Why Xerath buffs?

Slythion·Jul 17, 2017·3 votes·1,063 views

Can someone explain to me why the midlaner with a 50-52% win rate (depends where you check) and a 2-3% play rate (not huge but not terrible either) is receiving buffs?

This isn't a "I hate Xerath and he should be gutted" kind of thread either. I've been spamming Xerath the past month or so, he's one of my favorite midlaners. I just don't want my baby to be over-buffed, reach a 100% ban rate, then overcompensated and slammed by the nerf-hammer.

The last thing I want is to see my little pocket-pick balanced midlaner go through the balance rollercoaster for seemingly no reason :(

10 Comments

EndlessSorcererJul 17, 20173 votes

Professional play.

SlythionJul 17, 20171 votes

damn

So Riot is breaking their rule of "balance champions around plat/diamond elo" (save around championship series time) just so they can crowd out Orianna/Syndra from being meta in professional play?

that's a big fat future R.I.P. for my arcane magic creature in solo queue :(

DrCyanideJul 17, 20171 votes

It might balance out OK (his mains pull his win rate up, others try and jump on the band wagon, dragging the win rate down), but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about this. I don't think Riot can buff Xerath to the point he'll show up in Pro Play without breaking him or the meta changing to revolve around sieges.

SlythionJul 17, 20171 votes

I'm extremely apprehensive about any sort of buffs to Xerath atm. Adjustments I'd be alright with, but straight buffs have a pretty high chance of busting him in solo queue just to balance him in competitive :(

DrCyanideJul 17, 20171 votes

They're not even trying to balance him for competitive, they're trying to make him enticing for competitive. They're hoping someone will look at these changes and say "you know, instead of picking Syndra, Orianna, or LeBlanc, lets pick Xerath!"

While more viable picks in competitive is a great thing to see, and I'd love to see Xerath picked by pro teams again, I think teams will be too set in their ways to jump to picking Xerath. I also have a hard time envisioning Xerath being picked when Lee Sin, Gragas, Rek'sai and Kha'zix are meta junglers, since they have the ability to easily disrupt his ult (or jump on him and kill him outright).

It feels like a fools errand. The pros will pick Xerath when they feel the most effective way to win a game is to siege or when he's completely broken.

AlüeJul 18, 20171 votes

as a Xerath main, trust me he is perfectly fine!

DrCyanideJul 18, 20171 votes

As another Xerath main, I agree he's currently fine, which is why I don't want to see him get caught up in the back and forth of balance changes between too strong and too weak.

AlüeJul 18, 20171 votes

he's always been limited by skill shots which is why i don't want riot to continually buff him then believe he needs a rework because he has a high skill cap.