How to Counter Xerath - Playing Against Guide | Patch 26.7

What They Do

Xerath is the ultimate artillery mage. He wants to sit two screens away and poke you down with and until you are low enough to be finished by his long-range . He is extremely squishy and immobile, relying entirely on hitting a skillshot stun to survive any dive.

Abilities (What to Watch For)

Ability	What You'll See	What It Means For You
	His hands glow with blue arcane energy	His next auto-attack restores mana via . He gets double mana if he hits a champion, so expect him to walk up periodically.
	He charges a beam that extends in length	Long-range line nuke. He is slowed while charging . He cannot auto-attack or use other spells during the charge.
	A circular blast from the sky	Deals massive damage and slows. The center of hits significantly harder and applies a much stronger slow.
	A flying orb of energy	A skillshot stun. The stun duration of increases based on distance traveled (0.75s to 2.25s).
	He roots himself and grows larger	He gains multiple long-range artillery shots with . He cannot move while firing and is completely vulnerable to flankers.

Respect

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Center of →The center deals 50% more damage and slows for up to 80%. If you get hit by the center, you are almost guaranteed to be hit by .
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Max range →Being stunned for over 2 seconds from half a screen away allows him to land his entire kit for a free kill.
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Level 6 Snipe→Once he has , nowhere is safe. Even if you survive a trade, he can finish you from under his own tower.
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Fog of War Poke→Xerath will use through walls. If you can't see him, he has a massive advantage in landing his shots.

Punish

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is on cooldown (13s level 1)→He has zero self-peel. If he misses or wastes this, you should immediately jump on him or call for a gank.
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During charge→He is slowed by 20% while charging. This is the best time to land your own skillshots or close the gap while he's slow.
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When he's using →He only has 525 attack range. He must walk close to minions (or you) to get mana back. Punish this positioning error.
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When he activates →He is self-rooted. If you have any global mobility or are near him, he is a sitting duck for your full combo.

Laning Tips

•Stand outside of your minion wave. This forces him to choose between using to poke you or to clear the wave.
•Rush Tier 2 boots (Mercs or Swifties). Movement speed is the single most effective stat for dodging his entire kit.
•Move unpredictably. Xerath players look for patterns; if you always dodge left, they will lead their to the left.
•Stay healthy. Xerath's pressure relies on you being low enough that you have to play scared of .
•Ward the sides of the lane. He will often step into the jungle to fire from an angle you don't expect.
•If you are an assassin, get right in his face. The stun from is very short at point-blank range.

Teamfight Warning

⚠Don't group in tight chokepoints. His and deal heavy AoE damage and can chunk multiple people.
⚠Assassins must flank. Front-to-back fighting is impossible against a good Xerath because you'll be dead before you reach him.
⚠Save your mobility/flash for his . If he misses that, he is 100% dead to any diver.
⚠Zhonyas or Edge of Night are core items against him to negate his burst or block the initial stun.
⚠If he starts , move in a 'Zig-Zag' or star pattern. Avoid moving in a straight line or standing still.

AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached

Ability

What You'll See

What It Means For You

His hands glow with blue arcane energy

His next auto-attack restores mana via . He gets double mana if he hits a champion, so expect him to walk up periodically.

He charges a beam that extends in length

Long-range line nuke. He is slowed while charging . He cannot auto-attack or use other spells during the charge.

A circular blast from the sky

Deals massive damage and slows. The center of hits significantly harder and applies a much stronger slow.

A flying orb of energy

A skillshot stun. The stun duration of increases based on distance traveled (0.75s to 2.25s).

He roots himself and grows larger

He gains multiple long-range artillery shots with . He cannot move while firing and is completely vulnerable to flankers.