Karthus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
49.3%
Pick Rate
1.3%

KarthusTop Build

DMage
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 19, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology
AuthorDakota Chinnick

The patch 26.7 Karthus top build uses Boots of Swiftness, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Blackfire Torch, Void Staff, Malignance, Farsight Alteration. This Karthus build has a 8.58% pick rate and a 61.71% win rate in LoL patch 26.7. Alternatively, check out some of the other ranked Karthus build choices below.

OverviewBuildAbilitiesRunesCountersMatchupsArenaARAMTips

Select a Karthus Build

Most Played
Most Popular Build
Core Build Items
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Most Popular Build core itemShadowflame
  • Rabadon's Deathcap - Karthus Most Popular Build core itemRabadon's Deathcap
  • Blackfire Torch - Karthus Most Popular Build core itemBlackfire Torch
61.7%Win Rate
+12.5%WR Diff
8.6%Pick Rate
Alternative Build 1
Core Build Items
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Alternative Build 1 core itemShadowflame
  • Void Staff - Karthus Alternative Build 1 core itemVoid Staff
  • Blackfire Torch - Karthus Alternative Build 1 core itemBlackfire Torch
58.1%Win Rate
+8.9%WR Diff
4.3%Pick Rate
Alternative Build 2
Core Build Items
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemShadowflame
  • Zhonya's Hourglass - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemZhonya's Hourglass
  • Blackfire Torch - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemBlackfire Torch
56.3%Win Rate
+7.0%WR Diff
4.2%Pick Rate
Alternative Build 3
Core Build Items
  • Liandry's Torment - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemLiandry's Torment
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemShadowflame
  • Blackfire Torch - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemBlackfire Torch
55.9%Win Rate
+6.7%WR Diff
4.9%Pick Rate

Best Karthus Build - Highest Win Rate Items

This Karthus build focuses on ability power for maximum spell damage. Build the core items first for your power spike, then adapt with situational items based on enemy team composition.

Full Build
61.71%Win Rate
+12.46%WR Diff
8.58%Pick Rate
410Build Matches

Karthus build strength based on the items chosen in the build when compared to all builds across every champion. Strongest in: Magic Damage. Lower in: Physical Resistance, Health, Magic Resistance, Physical Damage.

The most popular starting items for Karthus are Scorchclaw Pup, Health Potion, Stealth Ward with a 64.6% win rate and 20.1% pick rate.

Scorchclaw PupScorchclaw PupHealth PotionHealth PotionStealth WardStealth Ward
64.6%Win Rate
20.1%Pick Rate
These are Karthus's essential core items that you should build in nearly every game. Shadowflame (52.8% WR, +3.5% WR diff, 70.0% pick rate) provides 110 AP. Rabadon's Deathcap (55.6% WR, +6.3% WR diff, 45.0% pick rate) provides 130 AP. Blackfire Torch (51.2% WR, +2.0% WR diff, 78.0% pick rate) provides 600 Mana, 80 AP. Rush these items first to reach your power spike and maximize your impact.
Top situational items for Karthus include Void Staff, Malignance. These can be swapped out depending on the enemy composition and team needs.
The best boots for Karthus are Boots of Swiftness. Adjust based on enemy team comp.
The recommended trinket for Karthus is Farsight Alteration for vision control and map awareness.

Combined statistics from all items in this Karthus build.

  • Total movement speed Movement Speed:55
  • Total ability power Ability Power:505
  • Total mana Mana:1200
When facing Karthus's top counters like Ekko, Vayne, JarvanIV, consider adjusting your situational items to increase survivability and match their damage output. If counter champions are building high damage, prioritize armor items against AD-heavy counter picks or magic resistance items against AP threats in your situational item slots to reduce burst damage and improve trading potential. Your core build provides strong damage output. Against tanky counter picks, consider penetration items or percentage-based damage from your situational options to maintain kill pressure. Adapt your final build slots with items like Void Staff or Malignance based on which counter champions you're facing and their itemization patterns. Monitor enemy builds and adjust accordingly for optimal Karthus performance.

This Karthus burst mage build is optimized for players looking to maximize their impact in League of Legends. With a 61.7% win rate across 410 matches, this build has proven highly effective in the current meta. The build's key strengths include devastating ability power scaling with 505 total AP. Choose this build when your team needs magic damage, especially if teammates are primarily AD-focused. Karthus with this build can punish teams that stack armor. Consider the enemy team composition when finalizing your situational items to maximize Karthus's effectiveness. However, be aware that this build lacks defensive stats making Karthus vulnerable to burst damage and low health pool requiring careful positioning. With a total gold cost of 16,200, this Karthus build scales into the late game. Focus on farming efficiently and reaching your Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Blackfire Torch power spike before taking major fights. For optimal results with this Karthus build, focus on proper itemization timing, positioning in teamfights, and adapting your situational items based on the specific challenges each game presents.

Champions that use similar core items to Karthus. These builds share at least 2 core items with the current top karthus build and may have similar playstyles and power spikes.

Aurora champion
Aurora
Core Items
  • Luden's Echo - Aurora core item
  • Shadowflame - Aurora core item
  • Rabadon's Deathcap - Aurora core item
56.0%Win Rate
7.8%Pick Rate

See Also

Karthus OverviewKarthus RunesKarthus CountersAll Items