Runes for Xerath: Unleashing the Power of the Ascended Mage
When it comes to dominating the mid-lane and decimating your enemies from afar, few champions can match the power and precision of Xerath. This deadly Ascended Mage possesses an arsenal of devastating long-range spells that can melt through even the toughest defenses. However, to truly maximize Xerath’s potential, choosing the right runes is essential. In this guide, we will delve into the best rune options for Xerath and explore how they complement his abilities, fortifying his dominance on the battlefield.
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Sorcery Runes
Sorcery is Xerath’s primary choice of rune path, providing him with increased ability power, cooldown reduction, and mana sustain. Here are the key options within the Sorcery tree:
Arcane Comet
Arcane Comet is the go-to keystone for Xerath due to his long-range poke. This rune deals bonus damage when you hit an enemy champion with an ability, providing additional burst damage in combination with Xerath’s already potent skill set.
Manaflow Band
Manaflow Band is a crucial rune for Xerath, as it helps alleviate his mana consumption issues during the early laning phase. Each time you hit an enemy champion with an ability, Manaflow Band restores a portion of your maximum mana. This ensures that you can continuously harass your opponents and maintain a strong presence in lane.
Transcendence
Transcendence provides Xerath with additional cooldown reduction, scaling off any exceeding cooldown reduction he has beyond the cap. This allows Xerath to reach maximum uptime on his spells, maximizing his damage output in team fights.
Gathering Storm
Gathering Storm is a late-game scaling rune that further enhances Xerath’s power. As game time progresses, Gathering Storm grants him bonus ability power, ensuring that he remains a significant threat in the later stages of the game.
Recommended secondary options from the Sorcery tree include:
- Nimbus Cloak for increased mobility after casting your ultimate.
- Scorch for additional poke damage in the early game.
Domination Runes
In certain situations, Domination can be a viable secondary path for Xerath, offering additional burst damage and utility. Here are some notable runes within this tree:
Cheap Shot
Cheap Shot is an excellent choice for Xerath, as it triggers bonus true damage whenever you impair an enemy champion. Xerath’s crowd control abilities, such as his E – Shocking Orb, can activate Cheap Shot, amplifying his overall damage output.
Ghost Poro
Ghost Poro provides a subtle advantage in vision control. By placing a Poro in a brush, Xerath gains adaptive force when nearby enemies step on it. This helps him deal more damage and assert his dominance in skirmishes and team fights.
Ultimate Hunter
Ultimate Hunter reduces the cooldown of Xerath’s ultimate ability, R – Rite of the Arcane. This allows him to unleash his ultimate more frequently during crucial team fights, amplifying his threat level significantly.
Alternative options from the Domination tree include:
- Taste of Blood for increased sustain during the laning phase.
- Ravenous Hunter for additional spell vamp, boosting your survivability.
Inspiration Runes
Inspiration runes provide Xerath with utility and flexibility, making them a suitable secondary path. Here are some notable options from the Inspiration tree:
Hextech Flashtraption
Hextech Flashtraption grants you the ability to swap your trinket’s functionality for a short-distance blink, allowing for unexpected engages or quick escapes. With Xerath’s long-range artillery, this rune adds further versatility to your playstyle.
Magical Footwear
Magical Footwear provides free boots after a certain amount of time, saving you gold and allowing for earlier item power spikes. This rune synergizes well with Xerath’s need for scaling and damage items, accelerating his itemization in the early game.
Cosmic Insight
Cosmic Insight grants Xerath increased cooldown reduction and summoner spell cooldown reduction. This translates to more frequent spell casts and summoner spell availability, giving you a distinct advantage during skirmishes, team fights, and map control.
Biscuit Delivery
Biscuit Delivery provides Xerath with additional mana sustain and health restoration, ensuring he can continue his relentless poke in the laning phase. Additionally, it provides a temporary maximum mana increase, allowing for even more powerful spell rotations.
Precision Runes
Precision runes might not be the most common choice for Xerath, but they can provide certain benefits depending on your playstyle or team composition. Consider the following options:
Presence of Mind
Presence of Mind restores a percentage of Xerath’s maximum mana and grants additional maximum mana whenever you secure a takedown or assist. This rune can prove invaluable during team fights or extended skirmishes, ensuring you don’t run out of mana when it matters the most.
Coup de Grace
Coup de Grace increases your damage against enemies with low health, allowing you to finish off weakened opponents with ease. This can be particularly useful when you’re up against squishy champions or teams that lack significant sustain or tankiness.
Resolve Runes
While Resolve runes are not typically prioritized on Xerath, there are situations where they can provide extra survivability or utility:
Bone Plating
Bone Plating reduces incoming damage from the next three unique champion abilities or basic attacks that hit you within a short time frame. This rune can be useful against champions with strong burst damage, allowing you to mitigate some of their initial burst and retaliate with your long-range abilities.
Second Wind
Second Wind provides increased health regeneration when you take damage from an enemy champion or their abilities. This rune offers additional sustain during the laning phase, allowing you to absorb harass and remain in the lane longer.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect set of runes for Xerath can drastically enhance your performance and turn you into a potent artillery mage. The Sorcery tree, with options like Arcane Comet and Manaflow Band, serves as the foundation for his rune choices, maximizing his poke and sustain. However, don’t overlook other paths like Domination, Inspiration, Precision, or even Resolve, as they can bring unique benefits and synergies to your playstyle and team composition.
Remember, while these rune suggestions provide a strong starting point, it’s crucial to adapt your choices based on the specific game circumstances, team compositions, and personal preferences. Experiment with different rune combinations, refine your playstyle, and become the Ascended Mage that strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies.
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