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Karthus·Mid Guide

Death DefiedP
Lay WasteQ
Wall of PainW
DefileE
RequiemR
Win rate51.5%
Pick rate0.1%
Ban rate7.5%
Matches549-
Karthus Mid has a 51.5% win rate and 0.1% pick rate in Emerald + and is currently ranked B tier. Below, you will find a very detailed guide for Karthus Mid, where we explain strengths and weaknesses of the champion, powerspikes, and game plans for each stage of the game. Step up your game with our Karthus Mid guide!
Karthus Top
Karthus Jungle
Karthus Mid
Karthus Bot
Karthus Support
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Karthus Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths

Karthus’ Ultimate RequiemR is an excellent tool, and it can allow him to impact the map from afar.

His afterlife can single-handedly change the tide of a fight, especially if the enemy continues to fight near him after he dies.

Karthu’s early game is relatively weak. This can make it hard for him to survive the laning phase, especially when he is up against a solid early game champion.

Weaknesses

Karthus is a farm heavy champion and will need to soak up many minion waves and jungle camps to be useful throughout the game.

His Ultimate RequiemR deals basically no damage in the early game. This isn’t good for Karthus as he only wishes to use it when the enemy is super low. During this time, the enemy could have already been killed by your ally, and you wouldn’t get an assist.

Channelling your Ultimate RequiemR near an enemy champion could be very dangerous as they could interrupt the channel with CC.

Game plan
Early game
0 - 15 min
Karthus is Average

Try to go for short burst trades with your Lay WasteQ in the lane. The goal is to ensure that the enemy can't all-in you during the laning phase. Ward around and just aim to play safely.

Once you get your first item component, you should spam your abilities more frequently in the lane. It will help you use your Wall of PainW combined with your Lay WasteQ to go for regular trades with the enemy. You still need to play safely, though.

On getting your Ultimate RequiemR, you should be able to finish off kills in other lanes. Make sure that you show up to neutral, objective fights as well since your DefileE will be really effective in those situations.

Mid game
15 - 25 min
Karthus is Strong

Getting your core items will let you run down enemies and burn them to oblivion. Use your Ultimate RequiemR at regular intervals to ensure that you can help your teammates.

Fight near chokepoints to maximize your team fighting effectiveness. Sometimes, it would be wise to throw yourself into the enemy team, especially if the enemy frontline decides to all-in without any follow-up.

Another point in your Ultimate RequiemR will let you destroy the opposition due to your consistent burn damage. Use your DefileE properly to make sure that you win clumped fights.

Late game
25+ min
Karthus is Strong

You will be able to blow up squishies with your Ultimate RequiemR with ease now. Even if they don't die, they will be too chunked to participate in a team fight.

You will be able to burn through the entire enemy team with proper positioning. Your Lay WasteQ combined with your Wall of PainW will be able to one-shot enemy squishies. Use this strategy during neutral, objective fights.

Remember that your Wall of PainW placement can make or break an entire team fight. Place it well and from the fog of war so that the enemy team doesn't anticipate it and take necessary precautions beforehand.

Power Spikes
Early game0 - 15 min

His early game is fragile, and he can easily be caught out if he is not careful. He should focus on farming and scaling up with occasional burst trades.

Level six is a massive power spike. He can quickly look to use his Ultimate RequiemR to secure kills throughout the game's early stages. This will help him scale up quickly.

The first item component will cause a massive powerspike for Karthus. He will not run out of mana quickly, and his damage will increase significantly.

Mid game15 - 25 min

Adding 2 points into his Ultimate RequiemR will cause another significant power spike. His ability to burst down low-health enemies will dramatically increase, causing mayhem in the enemy team.

His Lay WasteQ will be maxed out at level 9, which means that he will deal a lot of damage to single targets. It also has AoE properties which will help in clumped fights.

Karthus is really good in team fights as he can slow down multiple enemies and deal a lot of damage to a group of people. This will keep on increasing with his item count.

Late game25+ min

Karthus is really good during the late game. His abilities will hit like a truck due to his items. His Ultimate RequiemR will be pivotal to winning the game.

Once he gets 3 points in his Ultimate RequiemR, it will allow him to half-health squishy enemies easily. This means that anyone who is behind on the enemy team will suffer a lot.

At this stage of the game, Karthus would've maxed his Lay WasteQ and his DefileE. His damage output in team fights will be very high.

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