Stargazer Xayah Carry: Crossbow Starts and Final Board Plan

Consider this comp when Stargazer gives Viper, Boar, Altar, or early Mountain and your item start fits. If an Anima cashout gives Battle Bunny Crossbow, Xayah becomes a strong force-play angle.

The standard level 9 board is Jax, Mordekaiser, Gnar, Rhaast, Rammus, Nunu, Xayah, Bard, and Jhin, giving 3 Meeple, 3 Stargazer, 3 Sniper, 2 Dark Star, 2 Conduit, 2 Vanguard, 2 Bastion, and 1 Redeemer.

At level 8, use Corki if you have not found 5-cost units yet. If you already have a 5-cost, Rhaast is usually the first unit to sit out. A temporary Riven 2 board with Talon, Ezreal, Jax, Ornn, Rhaast, Riven, Nunu, and Xayah is also playable.

At level 9, return to the standard board. Stargazer Emblem usually goes on Jhin when the Stargazer effect is worth reaching 5; otherwise, Shen can replace Jax. Bastion Emblem goes on Nunu, with Poppy replacing Gnar for 4 Bastion.

Main carry Xayah uses Kraken's Fury, Guinsoo's Rageblade, and Last Whisper. With Battle Bunny Crossbow, the strongest special setup is Crossbow, Guinsoo's, and Infinity Edge.

Main tank Nunu uses Iceblast Armor, Spirit Visage, and Warmog's Armor. Gargoyle Stoneplate, Protector's Vow, Sunfire Cape, Crownguard, and other tank items are fine replacements.

Secondary carry Jhin uses Infinity Edge, Deathblade, and Giant Slayer. Extra physical items can temporarily sit on Corki, Gnar, or Xayah.

Item priority is Xayah and Nunu first, then Jhin, then a secondary tank. Bard is mostly here to give Rammus the Meeple bonus, so he rarely needs premium items.

Xayah should have at least one Kraken's Fury. In normal games, pair it with attack speed and utility; use Last Whisper for shred or Red Buff for anti-heal when needed.

When Battle Bunny Crossbow appears, every Xayah bounce can check for a crit. Guinsoo's plus Infinity Edge keeps attacks flowing and makes the Crossbow procs carry fights.

Without the special Anima item, Xayah is more of a solid but not absurd 4-cost carry. With Battle Bunny Crossbow, the comp jumps dramatically and plays like a pseudo 3-star 4-cost board.

The ceiling comes from Stargazer hexes, Sniper distance scaling, and Crossbow procs. If the frontline holds, Xayah and Jhin have enough time to clean up fights.

Build around the Stargazer hexes. Keep the tiles directly in front of both carries open when possible, and position away from the enemy carry so Xayah and Jhin get more Sniper value.

Nunu, Rammus, Jax, and Mordekaiser form the main frontline. Move Rhaast and the rest of the frontline toward the enemy weak side when scouting allows it.

The normal pattern is 1 economy augment, 1 item augment, and 1 combat augment. If the lobby is uncontested or your economy is already strong, you can lean harder into combat.

Good choices include You Have My Bow, Restart Mission, Second Wind, Speedy Double Kill, Crash Test Dummies, Heavy Is the Crown, May the Fours Be With You, Gilded Steel, Shimmerscale Essence, One Buff Two Buff, Golden Gamble++, and Retribution.

Prioritize Ahri and Kayle, as they give the biggest boost to the board. Avoid Thresh here; the rest are situational.

Early game, let Caitlyn or Ezreal hold Xayah items, or use 3 Anima as your bridge. Depending on augments and board strength, either loss-streak lightly or level to 4 on 2-1 and 5 on 2-5 for tempo.

Around 4-2, level to 8 and roll for the transition board. By 4-5, aim for Xayah 2 plus Rammus 2 or Nunu 2 before pushing level 9.

At level 9, find Bard and Jhin to complete the final board. Once capped, focus on defending against 3-star 4-costs and use any extra Anima tank items to make the frontline absurdly durable.