Talk:Xerath/@comment-4741157-20140201122233

Am I the only person here who likes the new passive? It has clear gameplay, and allows Xerath's strong push mechanics to be countered by intelligent play - unlike other long-range mages with waveclear (Ziggs, Lux).

They want Xerath to have to (sometimes) close into mid-range in order to sustain his fire. The idea isn't to offset Xerath's high mana costs, or to excuse them, but to compliment them and produce meaningful gameplay.

If Xerath's passive didn't exist, and instead he had low mana costs, he could sit back all day and power-farm from 1400 units. This is a similar play pattern to facing a Morgana or Janna. It's boring because there is no interaction.

By giving him this passive, it means that Xerath has to actually close into a range where enemies have a chance to retaliate in order to continue power-farming or power-poking.

People say it is useless in late game. If you're playing conservative, it is. If you're playing to Xerath's core fantasy (pure, unbridled arcane power unleashed upon the fields of justice) then the Passive becomes very helpful. You can essentially regenerate your entire mana bar in 30-50 seconds after a prolonged teamfight, or you can keep your mana at full whilst split-pushing at full tilt - even if your blue buff runs out and your position can't be abandoned without giving your enemy an opening to crush your team elsewhere, leaving room for interesting team management/positioning and strategies.

TL;DR Xerath's new passive is very good because it encourages and rewards interaction on a character who otherwise likes to play a non-interactive, passive experience.