Xerath vs Annie

Xerath
vs
47.1%

over 280 games

Annie

Skill matchup

High burstHeavy AP damageHeavy CC

Build vs Annie

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Xerath: Luden's Echo, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Sorcerer's Shoes, Horizon Focus, Dark Seal, Stormsurge, Mejai's Soulstealer.

Starting items

Doran's Ring
Health Potion
x2

Core build

Luden's Echo
1
Shadowflame
2
Rabadon's Deathcap
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Horizon Focus
5

Summoner spells

FlashTeleport77%
FlashBarrier15%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Horizon Focus
Dark Seal
Stormsurge
Mejai's Soulstealer
Void Staff
Malignance
Zhonya's Hourglass
Blackfire Torch
Banshee's Veil
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Oblivion Orb
Seeker's Armguard
Morellonomicon
43.4% WR53 games
SorcerySorcery
Arcane CometArcane Comet
Manaflow BandManaflow Band
TranscendenceTranscendence
ScorchScorch
PrecisionPrecision
Presence of MindPresence of Mind
Coup de GraceCoup de Grace
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Annie's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Pyromania (P)

After casting 4 spells, Annie's next offensive spell will stun the target.Annie begins the game and respawns with Pyromania available.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
34s7s10s–
64s7s10s2m10
94s7s10s2m10
114s7s10s1m55
164s7s10s1m40
184s7s10s1m40

Playing as Xerath

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Charge Arcanopulse to poke from range

    Charge Arcanopulse (Q) to poke from long range: its range grows with the charge, but you slow down by up to 50% in the meantime.

  2. Slow before your Arcanopulse

    Slow your target with Eye of Destruction (W) before Arcanopulse (Q): the center of the zone slows the most, and a slowed target dodges poorly.

  3. Stun, then center your Eye

    Land Shocking Orb (E), then center Eye of Destruction (W) on the target: stunned, they can't dodge it, and the center slows the most.

  4. Finish from long range with your ult

    Cast Rite of the Arcane (R) to finish a fleeing target or support a distant fight: your shots reach 5000 range, with bonus damage per champion hit.

Playing against Annie

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Back off when her stun is ready

    Back off when Pyromania (passive) is ready: after 4 spells, her next offensive spell stuns you. She has it ready at the start and every time she respawns.

  2. Poke her from outside her range

    If your range is longer than hers, poke her from outside it: her autos and Disintegrate (Q) reach 625, Incinerate (W) 600.

  3. Respect her level 6

    Once she hits level 6, stay well outside her range when her stun is ready: with Flash, Summon: Tibbers (R) can land on you from much farther away.

  4. Play hard once Tibbers is gone

    Take the teamfight once Tibbers has been cast and is gone, because Summon: Tibbers (R) has a 130 to 100 second cooldown and is her biggest source of damage.

Patch 16.21.1