User blog comment:ClariS/Why Xerath's Passive is Bad/@comment-141.136.247.196-20130318144506

Most people seem to think that since he is a long-range caster that he will always be at long range from any kind of damage. That is funny. You guys are funny people. His range is not some kind of unreachable dome hovering above summoners' rift.

Also, most of you are forgetting some important game mechanics, like gap-closers, long-range ultimates, or, best of all, stealth. A Rengar can be in Xerath's face before Xerath even realizes what's going on, and there are plenty of similar examples.

That passive contributes to the kit to the point where you can build a strong caster and get some defense out of it. If he ends up not needing the aforementioned defense, then great, gg! But it can also save his life.