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the Magus Ascendant

Xerath ADC build & stats

MageSupport C 1,643 games · patch 16.17
Win rate
50.8%
Pick rate
1.8%
Ban rate
7.4%
Solo/Duo Flex ARAM
16.17 16.16 16.9
Division
Master
All divisions Challenger Grandmaster Master Diamond no data Emerald no data Platinum no data Gold no data Silver no data Bronze no data Iron no data
Build, runes, spells and skill order are from Master games only.

Recommended build

Chosen by win rate among builds with enough games, from ranked matches of high-elo players on patch 16.17

Solid sample

Start with

Doran's Ring
Doran's Ring
400 gold
Health Potion
Health Potion
50 gold
Health Potion
Health Potion
50 gold
63.2% 76 games

Build in this order

Blackfire Torch 1
Blackfire Torch
2,800 gold
Horizon Focus 2
Horizon Focus
2,700 gold
Rabadon's Deathcap 3
Rabadon's Deathcap
3,500 gold
9,000 gold
90.9% WR 11 games

Runes

Sorcery Sorcery + Precision Precision
77.8% WR
18 games · 1% pick
Arcane Comet
Arcane Comet

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

Sorcery Sorcery
Summon Aery Arcane Comet Stormraider's Surge Deathfire Touch
Axiom Arcanist Manaflow Band Nimbus Cloak
Transcendence Absolute Focus Celerity
Waterwalking Gathering Storm Scorch
Precision Precision
Presence of Mind Absorb Life Triumph
Legend: Bloodline Legend: Alacrity Legend: Haste
Coup de Grace Cut Down Last Stand
Shards
Adaptive Force Attack Speed Ability Haste
Adaptive Force Move Speed Health Scaling
Health Tenacity and Slow Resist Health Scaling

Summoner spells

Flash Barrier
65.3% 49 games

Max order

Arcanopulse Q Eye of Destruction W Shocking Orb E
68.2% 66 games

Each line is the variant with the best win rate among those played enough times, not simply the most popular one. Win rates are smoothed so a lucky three-game build can't top the list. Sample sizes are shown next to every choice.

Tips for Xerath

Generated from this patch's numbers

  • Xerath wins 50.8% of games as ADC on patch 16.17 (1,643 games).
  • Most common core: Luden's Echo → Shadowflame → Rabadon's Deathcap — 45% win rate over 20 games.
  • Take Arcane Comet as keystone: picked in 72% of games with a 51% win rate.
  • Best matchup: Vel'Koz (78% over 9 games). Hardest: Hwei (31% over 16 games) — consider a ban or a different pick when you see it.

Items

Core build in purchase order (from match timelines)

Core build

Luden's Echo 1
Luden's Echo
Stormsurge 2
Stormsurge
Rabadon's Deathcap 3
Rabadon's Deathcap
100.0% WR
7 games · 0% pick
Luden's Echo 1
Luden's Echo
Shadowflame 2
Shadowflame
Rabadon's Deathcap 3
Rabadon's Deathcap
60.0% WR
5 games · 0% pick
Luden's Echo 1
Luden's Echo
Horizon Focus 2
Horizon Focus
Shadowflame 3
Shadowflame
50.0% WR
4 games · 0% pick

Starting items

Doran's Ring
Doran's Ring
Health Potion
Health Potion
Health Potion
Health Potion
63.2% WR
76 games · 5% pick

Legendary items by win rate

ItemWin ratePick
Cryptbloom Cryptbloom
 70.0% 1% (10)
Rabadon's Deathcap Rabadon's Deathcap
 61.8% 12% (199)
Stormsurge Stormsurge
 61.4% 5% (83)
Rylai's Crystal Scepter Rylai's Crystal Scepter
 58.1% 3% (43)
Void Staff Void Staff
 57.9% 6% (95)
Horizon Focus Horizon Focus
 52.5% 14% (236)
Luden's Echo Luden's Echo
 51.3% 23% (384)
Shadowflame Shadowflame
 49.4% 20% (330)
Blackfire Torch Blackfire Torch
 48.7% 9% (156)
Zhonya's Hourglass Zhonya's Hourglass
 45.7% 2% (35)
Malignance Malignance
 33.3% 1% (21)
Banshee's Veil Banshee's Veil
 33.3% 1% (12)

Runes

Most played full pages and keystone win rates

Sorcery Sorcery + Inspiration Inspiration
48.3% WR
147 games · 9% pick
Arcane Comet
Arcane Comet

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

Sorcery Sorcery
Summon Aery Arcane Comet Stormraider's Surge Deathfire Touch
Axiom Arcanist Manaflow Band Nimbus Cloak
Transcendence Absolute Focus Celerity
Waterwalking Gathering Storm Scorch
Inspiration Inspiration
Magical Footwear Hextech Flashtraption Cash Back
Triple Tonic Biscuit Delivery Time Warp Tonic
Jack Of All Trades Cosmic Insight Approach Velocity
Shards
Adaptive Force Attack Speed Ability Haste
Adaptive Force Move Speed Health Scaling
Health Tenacity and Slow Resist Health Scaling
Sorcery Sorcery + Precision Precision
52.7% WR
55 games · 3% pick
Arcane Comet Manaflow Band Transcendence Scorch Coup de Grace Presence of Mind
Inspiration Inspiration + Sorcery Sorcery
48.5% WR
33 games · 2% pick
First Strike Magical Footwear Biscuit Delivery Cosmic Insight Manaflow Band Scorch

Keystones

  • Arcane Comet Arcane Comet Damaging a champion with an ability hurls a damaging comet at their location. 51.1%28% pick
  • First Strike First Strike When you initiate champion combat, deal 7% extra damage for 3 seconds and gain gold based on damage dealt. 38.4%4% pick
  • Dark Harvest Dark Harvest Damaging a low health champion inflicts adaptive damage and harvests a soul from the victim. 46.2%1% pick

Summoner spells

  • Flash Teleport Flash + Teleport 47.5%28% pick
  • Flash Barrier Flash + Barrier 65.3%3% pick
  • Exhaust Flash Exhaust + Flash 52.2%1% pick

Abilities & skill order

Which ability to max first, from match timelines

Arcanopulse Q Eye of Destruction W Shocking Orb E 68.2%66 games

Most common first three levels: Q → W → E (70%), W → Q → E (50%), Q → E → W (67%).

  • PMana Surge

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

  • QArcanopulse

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

  • WEye 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.

  • EShocking Orb

    Deals magic damage to an enemy and stuns them.

  • RRite of the Arcane

    Xerath immobilizes himself and gains numerous long-range barrages.