Sona vs Xerath Counter Pick

Poke against sustain is the shape of this lane, and sustain takes it at 58.5% over 422 games on patch 16.13.1. Xerath threatens far beyond his 525 attack range, yet every threat is a skillshot with a cast time attached.

Arcanopulse covers a long line, Eye of Destruction slows and hits hardest at its centre, and Shocking Orb has to connect first, because nothing else in the kit immobilises anybody. Rite of the Arcane immobilises Xerath while he fires his barrages, and Mana Surge restores mana on basic attacks, so the poke pattern rarely stops on its own.

The reply is an economy he cannot drain. Aria of Perseverance heals her and a nearby wounded ally, Power Chord banks permanent non-ultimate ability haste the longer she keeps casting well, and Song of Celerity supplies the movement speed that turns a long-range skillshot into a miss. She is frailer on paper — 550 base health against 596, 2,097 against 2,398 at level 18, 26 armor against 22 — and far simpler to pilot, rated 4 against 8. Xerath moves at 340 against 325, so he decides when the exchange resumes, but nothing in his kit prevents a heal from landing. In a matchup settled by whether chip damage accrues faster than it is repaired, Sona holds the better rate.