User blog comment:ClariS/Why Xerath's Passive is Bad/@comment-9713132-20130318110601

While I agree with what you've said and IMO feel that Xerath's passive is somewhat, 'wasted', it's not entirely useless. In fact, the current meta / gameplay of LoL actually favors Xerath's passive strongly. I don't know myself, but it feels like despite how Xerath's passive didn't work,  it's actually reasonably effective as of now.

One thing I can find myself agreeing on is that the current trend of AD assassins and casters going mid, as well as more damage-orientated rather than tanky-utility champions jungling (and therefore, ganking), I find Xerath's passive reasonably effective. I guess it's just a filler for his early-game phase, when he has no team to rely on keeping the enemy away and he has near-zero escape abilities / mechanisms.