Xerath

Xerath early lane is long-range AoE poke. Start Spellthief's Edge + Refillable. Land Q on the ADC, not the support — proc passive for big chip damage.

Level 1 stay back, level 2 you have full kit. Avoid all-in trades — you lack mobility. Push wave with W AoE to deny enemy pick attempts and force them under tower.

Liandry's Anguish + Sorcerer's Shoes is the standard spike. Xerath pokes from 800-1100 range — out-range every engage support except Bard/Pyke.

Roam mid post-6 — your ult clears squishies. Ward river deep and farm bot lane vision control. Stack Manaflow Band by Q-poking minions.

Backline AP threat. Stand mid-line at 900+ range. Q to poke, W to zone, E to interrupt dashes. Burst priority targets — your damage scales infinitely on AP items.

Void Staff vs MR stacking. Zhonya's Hourglass for the immobile playstyle. Never solo-engage — wait for tank engage, follow up with R.

Out-poke lane → 1 item spike → R-burst teamfights. Xerath doesn't peel — your team needs another support source for that.

Win: 50%+ Q hit rate + 3+ R kills per game. Lose to: assassins (Zed, Akali, Talon) → build defensive Zhonya's first.

Level 2 — full poke combo unlocked. Level 6 — R for first major burst window. Liandry's Anguish — DoT damage stacks on poke abilities. Sorcerer's Shoes — magic pen for true damage burst. Level 11 — R rank 2 + 2-3 items = 60%+ HP nuke on squishies. Level 16 — R rank 3 + Void Staff + Rabadon's.

Combos:

• Q (poke) -> Auto (Spellthief proc) -> W (AoE damage) = chunk on squishies
• E (CC) -> Q -> R = guaranteed combo on rooted target
• Hit Q on a minion to bait enemy approach, then full combo when they whiff

Anti-tips:

• Don't engage solo without tank ally — mages die in 1v1 to bruisers
• Don't waste mana on missed Q's — manage mana for the actual fight
• Don't fight at melee range — Xerath's base AA is 525 with no AS items

Pro tricks:

• Arcane Comet keystone procs every Q if landed at max range
• Push wave under tower mid-game, then roam — mid lane unwarded after
• Stack passive procs (Liandry burn) BEFORE the actual fight by pre-poking