rite of The Arcane (R): This is the Kill Securer. In lane, use it to finish the job when they get too low. Use it to pick off survivors of teamfights or during teamfights to kill low health opponents to busy fighting to notice your ult. It can also be used to steal dragon or baron if timed right. Each shot reveals the area around it so you can find enemies in the fog of war. Overall this is an awesome ult with tons of uses.

I choose these Runes for a variety of reasons.

Marks- I like to take MP runes to counter to usual amount of MR that accumulates during a game.

Seals- Instead of Armor or MR runes, I like to take health in order to survive all ins that result in an ignite, before many items have been built

Glyphs- CDR is paramount on Xerath so he can spam his abilities into teamfights.

Quints- Duh.

These masteries are pretty standard. In the Cunning section I prefer to take Precision over Intelligence, because while CDR is paramount on Xerath, 5% isn't enough to make a huge difference.

The High Damage final build is the typical items i would bring for Xerath.
They have high damage AP dives, Abyssal Scepter is a great item to rush.
Only run Mejai's if you're comfortable with Xerath and can easily pick up kills.

In the chart above, it appears that the majority of champions beat Xerath in most situations. I have arranged the champs in a way that would fit a decent player. Xerath has a high skill cap, so most of the yellow tier champs are in fact fairly easy to defeat with skill and practice. Don't expect to be awesome at Xerath after reading this or other guides. He takes a lot of practice and a good understanding of skillshots to play effectively.

Xerath has one quintessential rule to follow 90% of the time: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!! In each phase of the game, implement this rule; I cannot stress this enough.

Laning: In lane, stay behind your minions for the majority of the time. if you need to go to the side to line up your Q, do so, but go on the opposite side the wave of you opponent. When poking the enemy laner, try to time it so you can also get a couple minions also, so even if you do miss, you get some reward. Poking is the best thing to do in lane. It denies enemy CS and weakens then so they can easily be dispatched if the y try to engage, or once you hit lvl 6. The Combo (E followed up by a W THEN Q) is a great way to ensure you win trades. Try not to make risky plays with your E until you know you can hit it, because when the jungler tries to gank you, you can put it on him, then place a W in front of him so he can't follow you. In the event of a tower dive, stun them then combo. IT should be enough to finish the job (especially on Fizz). Once you hit 6, look for an opportunity to gank bot lane. Your ult can ensure you get at least one kill.

Roaming Phase: When you start to roam with your team, stay in the middle of them, or behind them. Never be the first aggressor to a fight. Instead, stay back and fire your Q and W into the fray. Save your stun for the biggest threat or an assassin who is trying to sneak around and kill you. Again, never get too close to the action, and if things start to turn in favor of the enemy team, start to retreat, but try to poke while leaving.

Kiting: Xerath is an absolute God at kiting. Try to keep a good lead on the chaser. Start with a W to slow and follow up with a Q or two. once they seem low enough, land you stun and combo to kill. If multiple enemies are chasing you, drop your W's so they get the heavy slow from the center. Fire your E into them when it gets up. 90% of the time, they won't catch you.

Xerath is a BEAST with tons of utility and damage. He provides awesome 1v1 potential, and offers great teamfight utility. He can also kite better than almost any other champion. However, Xerath is very low mobility and suffers from short range cc and dives. He is very balanced and is an absolute blast to play.