Karthus Guide

Entering the mid-game with Q spam, you take objectives incredibly fast and are good at getting picks with your ultimate. In late-game team fights, play as the backline mage. Throw out your W over as many opponents as possible, keeping your E turned on. Spam out your Q's with Liandry's to cut through front lines. If you die, spam out a few abilities, then use ult; otherwise, once you're at a safe distance, use ult.

Well, he puts out tons of damage, and his ultimate makes him a constant global threat. He clears camps quickly and easily, scaling into a late-game god. However, he is incredibly squishy and often relies on his passive. He can be incredibly mana-hungry, especially in the early game.

Karthus' passive triggers upon dying, putting him in a zombie state for 7 seconds. During this time, he is rooted in place, and his abilities cost zero mana. As long as he has E-learned, it will automatically trigger. So, keep spamming out your abilities. However, if you want to use the ultimate, make sure to do it within the first 4 seconds.

Karthus's Q creates a circle on the floor, which detonates after a short delay, dealing damage to all enemies within. If this ability hits only one target, the damage is doubled. Karthus's W places down a wall that grants sight of the area; enemies that touch this lose a good amount of magic resist and are slowed. Karthus's E has a passive that restores mana whenever he kills an enemy. The active is a toggleable ability that deals damage in a circle around him to all enemies within.

Karthus's ultimate is probably the best ultimate in the game. Upon use, he will start channeling for 3 seconds, and after that, he'll deal damage to all enemy champions, regardless of their location on the map. This ability has great base damage and pretty good AP scaling, so late game, pressing this button can significantly impact squishy enemies.

For combos, turn on your E, use W, and then spam away with Q's. Don't forget to click auto-attack as well, as it's easy to overlook. If they get away or you get a safe distance, use your ultimate. Karthus scales brilliantly into squishy junglers who can get one-shot by his ultimate late game. He may struggle against champions who can negate his ultimate or team fight better.

Starting the game as Karthus, you're not known for amazing ganks, so a full jungle clear is usually preferred. Karthus is prone to invades, so warding your other side is a good idea. If your opponent invades, consider vertical jungling and go to their other side instead.

After completing your first jungle clear, contest Scuttle crab if possible, especially with Smite available. Your Q's deal tons of damage, and you can secure it quickly. If there's a free gank, go for it, considering the opponent's escapes, your team's CC, and the lane's position. If no ganks are available, focus on hard farming to funnel as much gold and experience into yourself as possible.