Viktor vs Xerath Counter Pick

Both champions share a base attack range of 525, but that number hides how far each one actually fights. Xerath’s Arcanopulse is a long beam, Eye of Destruction hits in a barrage from well outside melee contact, and Rite of the Arcane pins Xerath in place while adding several more barrages at extreme range. Viktor’s Siphon Power and Gravity Field only work if he gets right up to his target. Across 4,329 games on patch 16.13.1, that gap shows up as a 46.4% win rate for Viktor.

Mana makes the gap wider. Xerath’s basic attacks refill his mana, and each unit he kills lowers the cooldown of Mana Surge, so his poke costs him very little. Viktor pays full price for every rotation. Shocking Orb is a straightforward crowd control tool that can stop Viktor’s approach before Gravity Field lands in a useful spot. Both champions deal pure magic damage, which makes magic resist the only defensive stat they really stack against each other. The base stats are close: Xerath has 596 health and 22 armor to Viktor’s 600 and 23, and the gap grows a little by level 18, when Xerath reaches 2,398 and 101.9 against Viktor’s 2,300 and 97.8. Xerath moves at 340 to Viktor’s 335 and is rated difficulty 8 while Viktor is rated 9. The clearest answer to Xerath’s ultimate is Arcane Storm, which interrupts channels. Champion pages: Viktor, Xerath.