Pros


AOE Damage is INSANE
Longest AP carry Range in the game
Tremendous Lane Presence
Tanky (More so in late game)
Constant Harass
Best skin in the game!



Cons


Blue Buff Dependent
Not so tanky early on
Global Taunt
Not Mobile (Easily Ganked)

I have my masteries set on 21-0-9. I put 21 in offense in order to get the most potential out of Xerath's damage. I then put the other 9 in utility for the extra movement speed/mana regen and also in order for my blue buff to stay longer. Although blue buff is good on any AP mid, Xerath, in my opinion benefits the most off of this buff.

*I will update the masteries whenever the season 3 patch comes out*

My AP runes are mostly always the same for all of my AP champions.

I go:

[9 Magic Pen runes] - Mark

I grab Magic pen runes as they is better for your early game and late game damage. If I decided to get flat AP marks it would only raise my total AP by about 5 (which isn't worth it.)



[9 Mana Regen runes] - Seal

I have mana regen seals because Xerath has a very little mana pool and is very reliant on mana. The extra mana regen will definitely decide whether your early game is a success or a fail.



[9 Flat Magic Resist runes] - Glyph

I go Magic Resist glyphs because without any magic resist you're very very squishy and will not have as much lane potential as you originally would.



[3 Movement Speed runes] - Quints

Movement speed on Xerath is HUGE on xerath. He doesn't have any escape abilities so if he a lot movement speed it will potentially make up for it. The movement can either be used offensively or defensively depending on the situation, of course. Also, The movement speed will help you kite/avoid enemy skill shots.

Explanation:


These are the basic summoner spells currently used in today's meta. Flash provides an offensive/defensive play, while ignite is purely an offensive spell.

Why Flash over Exhaust or ?


Exhaust just isnt viable on Xerath. He is a long ranged burst champion and doesnt need this slow. More than likely you will be far away from the enemy champs and if you're not, you have a stun, which in my opinion is better than Exhaust.

Although Ghost can be viable against certain enemy team comps that can easily be kited around. It isn't the best choice on Xerath. Keep in mind you have your W movement speed buff, plus you quintessence and masteries. Kiting means, running around avoiding people and their abilities.

Passive: Ascended Form


Xerath feeds on arcane power, making him increasingly resilient to physical harm. He converts 15% of his Ability Power into Armor.

Explanation:



This passive isn't very noticeable early game because it scales off 15% of your ability power, and if im correct, you don't have any ability power at level 1. As you progress in game, you ability power will increase tremendously causing you to get that extra beefyness to you.


Q: Arcanopulse


Fires a long-range beam of energy, dealing 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to all targets hit.

Cooldown 7 / 6.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 5 seconds

Cost 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 mana

Range 900 (1300 Locus)

Explanation:



This is what makes Xerath such a unique and an annoying champion to fight in lane. You will be using this all throughout the game. Harassing in lane, leashing Buffs, stealing Baron, trololol, and more trololol. This skill will take some practice in order to get used to, but once you have the hang of it you will surely win your lane every game.

*Keep in mind when using this ability where the enemy will try to dodge it. Therefore you sould lead your shots and predict their movements. If they run up, cast the ability more towards the upward side, and if they walk downwards, cast the ability more downward.*


Once your get your Deathcap you should be able to clear minions with one[/highlight] . This is what it should look like when you clear your waves.




W: Locus of Power


Xerath immobilizes himself near a source of magical power, increasing the range of all his spells and granting him 16 / 22 / 28 / 34 / 40% Magic Penetration. Lasts 8 seconds or until toggled off. Has a 0.5 second start-up time.

When the effect ends, Xerath's Movement Speed is increased by 35% for 2 seconds.

Cooldown 20 / 16 / 12 / 8 / 4 seconds

Cost none


Explanation:





[highlight]And you thought Xerath already had annoying range.

Ahhh, this is the skill that makes the range on Xerath even more annoying! This almost doubles the range on all of your abilities! This skill will be something you have to get used to because if you station up in the middle of lane, it will make you vulnerable to ganks. If you see your team across a wall fighting, station up and snipe them! This ability will cause chaos on a whole new level. It will force the enemy team to quickly separate away from each other.

This is when Xerath gets that OP range!

E: Mage Chains


Deals 70 / 120 / 170 / 220 / 270 (+80% of ability power) magic damage to an enemy and marks them with Unstable Magic for 3 seconds.

Unstable Magic: The next spell Xerath strikes this enemy with stuns them for 1.5 seconds.

Cooldown 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds

Cost 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 mana

Range 600 (1000 Locus)

Explanation:



This is the ability which ties in all the other abilities together. By casting this first on an enemy champion, any spell following it will cause the mark to be consumed and then stun the enemy for 1.5 seconds. This will allow you to land your and with great precision.
The usual combo with this in the early game/laning phase is Q followed by . But as for late game you should cast using this order E, R, Q, , R, Q.
*More than likely you wont have to use the last ultimate and Q*

When you cast your E on an oppenent, there will be a mark the shows above the enemy's head.

R: Arcane Barrage


Calls down a blast of arcane energy, dealing 125 / 200 / 275 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to all enemies in an area. May be cast up to three times within 12 seconds before going on cooldown.

Cooldown 80 / 70 / 60 seconds

Cost 150 / 180 / 210 mana

Range 900 (1300 Locus)

Radius 200

Explanation:



This is the ability is what makes Xerath so strong! The scaling on this ultimate is outrageous! I don't know why it hasn't been nerfed to the ground yet. You have the choice to cast it up to 3 times in a row to get the maximum damage output. This ultimate leads me to ask: WHY THE DAMAGE? WHY SO MANY BOLTS? WHY YOU SO MUCH RANGE? WHY SO OP? The scaling on this ultimate is CRAZY! I cant explain enough how overpowered this ultimate is! The range is far, the damage is insane, the ability to cast it 3 times is awesome, and nothing can compete with it.