User blog comment:ClariS/Why Xerath's Passive is Bad/@comment-141.136.246.61-20130317145707/@comment-4881935-20130318030709

Nami's passive is a weak passive and that's your issue with it. What if the value was bumped up to 100 bonus movement speed, would you consider it bad then. Heck no. Core wise, it make sense. It's a speed boost to aid teammates, and she's a support. Boom, what do have to say now.

Yes, exactly, the armor makes him weaker, so why would it make sense that when he gets stronger, the armor gets stronger.

And let me repeat myself, I never expect him to go pure glasscannon. I actually suspect people will grab one defense item on him, mainly, hourglass, but you know where the issue comes from. It's because every long range mage builds that as their only defense item. Xearth with his passive doesn't change anything. If you didn't have that passive, you would go and build him exactly the same. Nothing different. It doesn't create a dynamtic change in his kit nor does it add anything. With or without, his build would be completely the same. In a ideal world, he wouldn't need any armor. But in this real world, he contiunes to go almost glass cannon with one defense item just like any other long range mage because his range is his main defense.

His passive has strengths, obviously. Every passive has uses at some time. For example, give Morgana's passive to Cait. Spell vamp will help Cait because she does use her abilities and she will benefit from it, but does it make any sense when majority of her damage is coming from auto-attacks, heck no. The same applies here as well. Does a passive that promotes actual engagements, help improves his trades, make any sense on a champion who isn't looking for trades, who tries to actually avoid that, who isn't expecting to find someone who can fight back with his range. Does any of that make any sense?

And here's my counter argument for your item choice. Who the hell even consider defensive stats on him. When you build him, the only time you consider this is when someone is already destroying you and making your life a living hell. But if you play on a even footing with both sides still with a shot, defensive stats is the last thing you consider since you already have the range. The better someone becomes with Xearth, the less the player becomes concern about these defensive stats.