Karthus

the Deathsinger

MAGE

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.

Abilities

PASSIVE

Death Defied

Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form that allows him to continue casting spells.

Lay Waste

Cost: @Cost@ @AbilityResourceName@ | Cooldown: <Cooldown>@AMMORECHARGETIME@s %i:cooldown%</Cooldown>

Karthus unleashes a delayed blast at a location, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Deals increased damage to isolated enemies.

Wall of Pain

Cost: @Cost@ @AbilityResourceName@ | Cooldown: @Cooldown@s %i:cooldown%

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.

Defile

Cost: @Cost@ Mana per Second | Cooldown: @Cooldown@s %i:cooldown%

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.

Requiem

Cost: @Cost@ @AbilityResourceName@ | Cooldown: @Cooldown@s %i:cooldown%

After channeling for 3 seconds, Karthus deals damage to all enemy champions.

Core Build

Recommended Runes

Dark Harvest

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Damaging a low health champion inflicts adaptive damage and harvests their soul, permanently increasing Dark Harvest's damage by 5.

Based on 7,781 games

Cheap Shot

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Damaging champions with impaired movement or actions deals bonus true damage.

Based on 7,781 games

Grisly Mementos

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Based on 7,781 games

Treasure Hunter

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Gain 50 gold the first time you collect a bounty from each enemy champion.

Based on 7,781 games

Presence of Mind

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Damaging an enemy champion increases your mana regeneration. Takedowns restore mana or energy.

Based on 7,781 games

Coup de Grace

52.59% WR61.49% PR

Deal 8% more damage to champions who have less than 40% health.

Based on 7,781 games

Adaptive Force

52.59% WR61.49% PR

+9 Adaptive Force (5.4 AD or 9 AP)

Based on 7,781 games

Adaptive Force

52.59% WR61.49% PR

+9 Adaptive Force (5.4 AD or 9 AP)

Based on 7,781 games

Health Scaling

52.59% WR61.49% PR

+10-180 Health (based on level)

Based on 7,781 games

52.59% WR • 61.49% PR • 7,781 games

Summoner Spells

Exhaust

50.39% WR52.79% PR

Summoner Spell: Exhaust

Based on 6,537 games

Exhaust

Smite

50.39% WR52.79% PR

Summoner Spell: Smite

Based on 6,537 games

Smite

50.39% WR • 52.79% PR • 6,537 games

Core Items (From Real Games)

Scorchclaw Pup

50.44% WR28.44% PR

Jungle item that evolves as you clear jungle camps. Attacks burn enemies.

Based on 3,602 games

50.44% WR • 28.44% PR • 3,602 games

Strong Against

Good With

💡

Tips

Karthus excels at mage playstyle. Focus on utilizing their abilities effectively and building around their core strengths. The recommended runes and items provide the best balance of damage and utility.