Graves - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
48.3%
Pick Rate
5.0%

Gravesvs Karthus

FMarksman
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 25, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Graves vs Karthus is a moderate matchup in LoL patch 26.7. Graves wins with a 51.2% win rate (+2.4%) over Karthus based on 41 games. Karthus wins the early laning phase while Graves scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Graves build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Graves vs Karthus matchup.

Graves Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Graves performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.

Compare against an opponent
Karthus - 51.2% win rateKarthus(51.2%)
Graves - 51.2% win rate in this matchup
Graves
51.2% WR
VS
Karthus vs Graves matchup - 48.8% win rate
Karthus
48.8% WR

Who Wins the Graves vs Karthus Matchup?

Graves wins the Graves vs Karthus matchup
Winner
Graves
Matches: 41
51.2%
Win Rate
48.8%
1.6
CS / min
1.5
857
DMG / min
1,246
13,846
Gold / game
13,634
377
Heal / min
303
711
DMG Mitigated / min
485
0.7
CC / min
0.6
35.3%
Early Game WR
64.7%
62.5%
Late Game WR
37.5%

Graves vs Karthus Matchup Summary

The Graves vs Karthus matchup is a very close matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 41 recent matches analyzed, Graves wins with a 51.2% win rate compared to Karthus's 48.8%, giving Graves a 2.4 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Karthus controls the early laning stage, but Graves outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Karthus needs to press advantages before Graves reaches their power spikes, while Graves should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in damage output, where Karthus leads by 389 DMG/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Graves has a statistical edge, but the margin is close enough that respecting Karthus's strengths is important. Trade when cooldowns are favorable, track the enemy jungler, and build toward your strongest item spikes to convert the slight advantage into a decisive lead. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Graves vs Karthus Laning Phase Breakdown

Graves wins the laning phase against Karthus in League of Legends

Graves is favored during the laning phase against Karthus, winning 4 out of 5 key stat categories. Graves holds advantages in farming, gold income, crowd control and sustain, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
1.6Graves
1.5Karthus
Graves and Karthus farm at nearly identical rates in this matchup, with only a 0.1 CS/min difference. Neither champion holds a meaningful farming advantage, so lane dominance will come from trading and jungle interaction rather than CS leads.
Damage
857Graves
1,246Karthus
Karthus heavily out-damages Graves by 389 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Graves should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Karthus's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
13,846Graves
13,634Karthus
Graves and Karthus generate nearly equal gold per game, with just a 211 gold difference. Neither champion has a clear economic advantage, so gold leads will depend on individual play quality, kill participation, and objective contributions.
Utility
0.7Graves
0.6Karthus
Both Graves and Karthus provide similar amounts of crowd control (0.1s/min difference), meaning neither has a significant advantage in locking down opponents for ganks or team fights. Lane ganks are equally effective for both sides.
Sustain
1,088Graves
788Karthus
Graves vastly out-sustains Karthus, healing and mitigating 300 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Graves can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Karthus is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Karthus, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Graves Build Against Karthus

Mercury's Treads is the optimal boots choice against Karthus, providing the mobility and stats Graves needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Graves against Karthus are Hubris, The Collector and Immortal Shieldbow. This combination gives Graves an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 71.4% win rate across 7 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Karthus. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Graves vs Karthus matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Karthus
64.7%
+29.4% advantage
Graves early game win rateGraves35.3%
Karthus early game win rateKarthus64.7%
Late Game
Graves
62.5%
+25.0% advantage
Graves late game win rateGraves62.5%
Karthus late game win rateKarthus37.5%

Karthus dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 64.7% win rate — a 29.4 percentage point lead over Graves. This lopsided early game means Karthus can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Graves is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 62.5% win rate — 25.0 points above Karthus. Extended games heavily favor Graves, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Karthus must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Graves reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Graves survives the laning phase without falling too far behind, the matchup flips in their favor. Dragon and Rift Herald control are pivotal — the team that secures early objectives can snowball or buy time to scale.

Best Graves Runes Against Karthus

Domination rune tree - Graves primary runes vs KarthusDomination
Dark Harvest - best Graves rune vs KarthusSudden Impact - best Graves rune vs KarthusGrisly Mementos - best Graves rune vs KarthusTreasure Hunter - best Graves rune vs Karthus
Precision rune tree - Graves secondary runes vs KarthusPrecision
Legend: Alacrity - best Graves rune vs KarthusTriumph - best Graves rune vs Karthus
53.8% WR

The Domination primary with Precision secondary combination helps Graves maximize their potential in this closely contested matchup, providing the right mix of offensive and defensive tools to edge out Karthus.


Graves matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.7. The table below shows Graves's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Graves build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Graves matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.7
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
43.85%2441.578013,75638.5%49.2%
46.28%2421.685314,49849.5%44.0%
51.03%1941.585914,29656.5%46.8%
52.08%1921.683414,48352.4%51.9%
53.01%1831.591114,30051.1%54.8%
46.82%1731.794115,10239.4%52.0%
49.04%1571.688014,36249.4%48.8%
39.17%1201.480113,19730.8%49.1%
47.90%1191.71,10014,22250.9%45.3%
46.96%1151.582614,46446.0%47.7%
45.22%1151.582314,72544.4%45.7%
51.82%1101.684714,30552.1%51.6%
40.78%1031.676914,10840.5%41.0%
56.12%981.886214,57848.9%62.3%
53.13%961.882213,82349.1%58.5%
44.21%951.476913,54246.3%42.6%
47.25%911.677314,19358.1%37.5%
44.44%901.579413,39940.7%51.6%
56.82%881.684714,42959.0%55.1%
55.81%861.591114,28851.2%60.0%
55.42%831.689814,32850.0%61.0%
59.04%831.787514,96360.0%58.3%
52.50%801.684514,98644.1%58.7%
53.25%771.684715,23452.0%53.9%
50.65%771.776913,61457.9%43.6%
41.33%751.778113,79339.4%42.9%
35.62%731.576312,80032.4%38.9%
45.07%711.680413,59145.5%44.7%
54.29%701.881914,38454.5%54.0%
64.71%681.889315,40955.6%70.7%
50.79%631.890215,54152.0%50.0%
41.94%621.680014,25040.7%42.9%
54.10%611.874314,41450.0%56.8%
30.00%601.682814,13716.7%38.9%
42.37%591.788713,09637.5%48.1%
51.72%581.894114,29457.1%46.7%
43.64%552.087113,67953.1%30.4%
38.89%541.578513,41533.3%42.4%
62.75%511.694714,80352.6%68.8%
47.92%481.475513,12450.0%45.0%
47.73%441.470913,34252.4%43.5%
51.22%411.685713,84635.3%62.5%
46.34%412.182714,12855.6%39.1%
55.00%401.786514,29545.5%66.7%
67.65%341.676014,34266.7%68.4%
41.18%341.594114,92745.0%35.7%
71.88%321.785115,25093.8%50.0%
28.13%321.493714,07921.4%33.3%
25.81%312.986614,14244.4%18.2%
61.29%312.580014,00864.3%58.8%
58.06%311.779614,67156.3%60.0%
56.67%301.582514,55945.5%63.2%
60.71%282.286213,98061.5%60.0%
46.43%282.079013,32631.3%66.7%
54.17%242.788815,34133.3%66.7%
50.00%201.769612,62346.1%57.1%
50.00%203.698513,63777.8%27.3%
68.42%192.292013,85975.0%63.6%
44.44%181.677714,25537.5%50.0%
44.44%182.395614,75983.3%25.0%
62.50%162.21,07217,49550.0%66.7%
26.67%151.471512,91222.2%33.3%
71.43%142.484316,335100.0%55.6%
53.85%132.073014,40766.7%42.9%
53.85%132.275512,46955.6%50.0%
75.00%122.21,00916,43860.0%85.7%
54.55%114.499313,97250.0%57.1%
70.00%102.069414,030100.0%50.0%
70.00%104.31,21715,993100.0%57.1%
40.00%101.590214,36350.0%33.3%
55.56%94.788712,76625.0%80.0%
66.67%92.01,04715,67950.0%71.4%
12.50%86.959911,58016.7%0.0%
37.50%82.263712,33540.0%33.3%
62.50%82.373215,55166.7%60.0%
50.00%64.776515,2510.0%75.0%
33.33%67.01,26214,23433.3%33.3%
66.67%64.799817,3790.0%66.7%
60.00%56.383513,7830.0%100.0%
60.00%54.586415,27166.7%50.0%
60.00%55.268411,42250.0%66.7%
60.00%58.599312,55775.0%0.0%

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Graves vs Karthus - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Graves do against Karthus in League of Legends?

Graves wins the Graves vs Karthus matchup with a 51.2% win rate compared to Karthus's 48.8%, a 2.4 percentage point difference. This data is based on 41 recent ranked games in patch 26.7.

How does Graves do against Karthus in the early game?

In the early game, Karthus has the advantage against Graves with a 64.7% win rate versus 35.3%. Karthus players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Graves do against Karthus in the late game?

In the late game, Graves takes over the Graves vs Karthus matchup with a 62.5% win rate compared to 37.5%. Graves scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Graves vs Karthus matchup?

Graves wins the matchup against Karthus with a 51.2% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.7. The 2.4 percentage point advantage means Graves is moderately favored in this lane matchup based on 41 games analyzed.

What is the best Graves build against Karthus?

The best Graves build against Karthus includes Hubris, The Collector, Immortal Shieldbow with Mercury's Treads. This build achieves a 71.4% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Graves runes against Karthus?

The best Graves runes against Karthus use the Domination primary tree with Precision secondary. This rune setup achieves a 53.8% win rate in the Graves vs Karthus matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Graves counter Karthus?

Yes, Graves has a favorable matchup against Karthus with a 51.2% win rate. Graves has a solid advantage over Karthus in lane based on current patch 26.7 data.

How do I play Graves against Karthus?

When playing Graves against Karthus, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. Play safe early and scale into your power spikes where you outperform Karthus. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.