If you have little idea on how to deal with Xerath in LoL, here are some of the best counters you can play this season.
Image Credit: Riot Games
Xerath isn’t that popular of a mid lane champion right now. His high reliance on skill shots and his general lack of mobility doesn’t make him an attractive pick for most. That said, he can still be an extremely oppressive champion to play against and obnoxious when fed. To that end, we have compiled the best Xerath counters you should play to get closer to victory.
If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. You will understand why counter picks are important, and how you need to take advantage of them to increase your win rate. Make sure to also understand how classes counter one another in LoL so you always know what to pick in each game.
Even though Sylas can struggle given the melee vs range matchup, he actually does a decent job at punishing Xerath. The goal is to always stand in the minion waves and dash in as soon as the enemy walks up to last hit minions or make trades. Once you get into his face, there is little Xerath can do to get away. A bonus point is the hijacking of the ultimate: it will feel great to kill enemies on the map from afar.
If you’re not good at Sylas or don’t like the champion’s kit, then Akali can be a great alternative. Just like the former, she has several ways of reaching Xerath and punishing him with a rotation of combos. The key to this matchup is pinpointing the right opportunities to go in and make those mechanical plays work. Learn those and you’ll have great success with this pick.
Image Credit: Riot Games
While Irelia is not that popular of a mid lane pick, she’s one of my favorite champions to play into Xerath. A great Irelia player will be Xerath’s worst nightmare as she will be dashing left and right before jumping into his face with one fast combo. If everything connects, there is no chance the enemy can live, even if he has Flash. You need to be proficient with the champion, though, so master her first.
Lissandra is the worst champion you can play against Xerath. Not only does she have an inferior range on her abilities but her trading patterns are also quite telegraphed and can be read by the enemy. You’re expected to lose the lane so just focus on last hitting as much as possible.
Azir falls into a similar category as Lissandra with the exception, however, that the former scales better in the late game. He also has some outplay potential with his dash and ultimate which makes him a bit stronger. The laning phase, though, is still tough and Xerath will be able to abuse the enemy with his poke. In this case, Azir is sub-optimal pick so don’t pick it if possible.
When going up against Ekko, it’s recommended to stack a mix of MR and HP. Below is a list of items to build you should consider, based on the class of champion you’re playing:
The three best counters are Sylas, Akali, and Irelia. Other strong counters are Talon, Ekko, and Katarina.
Orianna struggles quite a lot against Xerath due to her shorter range. The enemy can abuse Orianna throughout the laning phase by poking and harassing her while stacking up the First Strike rune to gain more gold. Later in the game, the gold stacking gets even better for Xerath as he will be able to build up more economy. The only way for Orianna to win this matchup is by calling the jungle for help or through game-winning teamfights.
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