Ever since Xerath transitioned over from mid lane to the support role, he’s been one of the greatest carry-oriented support picks in League of Legends.
Xerath is simply excellent at poking enemies throughout the game, applying huge amounts of magic damage from huge ranges. His impact can be game-changing because he can carry the fights in the bot lane but also contribute elsewhere with his R.
That said, the best ADCs for Xerath are typically those that focus on poking during the laning phase, pressuring their opponents, and establishing control over the bot side of the map. Xerath has the same strengths, so he needs a partner who doubles them.
In this post, I’ve singled out 7 such ADC picks and I’ve explained why they work so well with Xerath as their support. I’ve chosen them based on synergy, win rate, and overall performance, so you have the best chances at victory whenever your support is Xerath.
These Are the Best ADCs to Play with Xerath Support:
7. Jinx
Jinx is a great ADC pick overall, not too complex for beginners, and powerful enough to carry each game where her support is Xerath.
Xerath and Jinx can both poke their opponents with their Q abilities. This can give them an edge during level 1 so they can commit to a kill when they reach level 2 or 3.
During the early game, Jinx’s job is to mostly farm and only engage after Xerath lowers her enemies’ HPs below 50%. He can do so by continually spamming his W and Q abilities, with his E being the “Go” button for both of them.
On level 6, both of these champions get a power spike and they should always try to score a kill, either on bot lane or elsewhere. Jinx’ R is a global ultimate ability and it’s perfect for taking down enemies on low HP. And Xerath’s R can help the jungler or the mid lane in their 1v1 or 2v2 fights.
What’s really cool about Jinx and Xerath is that they can take over the entire map if they’re the ones getting the T1 turret in the bot lane first. Roaming over to the mid lane often means taking down that turret as well because no one can fight them thanks to their great range.
In the late game, both champions are strong but they can feel underwhelming against fed enemies. So my advice for you is to try and close out games faster while you have the upper hand.
Key Strengths:
- Really strong in the early game
- Amazing poke damage
- Global presence
Read Also: 6 Best Synergy Supports for Jinx
6. Ezreal
Ezreal is one of my favorite champions to play in combination with Xerath simply because of how similar they are. Their strengths are almost identical, with Xerath being stronger early on and Ezreal becoming a hyper-carry in the mid and late game.
Of course, Ezreal’s and Xerath’s job during the laning phase is to poke and pressure the enemy duo as much as possible. This gives them the advantage of always controlling the bot side and allowing their jungler to take all the drakes.
On level 6, Ezreal and Xerath can easily score kills in the bot lane without even setting up a fight. Their poke damage is enough to get their opponents to 30 or 20% HP. And their ultimates allow them to finish off their targets from a safe distance.
Because of Xerath’s range, as well as Ezreal’s mobility, it’s quite difficult for the enemy jungler to punish them even when they overextend. Ezreal can simply jump away with E. And unless Xerath is completely unaware of the gank, he can stun the jungler with E and walk away.
As was the case with Jinx, Xerath and Ezreal should make roaming and ganking mid lane a priority after they get the turret in the bot lane. Securing Rift Herald should be one of the tasks which allows you to snowball even more.
Key Strengths:
- Both champions have poke playstyle
- Safety due to the long range
- Can influence fights all over the map
Read Also: The Best Synergy Supports for Ezreal
5. Varus
Varus may be one of the most flexible ADC champions in the entire League of Legends. He can go the traditional route with his items, but he can also go full AP or full lethality, depending on the matchups.
When he’s partnered up with Xerath, it’s best to play either full lethality or full AP and focus on one-shotting enemies. And since Xerath doesn’t have any protective spells for Varus (who’s also immobile), it’s difficult for Varus to find many opportunities for auto-attacking.
On the other hand, lethality Varus can make the life of his opponents a living hell. Each cast of his Q can take up to 20 or 30% of his targets’ HPs. And if you add Xerath’s AP damage on top of that, you get a broken duo that dominates the mid and late games.
The same can be said for AP Varus who has even more burst damage that goes super well with Xerath. And I’m the biggest fan of that build.
But overall, each time Varus catches an enemy with his R, he and Xerath can dump all of their damage onto them to quickly take them down. Xerath can even fire off his ultimate bolts quickly while the target is snared by Chains of Corruption, so both champions complement each other.
Xerath’s W goes very well in combination with Varus’ E and Varus’ Q goes very well after Xerath lands a stun with his Q. So, the synergy between them is huge!
Key Strengths:
- High one-shot potential
- Easy kill setup with Varus’ R
- Lots of long range poke damage
4. Ashe
Since Xerath is an AP mage and not just a regular support, he doesn’t always need the strongest ADC by his side. And a great example of this is Ashe who’s more of a utility pick than a carry-oriented marksman.
For starters, Ashe’s capable of applying AoE slow from level 1. This helps Xerath land his skill shots, effectively increasing his damage throughout the game.
Both Ashe and Xerath are immobile champions and one of their greatest weaknesses is surviving the enemy jungler’s ganks, especially when they push forward. But Ashe’s E is a great answer for this, allowing them to check where the jungler is and avoid his ganks.
With Ashe’s Enchanted Crystal Arrow, the duo has an easy kill setup that they repeat every minute or so. Once the target is stunned by Ashe, Xerath can line up all of his abilities, and even extend the stun with his E.
The synergy between Ashe’s R and Xerath’s R also works on a long range. When Ashe hits a target with it halfway across the map, Xerath has enough time to activate his ulti and fire his bolts while the target is stunned.
Remember, Ashe can also reveal parts of the map with his E to allow Xerath to see where the enemies are when he’s aiming his R.
Key Strengths:
- Good synergy between Ashe’s utility and Xerath’s damage
- Safe playstyle
- Global Presence
Read Also: The Best Supports for Ashe
3. Caitlyn
Caitlyn is arguably the best ADC champion in LoL for dominating the bot lane and securing the early game. She goes best with supports that match her playstyle which also includes Xerath.
Each match of Xerath and Caitlyn is kind of the same. They both need to be as aggressive as possible and constantly pressure their opponents. Xerath should do this with W and Q casts while Caitlyn’s auto-attack range, as well as Q casts, are enough as well.
Once the enemy duo is below 50% HP, a kill can easily be achieved. Xerath’s E is a long range stun ability and it can start things up. Caitlyn can place a trap under the stunned target to both extend the CC and increase her damage.
This synergy always results in amazing damage output and not too many bot lane champions can survive it, especially early on. And Xerath and Cait can repeat it every 10 seconds to completely obliterate any bot lane duo they might run into.
After level 6, both of these champions’ ultimates allow them to collect kills from afar. Caitlyn can activate her R while Xerath is firing his ultimate shots and vice versa. The combined damage is more than enough to take down squishy ADCs and supports.
We all know that Caitlyn isn’t the strongest champion in the late game, so make sure to close out the games while you have the lead.
Key Strengths:
- Very strong laning phase
- Good at taking leads early on
- High damage in the early and mid game
Read Also: The 7 Best Supports for Caitlyn
2. Seraphine
Like it or not, Seraphine is among the strongest bot lane picks you can play in League. Either as an APC or a support, she’s simply fantastic at controlling the laning phase, pressuring the opponents, as well as keeping herself and her partner perfectly safe.
The first advantage that Seraphine brings to the table is defensiveness. Her W, Surround Sound, is both a heal and a shield into one ability which helps Sera and Xerath keep their HP high even while trading or committing to a kill.
Next, Seraphine’s long range E allows her to slow down multiple enemies at once. This is great when Xerath’s trying to aim his abilities but also when the duo is running away from the enemy jungler, for example.
On level 6, Seraphine gains access to her ultimate, Encore. This is an AoE charm ability that can completely turn the tide of a teamfight if it affects more than two enemy champions. And all Xerath needs to do is activate his W and Q for extra damage.
Since both champions are AP, they’re a good duo for when your mid, jungle, and top lane all go for AD champions.
Key Strengths:
- Lots of AoE magic damage
- High defensiveness and sustain thanks to Seraphine’s W
- Chill and easy playstyle that anyone can win with
Read Also: 7 Best Synergy ADC Picks to Play with Brand
1. Jhin
Besides the fact that all the champions you see on this list are good partners for Xerath support, Jhin is arguably the best one by all possible metrics.
For starters, Jhin benefits from having Xerath by his side because each time he pokes an enemy with Q, W, or E, Jhin can easily root the enemy with his W.
On the other hand, each time an enemy champion steps on one of Jhin’s traps, Xerath can use the slow effect to land his abilities, most important his E.
After level 6, both champions gain their ultimates abilities that allow them continually to strike enemy champions from huge distances. Jhin’s R gives him four shots that travel directly at his targets while Xerath’s R can give him up to five shots that travel from the sky downward.
Both ultimates are fantastic when it comes to chasing down enemies and securing kills that otherwise would be out of range.
Jhin does a lot of physical damage and Xerath does a lot of magic damage too. They’re strong enough early on and scale very well into the late game. And this makes it difficult for the enemy team to itemize against them since both are threats, nearly equal ones.
Key Strengths:
- Decent utility (single-target only)
- Long range damage
- Useful ultimates for securing kills
Conclusion
An argument can be made that any ADC can be a good partner for Xerath but I strongly disagree. He has low win ratios with marksmen that require enchanter supports, such as Vayne and Kog’Maw.
However, the 7 champions on this list are all excellent pairs for Xerath and you should prioritize them more than others in your own games
Good luck!
