What Do I Need to Change? (Mage v Tank)

ScyPhan790·4/3/2018, 8:00:07 AM·1 votes·560 views

I'm the Xerath. What would I change to counter the Illaoi? Because seriously, I thought I built what I could to primarily counter her health. I could have probably built a instead of a but even then I'm not sure I could have done much to her.

Not to mention that she still gets to do a heck ton of damage regardless of mainly having tank items built. Why are some tanks given better advantages with the fact that they can get super tanky but also dish out a bunch of damage? Doesn't that defeat the point of a tank? I thought tanks were supposed to be about taking lots of damage over time in a fight while having some cc to help the damage dealers kill enemies. A tank that also gets a ton of damage (without building much of any) then basically becomes a 2 man wrecking crew.

9 Comments

Step Sis Lux4/3/2018, 12:20:51 PM3 votes

Riot thinks AD/Tank champs >>>>>> AP champs and i bet ap items gonna be nerfed instead of buffing.

Birbonius4/3/2018, 8:35:17 AM3 votes

Because she is not a tank. She is a Juggernaut. Like almost all other juggernauts,she resists more based on her sustain (which means damage) than her actual tankyness.

A fed Illaoi can become as tanky as a real tank though,that is true,but she only had MR items. From now on i'll speak in hypotesis,thinking as it was a 5v5. If it was a 1v1 match,than you just had to get item 3135 and poke her while kiting. Xerath's kit allows it quite easily,and Illaoi only has her W (+100 or so range) and her flash as gap closers.

If your team could get her away from your ADC,she would not be a problem,since she had no armor item,not even Tabis. Some CCs and a not-braindead ADC and she would've been out of the fights in maximum 4 crits. But this depends on the rest of the team too,both yours and enemy's. Were there other threaths other than Illaoi? Was the support doing good job at protecting his carries? (You and the ADC and maybe an assassin jungler,idk) Was Illaoi the only tanky enemy? Did you have enough damage to win against the rest of the team,if Illaoi wasn't there or wasn't able to participate like she wanted to?

With just you 2 and your build,there is not really much to say other than what i already said for the 1v1 match. Your playstyle,where and to who launch your skills all depends on the 5v5 situation.

HP Crookshanks4/3/2018, 10:21:18 AM2 votes

Sadly, if you are an AP champion you can't do damage to the tanks because of the overpowered MR items. Even if you are a DPS AP champion ( Cassiopeia Teemo Rumble ...) there is item 3194 ... But tanks' base damages are high enough to one shot a mage with no AP/AD item. Balanced right? [slayer-jinx-unamused]

iPooUnicorns4/3/2018, 11:19:52 PM2 votes

item 3151 isn't all that great on Xerath, it's better on Mages with DOT. Even though Illaoi does have a lot of health, you aren't able to keep Liandry's ticking for 8+ seconds.

item 3135 is one of the best damage items in the game for APs, it works well against tanks and squishies alike.

item 3907 isn't an item I really build, it just feels like a bad version of Deathcap to me, I probably would have grabbed a item 3116 instead.

Also, you can't expect to straight up fight Illaoi as Xerath. She excels in fights but has a hard time starting them, while Xerath excels in high range poke and preventing melee champions to get in range to fight. Play to your champion's strengths, if you play it right, Illaoi won't ever get close to you as Xerath. If she's trying to close the gap on you, lead with your W (or Q if you have Rylais), once she's slowed, go for the stun if she's still trying to close the gap. From there just run back towards your team / towers. By the time she starts to try and close the gap again, you should have your W+E up again to kite her again.

Khristophoros4/3/2018, 10:17:00 AM2 votes

You can't win if she gets into melee with you.

Think of her as a low mobility super tanky bruiser, not a tank. That's what a juggernaut is. It's like a bruiser but super tanky instead of mobile. Unlike a tank, a juggernaut has little to no CC. You just have to avoid getting caught in melee with her.

Dead flag blues4/4/2018, 8:43:06 PM1 votes

item 3194 I just hate this item, damn ridiculous to deal 0damage to a someone who it, chasing you as Singed

Titanium704/4/2018, 8:06:16 PM1 votes

In such a scenario you shouldn't really care about the Illaoi. She decided to directly counter you and while there are ways to answer, it is alot more efficient to simply accept it.

Do your job, make the backline regret any attemp to deal DMG and leave the 0 Armor guy to an ADC or any other AD champ in your Team.

If she runs into your face keep her at distance - with W-E xerath kiting is quite impressive and use you Qs to hit important targets.

That being said - ANY Endgame Build of mage should contain item 3135 these days - there's no realistic scenario where it's worth to skip.