Every figure shows its source. Where a source is missing, the number is a placeholder — and it is never written as fact.

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026

Xerath Build, Runes and Counters — Mid, Bot and Support · Patch 26.20

the Magus Ascendant

Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (2,876 games).

Xerath, the Magus Ascendant, fires a long-range beam with Arcanopulse and roots himself in place for long-range barrages with Rite of the Arcane. Master+ played him in three roles, Mid first, then the bot lane and support, mostly on Arcane Comet; Luden's Echo opened his most-bought path and Blackfire Torch the best-winning one. In Mid, Locke, Yone and Twisted Fate were his toughest matchups.

MageSupport

Patch 26.18 · Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 2,876 games · Preview sample

Role snapshot (Mid)

BTier
Win Rate
49.1%
Pick Rate
4.4%
Ban Rate
1.5%

2,876

Games

High

Confidence

Win rate by lane

  • Mid47.8% · 1,375 games
  • Bot50.5% · 970 games · small sample
  • Support50.5% · 519 games · small sample

Most common path

227 games

52.0%Win Rate

Start
FlashTeleport

Highest win rate path

99 games

60.6%Win Rate

Start
FlashTeleport

Runes

Patch 26.18

This exact page: taken in 14.0% of games·49.5% win rate over 402 games.

Primary

Sorcery

Arcane Comet

Damaging a champion with an ability hurls a damaging comet at their location.

Manaflow Band

Hitting an enemy champion with an ability permanently increases your maximum mana by 25, up to 250 mana. After reaching 250 bonus mana, restore 1% of your missing mana every 5 seconds.

Transcendence

Gain bonuses upon reaching the following levels:Level 5: +5 Ability Haste Level 8: +5 Ability Haste Level 11: On Champion takedown, reduce the remaining cooldown of basic abilities by 20%.

Scorch

Your first damaging ability hit every 10s burns champions.

Secondary

Inspiration

Cash Back

Get some gold back when you purchase Legendary Items.

Triple Tonic

Upon reaching level 3, gain an Elixir of Avarice. Upon reaching level 6, gain an Elixir of Force. Upon reaching level 9, gain an Elixir of Skill.

Shards

  • Adaptive Force
  • Adaptive Force
  • Health Scaling

Other keystones taken

  • First Strike15.5% taken · 46.3% win447 games
  • Dark Harvest5.4% taken · 52.3% win155 games
  • Summon Aery3.3% taken · 48.9% win94 games

Tree pairs

  • Sorcery + Precision43.2% taken · 49.6% win1,241 games
  • Sorcery + Inspiration31.0% taken · 49.8% win891 games
  • Inspiration + Sorcery15.1% taken · 45.5% win433 games

Skill Order

Which ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Xerath's most common path.

Q

Arcanopulse

Fires a long-range beam of energy, dealing magic damage to all targets hit.

Cooldown 9/8/7/6/5s · 80/90/100/110/120 Mana
W

Eye of Destruction

Calls down a barrage of arcane energy, slowing and dealing magic damage to all enemies in an area.

Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10s · 80/90/100/110/120 Mana
E

Shocking Orb

Deals magic damage to an enemy and stuns them.

Cooldown 13/12.5/12/11.5/11s · 60/65/70/75/80 Mana
R

Rite of the Arcane

Xerath immobilizes himself and gains numerous long-range barrages.

Cooldown 130/115/100s · 100 Mana

Max Order

QWE

Max Q first, then W, then E. Take R whenever available (6 / 11 / 16).

Level-up Order

  • Q
  • W
  • E
  • R
Ability123456789101112131415161718
QArcanopulseQQQQQ
WEye of DestructionWWWWW
EShocking OrbEEEEE
RRite of the ArcaneRRR

Matchup map (Mid)

How Xerath performs against enemy mid laners

Levels 1 – 18 · Master+40%60%Xerath's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard

Conditional build matrix

Recommended items by enemy team composition

Master+ · Patch 26.18
Mythic / CoreFirst major item
Core 2Second item
Core 3Third item
BootsBoot slot
SituationalPick as needed

Scaling — minute 10–30

XerathMid average

Gold

102030

Damage to champions

102030

CS

102030

Counter plan — how to beat Xerath

  • Dodge the primary — its rotation is one skillshot; sidestep it and the rest is chip

  • Track the roam — it is strongest where the enemy jungler already is

  • Punish the cooldown — Xerath is exposed while its rotation is down

  • Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one

  • Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 8/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average

Ability details

  • P

    Mana Surge

    Xerath's basic attacks periodically restore Mana. Whenever Xerath kills a unit, this cooldown is reduced.

    Passive — never cast

  • Q

    Arcanopulse

    Fires a long-range beam of energy, dealing magic damage to all targets hit.

    Cost 80/90/100/110/120 ManaCooldown 9/8/7/6/5sRange 750

  • W

    Eye of Destruction

    Calls down a barrage of arcane energy, slowing and dealing magic damage to all enemies in an area. Targets in the middle receive additional damage and a stronger slow.

    Cost 80/90/100/110/120 ManaCooldown 14/13/12/11/10sRange 1000

  • E

    Shocking Orb

    Deals magic damage to an enemy and stuns them.

    Cost 60/65/70/75/80 ManaCooldown 13/12.5/12/11.5/11sRange 1050

  • R

    Rite of the Arcane

    Xerath immobilizes himself and gains numerous long-range barrages.

    Cost 100 ManaCooldown 130/115/100sRange 5000

Xerath balance history

Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Xerath in 3 patches. The latest is patch 26.17, published 2026-08-25.

  1. Patch 26.172026-08-25

    Base Stats

    • Health596to575

    QArcanopulse

    • Damage75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+90% AP)to70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+90% AP)
    Why, in Riot's words

    Xerath has rested slightly high in power both mid and bot, and after last patch's adjustments to mages has come out on top in mid lane compared to others. Given his extremely high ban rate in certain regions, he's due a light nerf.

  2. Patch 25.082025-04-15

    PMana Surge

    • Cooldown Reduction on Kill2.5 secondsto3.5 seconds

    QArcanopulse

    • Damage70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+ 90% AP)to75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+ 90% AP)
    Why, in Riot's words

    The Xerath adjustment from last patch meant to buff mid and nerf support landed closer to neutral than desired, and both landed slightly win rate negative despite intending mid to be buffed. The power shift in the last list was a good foundation to build on and in this change we are pushing the mid exclusive lever of mana restoration on kill to make sure the list is clearly skewed towards the mid lane. Additionally adding some power back into Xerath's base damages to make up for some of the early game power removed from the previous base damage removals.

  3. Patch 25.072025-04-01

    QArcanopulse

    • Damage70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+ 85% AP)to70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+ 90% AP)

    WEye of Destruction

    • Damage60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+ 60 % AP)to50 / 85 / 120 / 155 / 190 (+ 65% bonus AP)

    EShocking Orb

    • Damage80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+ 45% AP)to70 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190 (+ 45% AP)

    RRite of the Arcane

    • Damage180 / 230 /280 (+ 40% AP)to170 / 220 / 270 (+ 45% AP)
    Why, in Riot's words

    Xerath has lost some focus as a premier artillery mage mid laner over time and has transitioned a good chunk of his play rate to support. We would like to make some power adjustments to more clearly emphasize his prowess as a mid laner and reward high cost AP purchases with his kit.

Xerath skins (10)

Riot's data lists 10 looks for Xerath with their own art, the base skin included and 23 chroma variants.

ARAM performance

EstimateA
Win Rate
53.3%
▼ 0.6%
Pick Rate
1.7%
▼ 0.9%
Ban Rate
4.9%
▼ 0.5%
Damage dealt
93.7%
Damage taken
101.5%
Healing
96.4%
Shielding
101.6%
Ability Haste
+21

Best ARAM build

Patch timeline

Riot’s notes

This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.

  1. 26.1948.1% over 792 games · small sample-0.4
  2. 26.1849.4% over 1,546 games-0.1
  3. 26.1749.8% over 518 games · small sample—

Xerath's base stats against all 173 champions

  • Xerath's attack speed per level of 1.36% is the 12th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 3 others).
StatXerathRankMedian
Base health575=149th620
Health per level106=66th104
Base armor22=151st30
Armor per level4.7=42nd4.6
Base magic resist30=110th32
Magic resist per level1.3=93rd1.55
Base attack damage55=120th59
Base attack speed0.658=54th0.656
Attack speed per level1.36%=159th2.5%
Move speed340=37th335
Attack range525=46th175

Xerath at level 1 and level 18

  • Xerath reaches 2377 health at level 18 — 575 at level 1 plus 17 × 106, the 76th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.
  • Xerath reaches 774 mana at level 18 — 400 at level 1 plus 17 × 22, the 3rd-lowest of 145 mana users on patch 26.20.
  • Xerath reaches 101.9 armor at level 18 — 22 at level 1 plus 17 × 4.7, the 57th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 2.
  • Xerath reaches 52.1 magic resist at level 18 — 30 at level 1 plus 17 × 1.3, the 34th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 43.
StatLevel 1Per levelLevel 18Rank at 18
Health575+106237798th of 173
Mana400+22774143rd of 145
Armor22+4.7101.9=115th of 173
Magic resist30+1.352.1=97th of 173

Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.

Riot's tips for Xerath

Playing Xerath

  • It's easier to land Arcanopulse on an enemy when they're moving toward or away from you, rather than side to side.
  • Eye of Destruction will make landing Arcanopulse easier as the target will be slowed.
  • If you stun an enemy with Shocking Orb, follow up with a guaranteed center hit on Eye of Destruction.

Playing against Xerath

  • Xerath's range can be intimidating, but most champions who close distance with him can trade favorably.
  • Xerath takes a long time to engage Rite of the Arcane. Watch for his spellcast animation and start dodging.
  • Banshee's Veil will make it much harder for Xerath to land Shocking Orb on you.

Quick answers about Xerath

How does Xerath do against Locke?
Xerath won 35.7% of 56 counted Master+ games against Locke. Locke is one of the opponents that beat Xerath. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Xerath do against Yone?
Xerath won 39.2% of 79 counted Master+ games against Yone. Yone is one of the opponents that beat Xerath. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Xerath do against Ahri?
Xerath won 39.6% of 48 counted Master+ games against Ahri. Ahri is one of the opponents that beat Xerath. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Xerath do against Twisted Fate?
Xerath won 40.0% of 55 counted Master+ games against Twisted Fate. Twisted Fate is one of the opponents that beat Xerath. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Xerath do against Viktor?
Xerath won 52.9% of 102 counted Master+ games against Viktor. It is close to even.
How does Xerath do against Syndra?
Xerath won 49.5% of 103 counted Master+ games against Syndra. It is close to even.
How does Xerath do against Yasuo?
Xerath won 54.1% of 37 counted Master+ games against Yasuo. It is a matchup Xerath wins more often than not. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
What class is Xerath?
Riot classes Xerath as Mage and Support. This site files the champion under Mid.
How hard is Xerath to play?
Riot rates Xerath's difficulty 8 out of 10.
What resource does Xerath use?
Xerath's abilities spend Mana.
What is Xerath's attack range?
525 units — the 46th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 17 others).
What are Xerath's abilities?
Passive — Mana Surge, Q — Arcanopulse, W — Eye of Destruction, E — Shocking Orb and R — Rite of the Arcane.
How many skins does Xerath have?
Riot's data lists 10 skins with their own art, the base look included, plus 23 chroma variants.
How much health does Xerath have at level 18?
2377 — 575 at level 1 plus 17 × 106 per level, Riot's own values, before items and runes.
What is Xerath's ultimate cooldown?
Rite of the Arcane (R): 130/115/100 seconds by rank, before ability haste, in Riot's Data Dragon 16.20.1.
When did Riot last change Xerath?
Patch 26.17, published 25 August 2026 — the latest of 3 patches that change Xerath in Riot's notes from 25.S1.1 to 26.20.

Xerath at a glance

Xerath, the Magus Ascendant, is a Mage and Support champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 8/10 for difficulty, 1/10 for attack, 3/10 for defense and 10/10 for magic. Xerath spends Mana and has 10 skins with their own art. Xerath's attack speed per level of 1.36% is the 12th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 3 others).

Attack1/10
Defense3/10
Magic10/10
Difficulty8/10

Xerath's story

Xerath is an Ascended Magus of ancient Shurima, a being of arcane energy writhing in the broken shards of a magical sarcophagus. For millennia, he was trapped beneath the desert sands, but the rise of Shurima freed him from his ancient prison. Driven insane with power, he now seeks to take what he believes is rightfully his and replace the upstart civilizations of the world with one fashioned in his image.
— Riot Games, Data Dragon 16.20.1. League of Legends Universe

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Methodology

Data window
Preview sample — a one-time snapshot of 65,406 ranked games (Master+, EUW/KR/NA, patch 26.18), counted by GamGem while our Riot production key is under review. Figures will update daily once it is approved. Counted 26–27 Sept 2026; patches 26.18 (35,477) · 26.19 (18,580) · 26.17 (11,048) · 26.16 (293) · 26.15 (8); by server EUW 22,382 · KR 21,922 · NA 21,065 · EUNE 20 · TR 17. 642 games without a result — remakes ended by vote in their first minutes, and games recorded with no winner — were not counted.
Rank aggregation
Master, Grandmaster and Challenger, pooled — the three ladders the count read its players from. Splitting further leaves samples too small to separate a real effect from noise.
Role assignment
A champion is filed under every lane that holds at least a tenth of its counted games — the position the match itself reports, not the champion’s class. Its headline win rate is across all of them; each lane’s own win rate and games are counted too, and a lane’s tier list ranks by them.
Counters
The two champions in the same position on opposite teams, over that pairing’s own counted games — ranked on the edge pulled toward zero by its sample size, printed raw.
Minimum sample
None — no figure is hidden for being thin. Every rate prints its games, and the confidence band is its 95% margin: Very High within ±1.5 points, High ±2.5, Moderate ±3.1 (1,000 games), Low wider.
Why a build is not a cause
An item is counted when the match ENDS with it, so late items show long games and an item bought when already ahead shows games that were being won. Correlation is what a rate can show; it is not evidence that buying the item caused the win.
Where the numbers come from
Names, classes, abilities, items and runes are Riot Data Dragon. Win, pick and ban rates, builds, keystones, spells and matchups are counted by GamGem from Riot's ranked match records. An estimate, not a count: this panel is not in the preview sample, and is labelled so.

Xerath on video

Published by League of Legends on YouTube, 5 October 2011.

15 years old. League of Legends has been patched since, so watch it for how the kit plays, not for numbers — the rest of this page is written for the current patch.

It plays in YouTube’s own player once you press play. Nothing is downloaded or re-hosted here, and nothing loads from YouTube until then.