Xerath Mid, patch 16.11. Below you'll find Xerath's build, runes, toughest counters, strongest duos, and win conditions, every number measured from current-patch Emerald+ ranked games.
Xerath is an AP mage in the mid, and on patch 16.11 they grade out as a top-tier pick — a 53.6% win rate, 5.7% pick rate, 67,189 ranked games sampled. On the power curve, Xerath is a scaling champion: comparatively weak early, but one of the strongest picks on the map once core items come online — so the plan is to survive the laning phase and take the game over late.
How Xerath wins: sieging objectives and turrets with sustained pressure, and winning the wave and turning push priority into map control. The kit grades 10/10 siege, 8/10 waveclear, 7/10 teamfighting. Xerath's soft spots are roaming and disengage (3/10, 3/10) — avoid fights that hinge on them.
The most-played core build is Luden's Echo, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, which holds a 53.6% win rate across 5,768 games this patch. Set the enemy team at the top of the page to see how the path shifts against that comp.
The matchup to respect is Lux, where Xerath sits at just 41.2%, the lane swings the other way into Mel (62.3%), and on the team side, Xerath gains the most from a Katarina (+6.6% pair win rate).
Xerath's highest-volume core items and rune page this patch. Select the enemy composition above and the build re-optimizes for that exact matchup.
Champions that beat Xerath Mid the most this patch, anywhere on the enemy team. Top ban targets.
The teammates that make Xerath Mid stronger this patch, measured by how much the pair's win rate beats Xerath going solo.
Xerath is also played in these other roles this patch.
Take Xerath into the Team Builder to plan around every pick, or check the Tier List to see exactly where Xerath ranks this patch.