Xerath

Xerath is an AP mage in the support, and on patch 16.11 they grade out as a strong pick — a 51.7% win rate, 3.2% pick rate, 37,876 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 Zaz'Zak's Realmspike, Luden's Echo, Shadowflame, which holds a 50.4% win rate across 5,613 games this patch. Pick the enemy team to adapt each item slot to the specific matchup.

The matchup to respect is Bel'Veth, where Xerath sits at just 41.5%, the lane swings the other way into Mel (62.9%), and on the team side, Xerath gains the most from a Nasus (+9.6% pair win rate).