Matchup
You are stronger early — look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Xerath
Build adapted to this matchup
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
69%
22%Anti AD
Anti Heal
Anti CC
Anti Tank
DPS
Other options
Sorcery
Arcane Comet
Manaflow Band
Transcendence
Gathering Storm
Precision
Presence of Mind
Cut Down
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Seraphine
XerathXerath's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Xerath's basic attacks periodically restore Mana. Whenever Xerath kills a unit, this cooldown is reduced.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 14s | 13s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 14s | 13s | 2m10 |
| 9 | 5s | 13s | 13s | 2m10 |
| 11 | 5s | 12s | 13s | 1m55 |
| 16 | 5s | 10s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 5s | 10s | 11s | 1m40 |
Playing against Xerath
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
Gap-close on Xerath: he's very vulnerable in melee. Assassins and engages destroy him.
His Q has a windup during which he slows down — engage when he's charging his Q.
All his abilities are skillshots: move constantly in unpredictable patterns.
His R makes him immobile: if you can find him during his R, interrupt him with CC.
Source: op.gg + LTL Engine · Patch 16.9.1 · May 9, 2026