Talk:Xerath/@comment-4369374-20111216221239

So with a lot of thinking, this is my theory on why xerath is often considered op by some players or up by others, much more than many other champs.

It's based on what i like to call potential and actual damage. potential is best possible, and actual is what amount of that damage will actually get through. Now someone like Brand and katarina have extremely high potential damage, but lower actual damage. Brand's ult rarely hits champs all 5 times, and his skillshots are relatively easy to dodge. And kat's ult + passive are hers, she almost never gets off a full ult, but when she does, it is devestating.

Now xerath is in a different boat, He lacks a 4th offensive spell like most ap carries, and his skills have relatively low ratios. So his POTENTIAL damage is low. HOWEVER, his spell pen + range + nearly impossible to dodge ult means his ACTUAL damage is very, very close to his potential. This makes him less of a team melter, as that requires high potential damage, and more of a reliable siege-sniper. This makes him operate better against higher level opponents, and less face rolly against lower level opponents.

As a side note, i think his passive is counter-intuitive to his play-style. He should be punished for letting ADs come in close, not have the punishment lessened