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Recommended Items
Runes: Comet + Inspiration 1
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Spells:
Exhaust
Flash
Items
Threats & Synergies
Leona
RUN CLEANSE, INSPIRATION WITH ZHONYA AND COSMIC INSIGHT OR PRECISION WITH CUT DOWN. Leona is one of the strongest supports in the game. Her playstile is pretty linear, but I find her always a problem, more of a personal one. She's basically unkillable and can all in you or your adc since level 2. Playing behind minions is not always the solution and after 6 you have to be very quick with the Cleanse button. Take E as second and still try to play around your range, but don't be greedy and don't overextend trades. She has also roaming potential, but since we are in Silver she'll probably stay always in lane during laning phase.
Caitlyn
Poke inferno.
Caitlyn
Poke inferno.
Champion Build Guide
General Playstile Xerath fall under the cathegory of poke supports: your major contribution to the lane is to harass as much as you can the enemies with your spells in order to help assuring kills, protecting your ADC while he's farming and denying creeps to the enemy one (other examples are Vel'Koz, Lux full AP, Ashe, Senna to an extent). You have to comprehend your strenght and your weakness. Xerath is strong in "slow cooking" the enemies with his poke, sieging towers and objectives, setting a clean up for the team, but he's also weak to hard engages and burst damage. If you're searching for a support that play his cards in term of raw damage output instead of utility, you may be very interested. |
Positives
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Xerath's long range is symbolic. It doesn't stop there obviously, because that range potentially conveys massive damage able to oneshot squishies and making tanks life hellish through all stages of the game. This translates in a very oppressive matchup for the enemy laners, especially if this particularly playstile counters them. Synergizing ADCs are other poke champions, like Caitlyn, Jhin, Ashe, but Xerath holds enough power to be able to think almost indipendently from his ADC results. |
Negatives
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As usual as happens in League, high damage and long range mages get punished by being extremely squishy and having low mobility; this results in being hard punished from engages, either CCs ( Nautilus, Ornn, Leona) and gap closers followed by burst ( Kha'Zix, Kayn, Zed). Thus Xerath's counter matchups are very intimidatory and hold him in a position where he can't get close in order to do his job; you need to master your positioning in lane and through teamfights and accept that you can't follow all the ally engages if they're too dangerous. Moreover being a damage oriented champion, falling behind in term of gold and experience will make you pretty useless. |
Eye of Destruction (W) RANGE: 1000 COST: 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 COOLDOWN: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 |
Calls down a barrage of arcane energy, slowing and dealing magic damage to all enemies in an area. Targets in the middle receive additional damage and a stronger slow. This is your second source of damage. It scales better through the game than Arcanopulse since hitting an enemy within the center deals more damage, but early on you should not spam it, wait at least to purchase Lost Chapter. It also can be used to setting up Shocking Orb or following it, for checking bushes and blind spots or, thanks to the slow, for self and ally peeling. |
Shocking Orb (E) RANGE: 1125 COST: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 COOLDOWN: 13 / 12.5 / 12 / 11.5 / 11 |
Xerath fires an orb of energy that stuns and deals magic damage to the first enemy hit. Duration of the stun depends on the distance traveled by the orb. This ability is your main (and basically only) protection tool. You're going to max it as last, so you have to use it thoughtfully. Do not spam it! It works well in combination with Eye of Destruction since they enable each others, both defensively and offensively. Be aware of minion block and try to use it at maximum range in order to maximize the stun duration. |
Rite of the Arcane (R) RANGE: 5000 COST: 100 COOLDOWN: 130 / 115 / 100 |
Xerath channels, revealing himself. Recasting the ability makes Xerath launch blast of energy to the target location, up to 3 / 4 / 5 times. The most emblematic Xerath's ability. The range is huge and grants you coverage of midlane by just slightly walking into your jungle. You'll be extremely vulnerable during the channel, not only because you're visibile for enemies, but also becuase you are going to look very far away to your position, so cast it on a safe spot. This ability is not only a finisher for granting you takedowns, but also a great zoning tool for saving allies or splitting teamfights in your favour. |
Flash |
Exhaust |
Barrier |
Heal |
Cleanse |
Sorcery is simply the best rune tree for Xerath. Dark Harvest is not really an option since it's risky and requires a decent amount of stacks to be effective. Also I don't think is that good on the champ and the whole Domination doesn't fit well as Sorcery; remember that when you pick a keystone, you're picking the whole tree! |
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Secondary Path
Inspiration is probably the best secondary path for Xerath and my most played one. Although its possibilities may attract one towards exotic runes, I suggest to pick the next ones since I truly think are the absolute best. But you can be creative! (just don't do it in ranked I don't want to see Hexflash Xerath) |
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Precision is another very good tree for Xerath due to Presence of Mind. Also it's more efficient against tanks with the combo Cut Down and Liandry's Torment. Generally I take it when I have good matchups all over the map, so I don't feel necessary having the protection and early game safeness of Inspiration. |
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Domination is a fairly good tree for Xerath, but I think it gets outshined by Inspiration and Precision, so I don't play it. You may want to choose it if you really want to focus roaming thanks to Relentless Hunter and Eyeball Collection; it can work, but it's very risky for a champion like Xerath, which love to abuse laning phase and it's weak to junglers (especially in the current meta). |
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Shards
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Sorcerer's Shoes |
Plated Steelcaps |
Mercury's Treads |
Mythic Items
Luden's Tempest Do not think that Night Harvester could be better in any ways; it is not. |
Liandry's Anguish |
Offensive Items
Horizon Focus |
Morellonomicon The health also grants some extra protection. |
Rabadon's Deathcap |
Void Staff |
Dark Seal/Mejai's Soulstealer |
Defensive Items
Zhonya's Hourglass If you're facing a particularly fed AD champ, you can buy Seeker's Armguard after Lost Chapter and then closing Zhonya's Hourglass after your mythic. |
Banshee's Veil The problem with the spellshield passive is that even a "dumb" spell (for example an Ashe's Volley) disrupt it, giving a chance to bigger threats to come in. But if you master your positioning and learn how to preserve it, it's a great safety against scary CC or burst. You can do the same as Seeker's Armguard but with Verdant Barrier if you're facing early fed AP champions. |
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