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Karthus Counters: Who Beats Karthus

Updated for patch 26.21. All ability text on this page comes from Riot’s official game data for the current patch.

Karthus counters are junglers who invade him early, reach him through Wall of Pain, or catch him alone before he can farm into Requiem. He’s a 450-range mage with no dash, no shield and no hard crowd control, so mobile assassins and fighters who ignore his slow give him a miserable game.

Patch 26.21 ability text decided these five picks; tier lists and win rates didn’t.

Karthus counters: Karthus, the Deathsinger, splash art

What does Karthus rely on?

  • Death Defied (passive): after dying, he enters a spirit form and keeps casting spells.
  • Lay Waste (Q): a delayed blast at a location that hits harder on isolated enemies.
  • Wall of Pain (W): a passable screen that lowers Move Speed and Magic Resist of enemies who cross it. Cooldown 15.
  • Defile (E): passively gives Mana on kills; toggled on, it damages nearby enemies while draining his Mana fast.
  • Requiem (R): after a 3-second channel, it damages every enemy champion on the map. Cooldown 200/180/160.

Karthus is a farmer. He clears camps with Lay Waste and Defile, scales into a mage with huge area damage, and every 200 seconds or so (less at higher ranks) he can hit the entire enemy team from anywhere with Requiem. Even death doesn’t stop him: Death Defied lets him keep casting for a while after he falls. So where’s the gap? Mobility, since he has none at all. Wall of Pain is his only defensive tool, and it slows rather than stops.

Which junglers are the best Karthus counters?

Kha’Zix

Karthus clears alone, which makes him Isolated in Kha’Zix’s eyes. Unseen Threat (passive) marks isolated targets and adds magic damage plus a slow to his first attack after being unseen. Taste Their Fear (Q) hits harder on isolated targets, and the evolved version refunds cooldown against them. Void Spike (W) heals him when he’s caught in its explosion. Leap (E) closes the distance over Wall of Pain, and Void Assault (R) turns him invisible. Long story short, a Karthus farming his raptors is the ideal target.

Master Yi

Highlander (R) makes Yi immune to every slow while boosting his Move Speed and Attack Speed, and Wall of Pain is a slow. Alpha Strike (Q) teleports him through several units while untargetable, which also lets him sidestep a Lay Waste landing on his spot. Wuju Style (E) adds true damage on attacks, so Magic Resist and Armor don’t save a squishy mage. Meditate (W) restores Health with reduced damage taken. Double Strike (passive) hits twice every few attacks. Can Karthus kite him? Not with that kit.

Nocturne

Paranoia (R) cuts every enemy champion’s sight radius, removes their ally vision, and lets Nocturne launch at a nearby enemy champion. A jungler with no dash can’t react to that. Shroud of Darkness (W) blocks one enemy ability (honestly, a Lay Waste is the usual victim) and doubles his passive Attack Speed if it does. Unspeakable Horror (E) fears the target if they don’t get away in time, and Karthus can’t get away. On his Duskbringer trail, he moves faster and hits harder. Umbra Blades (passive) cleaves and heals every few seconds.

Evelynn

Evelynn hunts squishy mages from Camouflage. Demon Shade (passive) grants Camouflage after level 6 while out of combat, so she reaches Karthus unseen. Allure (W) charms after a delay and lowers Magic Resist. Hate Spike (Q) hits the first unit, then follows up with a few more lines of spikes at whoever’s close (a mage in the open, usually). Whiplash (E) damages and gives a burst of speed. Last Caress (R) makes her briefly untargetable as she slashes an area, then warps her backward, out of Defile range before he can answer. Funny enough, her Magic Resist shred stacks with what Karthus does to her team.

Rengar

Thrill of the Hunt (R) Camouflages Rengar, reveals the nearest enemy champion in a large radius and lets him leap to that target without brush, cutting their armor. On an isolated Karthus, it’s a kill from out of nowhere. Unseen Predator (passive) also leaps from brush, and the jungle is full of it. Savagery (Q) adds a heavy stab, Bola Strike (E) slows or roots with Ferocity, and Battle Roar (W) heals and, empowered, breaks crowd control. That covers Wall of Pain’s slow.

How do you play against Karthus?

  • Invade early. He has no escape at any level, and Requiem doesn’t exist before 6.
  • Step away from his corpse. Death Defied keeps him casting after he dies, so Defile and Lay Waste still hurt.
  • Track Requiem. At 200 seconds on rank 1, a used ult buys your team a safe window.
  • Don’t stand still. Lay Waste is a delayed blast at a spot.
  • Cross Wall of Pain only when you have to. It lowers both your Move Speed and Magic Resist.

Which items help Karthus counters?

Magic Resist, spell shields and pre-built shields against Requiem. Banshee’s Veil blocks the next enemy ability with Annul, and an AD assassin gets the same effect from Edge of Night. Kaenic Rookern builds a magic shield with Magebane after 15 seconds without magic damage, so it’s often already up when Requiem lands. Maw of Malmortius shields against magic damage below 30% Health. Mercury’s Treads round out the Magic Resist.

When is Karthus weakest?

Early. Before level 6 there’s no Requiem, and with no escape and no hard crowd control, an invader can take his camps or his life. His first clears decide a lot.

And whenever he’s alone. Real talk, a Karthus caught between camps by any of these five has only Wall of Pain to answer. Our guide to League roles explains how the jungle fits in, the Karthus ARAM guide shows a build for the random mode, and his skins are on the Karthus skins page. Put simply, Karthus counters punish him before he farms his way into Requiem.

FAQ

Who counters Karthus in the jungle?

Mobile assassins and slow-immune fighters: Kha’Zix, Master Yi, Nocturne, Evelynn and Rengar.

Can you block Karthus’ ultimate?

Yes. A spell shield such as Banshee’s Veil or Edge of Night blocks the next enemy ability, and Kaenic Rookern’s Magebane shield absorbs magic damage.

What happens when Karthus dies?

Death Defied puts him in a spirit form where he can keep casting spells for a short time.

What is the cooldown of Requiem?

By rank: 200, 180 and 160 seconds.

How were these Karthus counters chosen?

From patch 26.21 ability text: each pick reaches him through or around Wall of Pain, or punishes him when isolated. Win rates were not used.