Build, runes, synergies, counters, lore. Karthus is a powerful mage champion in League of Legends known for his devastating area-of-effect magic damage and ability to influence team fights even after his death.
General Description
Karthus is an immobile mage who excels at dealing massive damage to multiple enemies with his spells. His passive ability, Death Defied, allows him to continue casting spells for a short duration after dying, making him a formidable threat in team fights. Karthus relies on positioning and timing to unleash his deadly spells and turn the tide of battle in his team’s favor.
Karthus Build
Karthus typically builds items that enhance his ability power, mana sustain, and cooldown reduction. Items like Luden’s Echo and Liandry’s Anguish are core to his build, providing him with increased damage and magic penetration. Karthus can also consider items like Rylai’s Crystal Scepter or Zhonya’s Hourglass for additional crowd control or survivability.
Karthus Runes
In the rune tree, Karthus often runs Dark Harvest as his keystone, which amplifies his damage potential by executing low-health targets. He can also choose Phase Rush for increased mobility or Comet for additional poke damage. In the secondary tree, Precision with Presence of Mind and Legend: Tenacity can provide additional mana sustain and crowd control reduction.
Karthus Synergies
Karthus synergizes well with champions who can provide crowd control or engage, such as Amumu or Malphite. His area-of-effect damage can wreak havoc in combination with teammates who can lock down enemies, allowing Karthus to unleash his full potential. He also pairs well with champions who can protect him and provide utility, like Lulu or Janna.
Counters
Karthus can struggle against champions who can burst him down quickly or interrupt his channeling abilities. Assassins like Zed or LeBlanc, with their high burst damage and mobility, pose a significant threat to Karthus. Additionally, champions with long-range poke or the ability to deny his ultimate, such as Lux or Sivir, can make it challenging for Karthus to have a significant impact in team fights.
Lore
Karthus is a death-obsessed lich from the Shadow Isles, a realm of darkness and undeath. He is a tortured soul who harnesses necromantic magic to bring death and decay to the living. Karthus seeks to spread the inevitability of death and sees himself as a herald of the afterlife. He revels in the chaos of battle and eagerly awaits the moment when he can claim the souls of his enemies.
Keywords: Karthus, mage, League of Legends, Death Defied, Luden’s Echo, Liandry’s Anguish, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Dark Harvest, Phase Rush, Comet, Amumu, Malphite, Lulu, Janna, Zed, LeBlanc, Lux, Sivir, Shadow Isles, necromantic magic, death, decay, afterlife.
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Check guides for Karthus here: Jungle https://challengerproject.gg/lol/guides/Karthus/Jungle/build
