- Win Rate
- 48.0%
- Pick Rate
- 0.4%
- Ban Rate
- 0.6%
Karthus Jungle Counters & Lane Matchups
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 889
- Lane
- Jungle
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 20, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
The best Karthus counters in League of Legends patch 26.20 are Lillia, LeeSin, Chogath, Kayn, Shyvana. The best Karthus counter is Lillia, with Karthus having only a 26.32% win rate in this matchup. Secondary patch 26.20 Karthus counter choices are Viego, Warwick, Khazix, Ekko, MasterYi. Below are the top Karthus counters and matchups alongside their win rates.
- Hardest counter
- Kaynwins 57.3%
- Jungle lanes won at 15
- 48.8%
Who Counters Karthus Jungle (Patch 26.20)
7 lane opponents · 282 gamesThe hardest Jungle matchup for Karthus is Kayn, who wins 57.3% of their games against Karthus. Across the 7 matchups with lane data, Karthus is clearly ahead in gold at 15 against 1 and clearly behind against 0.
| Opponent | Their win rate | Gold @15 | CS @15 | XP @15 | Verdict | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cho'Gath | 64.9% | +180 | −2.3 | +16 | Leans their way | 37 |
 Lee Sin | 64.1% | +52 | −12.3 | −343 | Leans their way | 39 |
 Viego | 62.9% | +284 | −6.2 | −68 | Leans their way | 35 |
 Kayn | 57.3% | +12 | −6.8 | −248 | Leans their way | 75 |
 Warwick | 55.9% | +104 | −13.1 | −254 | Leans their way | 34 |
 Wukong | 53.1% | −422 | −11.2 | −459 | Leans their wayLoses lane | 32 |
 Shaco | 53.3% | +243 | −12.5 | −271 | Leans their way | 30 |
Ranked solo and flex games where both champions played the same lane this patch. Win rate shown is the OPPONENT's. Lists rank by the 95% range of each win rate, so a handful of games cannot top the list; gold, CS and XP are the opponent's lead at 15:00.
Karthus Counter Pick Finder
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Pick the champions you play to rank them against Karthus. With nothing picked, the strongest counters overall are shown.
| Pick | Win rate vs Karthus | Gold @15 | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cho'Gath | 64.9% | +180 | 37 |
| 2. Lee Sin | 64.1% | +52 | 39 |
| 3. Viego | 62.9% | +284 | 35 |
| 4. Kayn | 57.3% | +12 | 75 |
| 5. Warwick | 55.9% | +104 | 34 |
Karthus Lane Gold at 15 Minutes
Karthus's gold lead or deficit at 15:00 against the twelve most common Jungle opponents. Right of the line, Karthus is ahead; left, the opponent is.
From a champion selection perspective, the strongest Karthus counters are Kayn. These champions either out-trade Karthus in lane, have abilities that negate Karthus's core mechanics, or scale better into team fights. Kayn in particular exploits Karthus's weaknesses by providing consistent pressure while being difficult to punish.
Beyond item builds and counter picks, successful counter play against Karthus involves understanding Karthus's power spikes and cooldown windows. Engage on Karthus when key abilities are on cooldown, and coordinate with your team to focus Karthus in team fights before Karthus can output maximum damage. Vision control is also crucial when playing against Karthus to avoid getting caught out of position. By combining proper defensive itemization with smart champion selection and strategic gameplay, you can effectively neutralize Karthus's impact and secure victory.
When to Counter Karthus - Game Phase Strategy
Karthus may be mana-dependent early. Punish after spell rotations when abilities are on cooldown. All-in when mana is depleted for advantageous trades.
Karthus's poke and zone control peaks mid game. Engage quickly to close the gap before Karthus can kite. Use flanks and hard engage to bypass poke damage.
Karthus provides strong team fight damage late. Prioritize diving Karthus or use assassins to reach the backline. Magic resist items become crucial.
Tips for Playing Against Karthus
- Pick Kayn or similar champions with kits that exploit Karthus's weaknesses
- Build Mercury's Treads or Hexdrinker early to reduce Karthus's damage in lane
- Track Karthus's cooldowns and engage when key abilities are unavailable
- Ward Karthus's common roam paths and ping missing immediately
- Coordinate with your jungler to gank Karthus during vulnerable windows
- Dodge Karthus's skill shots by moving unpredictably
- All-in Karthus when mana is low from spell rotations
Riot's tips for playing against Karthus
- Karthus can cast spells for a short duration after he is killed. Move away from his corpse to be safe.
- Make sure you always have enough health to survive Requiem, even if you have to go back to the base more frequently to heal.
Plan your Karthus draft in Draft Lab
Draft Lab lays out both teams lane by lane with live matchup win rates, damage profiles and game-phase lean, and suggests picks and bans from current meta data.
- Full 5v5 draft board
- Lane matchup win rates
- Pick and ban suggestions
Help us maintain accuracy! If you notice incorrect stats, missing data, or any issues, your feedback directly improves the quality of our data for the entire community.
Karthus Counters FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who counters Karthus?
In the Jungle lane this patch, the strongest counters to Karthus are Kayn (57.3% over 75 games).
What is Karthus's hardest matchup?
Kayn. Karthus wins only 42.7% of 75 lane games against Kayn and sits at −12 gold at 15 minutes.
Is Karthus a lane bully?
Not really. Karthus Jungle finishes 15 minutes within 36 gold of the lane opponent on average and is ahead in 49% of games.