Karthus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
49.8%
Pick Rate
1.2%

KarthusBuild

CMage
Patch26.10
Matches2,379,056
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedMay 21, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology
AuthorDakota Chinnick

The patch 26.10 Karthus build uses Plated Steelcaps, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Blackfire Torch, Malignance, Zhonya's Hourglass, Farsight Alteration. This Karthus build has a 7.82% pick rate and a 59.12% win rate in LoL patch 26.10. Alternatively, check out some of the other ranked Karthus build choices below.

OverviewBuildRunesAbilitiesCountersMatchupsArenaARAMTips

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
59.1%Win Rate
+9.3%WR Diff
7.8%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
58.3%Win Rate
+8.5%WR Diff
4.7%Pick Rate
Alternative Build 2
Core Build Items
  • Liandry's Torment - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemLiandry's Torment
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemShadowflame
  • Blackfire Torch - Karthus Alternative Build 2 core itemBlackfire Torch
56.0%Win Rate
+6.1%WR Diff
5.4%Pick Rate
Alternative Build 3
Core Build Items
  • Shadowflame - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemShadowflame
  • Void Staff - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemVoid Staff
  • Rabadon's Deathcap - Karthus Alternative Build 3 core itemRabadon's Deathcap
55.2%Win Rate
+5.3%WR Diff
4.0%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
Top Summoner Spells
  • IgniteSmite
    Ignite + Smite
    71.4%Win Rate4.0%Pick Rate
  • ExhaustFlash
    Exhaust + Flash
    100.0%Win Rate1.7%Pick Rate

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

The most popular starting items for Karthus are Scorchclaw Pup, Health Potion, Stealth Ward with a 39.6% win rate and 27.6% pick rate.

Scorchclaw PupScorchclaw PupHealth PotionHealth PotionStealth WardStealth Ward
39.6%Win Rate
27.6%Pick Rate
These are Karthus's essential core items that you should build in nearly every game. Shadowflame (51.1% WR, +1.3% WR diff, 68.8% pick rate) provides 110 AP. Void Staff (54.3% WR, +4.4% WR diff, 23.3% pick rate) provides 95 AP. Rabadon's Deathcap (55.2% WR, +5.4% WR diff, 43.5% pick rate) provides 130 AP. Rush these items first to reach your power spike and maximize your impact.
Top situational items for Karthus include Blackfire Torch, Zhonya's Hourglass. These can be swapped out depending on the enemy composition and team needs.
The best boots for Karthus are Sorcerer's Shoes. Adjust based on enemy team comp.
The recommended trinket for Karthus is Oracle Lens for vision control and map awareness.

Combined statistics from all items in this Karthus build.

Top Build Focus
  • Karthus ability powerAP520
  • Karthus movement speedSpeed45
  • Karthus manaMana600
  • Karthus armorArmor50
When facing Karthus's top counters like Volibear, Vayne, MissFortune, consider adjusting your situational items to increase survivability and match their damage output. If counter champions are building high damage, prioritize magic resistance items against AP threats or health-stacking items for general survivability 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 Blackfire Torch or Zhonya's Hourglass based on which counter champions you're facing and their itemization patterns. Monitor enemy builds and adjust accordingly for optimal Karthus performance.
View All Karthus Counters
burst mageFirst Power Spike3,200g

This Karthus burst mage build is optimized for players looking to maximize their impact in League of Legends. With a 55.2% win rate across 174 matches, this build has proven highly effective in the current meta. The build's key strengths include devastating ability power scaling with 520 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 low health pool requiring careful positioning and no built-in sustain for extended fights. With a total gold cost of 16,850, this Karthus build scales into the late game. Focus on farming efficiently and reaching your Shadowflame, Void Staff, Rabadon's Deathcap 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.

Strengths
  • Devastating ability power scaling with 520 total AP
Weaknesses
  • Low health pool requiring careful positioning
  • No built-in sustain for extended fights
  • Limited ability haste may result in longer cooldowns

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

Ahri champion
Ahri
Core Items
  • Shadowflame - Ahri core item
  • Malignance - Ahri core item
  • Rabadon's Deathcap - Ahri core item
55.7%Win Rate
6.5%Pick Rate
Kayle champion
Kayle
Core Items
  • Shadowflame - Kayle core item
  • Rabadon's Deathcap - Kayle core item
  • Dusk and Dawn - Kayle core item
69.0%Win Rate
5.1%Pick Rate

See Also

Karthus OverviewKarthus RunesKarthus CountersAll Items