Skins
Counters
Base Stats
Gameplay Ratings
Attack
Defense
Magic
Per Level
Abilities
E
Defile
Karthus passively steals energy from his victims, gaining Mana on each kill. Alternatively, Karthus can surround himself in the souls of his prey, dealing damage to nearby enemies, but quickly draining his own Mana.
Passive
Death Defied
Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form that allows him to continue casting spells.
Q
Lay Waste
Karthus unleashes a delayed blast at a location, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Deals increased damage to isolated enemies.
R (Ultimate)
Requiem
After channeling for 3 seconds, Karthus deals damage to all enemy champions.
W
Wall of Pain
Karthus creates a passable screen of leeching energy. Any enemy units that walk through the screen have their Move Speed and Magic Resist reduced for a period.
Playing As Karthus
- -Ask your allies to help point out when you should use Requiem to get kills in different lanes.
- -Lay Waste is very strong at farming minions and harassing enemy champions.
Playing Against Karthus
- -Karthus can cast spells for a short duration after he is killed. Move away from his corpse to be safe.
- -Make sure you always have enough health to survive Requiem, even if you have to go back to the base more frequently to heal.
Lore
The harbinger of oblivion, Karthus is an undying spirit whose haunting songs are a prelude to the horror of his nightmarish appearance. The living fear the eternity of undeath, but Karthus sees only beauty and purity in its embrace, a perfect union of life and death. When Karthus emerges from the Shadow Isles, it is to bring the joy of death to mortals, an apostle of the unliving.
About Karthus, the Deathsinger
The harbinger of oblivion, Karthus is an undying spirit whose haunting songs are a prelude to the horror of his nightmarish appearance. The living fear the eternity of undeath, but Karthus sees only beauty and purity in its embrace, a perfect union of life and death. When Karthus emerges from the Shadow Isles, it is to bring the joy of death to mortals, an apostle of the unliving.
How to Play Karthus
Playing Karthuseffectively comes down to understanding the champion's role, combo patterns, and power spikes. As a mage, Karthus benefits from the recommended runes and core items shown above, which reflect the current meta across ranked play.
Strengths & Ally Tips
- Ask your allies to help point out when you should use Requiem to get kills in different lanes.
- Lay Waste is very strong at farming minions and harassing enemy champions.
Playing Against Karthus
- Karthus can cast spells for a short duration after he is killed. Move away from his corpse to be safe.
- Make sure you always have enough health to survive Requiem, even if you have to go back to the base more frequently to heal.
Karthus Counters and Matchups
Karthus's toughest matchup this patch is Lissandra. Conversely, Karthus performs strongly into Darius.
Difficulty and Who Should Play Karthus
Riot rates Karthus's difficulty at 7/10. Karthus sits in the middle range — approachable, but with enough depth to reward practice.