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Xerath Support
Build Guide By edkemr
11
1
34,971
Views
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11
1
34,971
Views
0
Comments
Xerath Build Guide By edkemr
34,971
Views
0
Comments
Xerath Build Guide By edkemr
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Recommended Items
Runes: Comet + Inspiration 1
1
2
3
4
5
Sorcery
Inspiration
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Spells:
1
2
3
4
Flash + Exhaust
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![LoL Summoner Spell: Exhaust]()
![LoL Summoner Spell: Flash]()
Exhaust
Flash
Items
Early Items
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Which first?
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Vision and Elixirs
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Mythic Items
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Offensive Items
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Defensive Items
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Build Examples
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Threats & Synergies
Threats
Synergies
Extreme
Major
Even
Minor
Tiny
Show All
None
Low
Ok
Strong
Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal 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.
Synergies
Ideal
Strong
Ok
Low
None
Caitlyn
Poke inferno.
Champion Build Guide
Table of Contents
Playing Xerath, Pros & Cons
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. |
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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.
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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. |
Abilities
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Mana Surge (Passive) STATIC COOLDOWN: 12 |
Xerath's basic attacks periodically restore Mana, doubled against enemy champions. This passive helps you especially in the early stages of the game to restore mana when you need it. I suggest to use it primarly on minions since you want to keep your distance from the enemy champions, but if you find the right window don't be afraid in doing so, just be careful. |
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Arcanopulse (Q) RANGE: 750 - 1400 COST: 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 / 120 COOLDOWN: 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 |
Xerath starts charging, gradually increasing Arcanopulse range and gradually being slowed. At the recast, Xerath shots a beam of energy, dealing magic damage to all enemies hit. Otherwise, half of the mana is refunded. This is your principal source of damage through all stages of the game; its long range ensure you to stay very distant from enemies and poke freely. At stage 5 it's on a very short cooldown, allowing you to spam it often. Be careful, at max charge you're going to be 50% slowed, thus very vulnerable. |
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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.
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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.
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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. |
Summoner Spells
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Flash Flash is the strongest and versatile summoner spell in the game and there are very few exceptions where you prefer taking something else instead ( Shaco, Hecarim) and WE ARE NOT one of those. Obviously the main scope with Xerath it's using it as an escape, but if you feel confident enough you can Flash + E in order to land the CC and ensure the kill.
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Exhaust Exhaust often come into mind. Differently from Barrier and Ignite, this summoner spell is more versatile and can be used both aggressively and defensively. Through laning phase don't run into enemies to just apply it: use it thoughtfully baiting them into you when you're jungler is coming or when you know you are in a stronger spot. Later in the game, use it on the pesky assassin that try to dive into the backline.
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Barrier Xerath that need sudden protection. It is also very very bait, happened more than once to see enemies overcommit in order to kill me and then remain with their mouth dry because of Barrier, maybe dying in the process. Nevertheless I think that Exhaust is superior generally, but Barrier may be better in hard, bursty matchups, or against Ignite.
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Heal Cleanse or Exhaust. Please, do not take double Heal, read carefully the description.
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Cleanse Ashe's Enchanted Crystal Arrow or Seraphine's Encore.
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Runes
Primary Path
Secondary Path
Shards
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SORCERY
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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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Nimbus Cloak is and that's honestly fair: if you find it fitting to your playstile or simply useful, take it.
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Absolute Focus does not help you in risky situation where you may be lower than 70% of max health, while Transcendence does. Still, choosing between one or the other is a matter of preference and I think that they're both very good on the champ.
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Scorch if I want to punish harder the enemy botlane early game.
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Secondary Path
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INSPIRATION
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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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Zhonya's Hourglass cheaper, which it is an item that I build a lot. Magical Footwear does not make sense to me and I don't recommend it: early game boots are insanely valuable on this champion, so waiting the twelve minutes it's not something I enjoy.
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Perfect Timing is useless. Also I tend to choose it when I pick Cleanse against stuff like Leona for having it faster. Time Warp Tonic is a good rune, but it's worth more for champions that trade HPs rather than being mana hungry like Xerath and you don't want to do that usually.
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PRECISION
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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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Ryze, Kassadin), and even if it seems worse than the old one, you will change idea after seeing how much mana restores. It also has a kind of synergy with your passive Mana Surge.
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Luden's Tempest or Liandry's Torment.
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DOMINATION
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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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Eye of Destruction or Shocking Orb.
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Xerath better.
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Ultimate Hunter it's really worthy, your ultimate is not an essential aspect of your kit. Relentless Hunter makes sense not only for roaming, but also for being generally faster, so less vulnerable to engages.
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Shards
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Items
Boots
As I said before, boots are an important item for Xerath; they grant you the necessary movement speed to dodge, run from engages and even hitting your spells. Buy the second tier boots before or after closing Lost Chapter and never after your mythic.
Mythic Items
It's here that you choose how to approach the game: Luden's Tempest or Liandry's Torment? The answer is very important and I strongly suggest to think about it before even entering the loading screen.
Offensive Items
Defensive Items
Xerath; they grant you the necessary movement speed to dodge, run from engages and even hitting your spells. Buy the second tier boots before or after closing Lost Chapter and never after your mythic.|
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Sorcerer's Shoes |
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Plated Steelcaps |
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Mercury's Treads Plated Steelcaps, but against magical damage. Also they're worth if the enemy team has a lot of hard CCs thanks to the tenacity.
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Mythic Items
Luden's Tempest or Liandry's Torment? The answer is very important and I strongly suggest to think about it before even entering the loading screen.|
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Luden's Tempest Lost Chapter item), but also 6 flat magic penetration, mythic passive that gives you more flat magic penetration and the Echo passive, an additional bouncing damage on your spells with a very low cooldown. This makes it the perfect item against squishy teams with low magic resistance and HP. The 11.6 change makes more rewarding hitting the enemy champions with your abilities, because it reduces the passive cooldown for every hit. Do not think that Night Harvester could be better in any ways; it is not.
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Liandry's Anguish Luden's Tempest will shine definitively less. Instead, you buy this item: his burning passive deals damage on maximum HP of the enemies. The 11.6 patch removed the percentual magic penetration but added percentual health damage when you hit enemy champions. This makes the items less effective against magic resistance but more against health, making Void Staff (or Blighting Jewel) more essential. As mythic passive it gives additional ability haste, which is great against that kind of team composition since fights will last longer.
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Offensive Items
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Horizon Focus Xerath, and here we are. Horizon Focus is the best "pure" offensive item for this champion, since all of your spells have at least 700 range. It's expensive and doesn't have the best build path (because of Needlessly Large Rod), but if you're smashing your enemies it's the perfect follow up both for Luden's Tempest and Liandry's Torment.
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Morellonomicon Xerath, and generally a very good one due to the current state of the game. Although healing enchanters (like Soraka, Yuumi) are not currently in meta, vamp effects and Moonstone Renewer are, making this item almost mandatory in a lot of situations. Rushing Oblivion Orb after Lost Chapter is a great choice, then closing it into Morellonomicon for strengthen grevious wounds even as a 3rd item is a common practice of me. The health also grants some extra protection. |
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Rabadon's Deathcap |
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Void Staff Blighting Jewel, for example if you want the early percentual magic penetration but want to finish the whole item as 4th. This item has been nerfed this current patch (11.6), due to the increase cost being 200 GU, while the AP added being 100 GU worth; it's not good, especially for a support. Also with the Liandry's Torment change, this item has become slighty more important.
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Dark Seal/Mejai's Soulstealer |
Defensive Items
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Zhonya's Hourglass Kha'Zix dives into the team only to kill you, or even if you're behind is good for the armor and the ability haste and for baiting. Also gives a great amount of ability power for being a defensive item. 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.
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Banshee's Veil Zhonya's Hourglass since lacks the iconic active, but it's still a very gold efficient one. It gives you 80 ability power, which is a lot for a defensive item. 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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Conclusions
***WORK IN PROGRESS***
edkemr
Xerath Guide
Xerath Support
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