Karthus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
50.0%
Pick Rate
1.1%

Karthusvs Kai'Sa

CMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 4, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Karthus vs Kai'Sa is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Karthus wins with a 52.9% win rate (+5.9%) over Kai'Sa based on 17 games. Karthus wins the early laning phase while Kai'Sa scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Karthus build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup.

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Karthus Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Karthus 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 - 52.9% win rate in this matchup
Karthus
52.9% WR
VS
Kai'Sa vs Karthus matchup - 47.1% win rate
Kai'Sa
47.1% WR

Who Wins the Karthus vs Kai'Sa Matchup?

Karthus wins the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup
Winner
Karthus
Matches: 17
52.9%
Win Rate
47.1%
6.5
CS / min
6.5
1,330
DMG / min
998
13,719
Gold / game
14,694
58
Heal / min
205
418
DMG Mitigated / min
510
0.7
CC / min
0.1
66.7%
Early Game WR
33.3%
45.5%
Late Game WR
54.5%

Karthus vs Kai'Sa Matchup Summary

The Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup is a moderate matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 17 recent matches analyzed, Karthus wins with a 52.9% win rate compared to Kai'Sa's 47.1%, giving Karthus a 5.9 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Karthus controls the early laning stage, but Kai'Sa outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Karthus needs to press advantages before Kai'Sa reaches their power spikes, while Kai'Sa should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Karthus leads by 0.6s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Karthus has a statistical edge, but the margin is close enough that respecting Kai'Sa'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.

Karthus vs Kai'Sa Laning Phase Breakdown

Karthus wins the laning phase against Kai'Sa in League of Legends

Karthus is favored during the laning phase against Kai'Sa, winning 3 out of 5 key stat categories. Karthus holds advantages in farming, damage and crowd control, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
6.5Karthus
6.5Kai'Sa
Karthus and Kai'Sa farm at nearly identical rates in this matchup, with only a 0.0 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
1,330Karthus
998Kai'Sa
Karthus heavily out-damages Kai'Sa by 332 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Kai'Sa 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
13,719Karthus
14,694Kai'Sa
Kai'Sa generates a commanding 975 more gold per game than Karthus. This substantial economic advantage means Kai'Sa consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Karthus should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
0.7Karthus
0.1Kai'Sa
Karthus provides 0.6 seconds more crowd control per minute than Kai'Sa, offering better gank setup potential and slightly more team fight utility. This CC advantage helps Karthus coordinate with their jungler and control the pace of skirmishes.
Sustain
477Karthus
714Kai'Sa
Kai'Sa vastly out-sustains Karthus, healing and mitigating 238 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Kai'Sa 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.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Karthus
66.7%
+33.3% advantage
Karthus early game win rateKarthus66.7%
Kai'Sa early game win rateKai'Sa33.3%
Late Game
Kai'Sa
54.5%
+9.1% advantage
Karthus late game win rateKarthus45.5%
Kai'Sa late game win rateKai'Sa54.5%

Karthus dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 66.7% win rate — a 33.3 percentage point lead over Kai'Sa. This lopsided early game means Karthus can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Kai'Sa is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 54.5% win rate — 9.1 points above Karthus. Extended games heavily favor Kai'Sa, 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 Kai'Sa reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Kai'Sa 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 Karthus Runes Against Kai'Sa

Sorcery rune tree - Karthus primary runes vs Kai'SaSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Karthus rune vs Kai'SaAxiom Arcanist - best Karthus rune vs Kai'SaTranscendence - best Karthus rune vs Kai'SaGathering Storm - best Karthus rune vs Kai'Sa
Precision rune tree - Karthus secondary runes vs Kai'SaPrecision
Coup de Grace - best Karthus rune vs Kai'SaPresence of Mind - best Karthus rune vs Kai'Sa
100.0% WR

Running Sorcery primary with Precision secondary allows Karthus to press their advantage against Kai'Sa, amplifying the strengths that make this a favorable matchup.


Karthus matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.11. The table below shows Karthus'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 Karthus build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Karthus matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.11
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
49.09%551.41,03012,95747.8%50.0%
43.64%551.71,17013,03740.0%46.7%
45.10%511.61,05713,34631.8%55.2%
59.18%496.31,29113,60950.0%65.5%
52.08%481.51,25914,65547.1%54.8%
42.22%451.51,01713,07143.8%41.4%
37.78%451.31,02712,76840.9%34.8%
64.44%456.51,32616,02286.7%53.3%
50.00%426.61,19713,07066.7%33.3%
43.59%396.31,21513,23850.0%36.8%
57.89%381.41,26313,76053.3%60.9%
47.37%381.51,14413,40237.5%54.5%
34.21%381.91,06712,86740.0%30.4%
43.24%371.81,21213,46357.1%34.8%
38.24%347.01,24713,84233.3%42.1%
46.88%321.81,14612,84538.5%52.6%
43.33%301.81,29414,56958.3%33.3%
55.17%296.11,20312,39066.7%42.9%
46.43%281.41,03012,47453.3%38.5%
57.14%286.61,42315,21450.0%62.5%
40.74%271.31,33515,99216.7%47.6%
28.00%251.81,16313,29530.0%26.7%
66.67%241.61,14614,33775.0%58.3%
45.45%221.51,30714,90550.0%44.4%
66.67%212.21,20113,57277.8%58.3%
55.00%201.61,26713,96860.0%50.0%
68.42%195.61,49616,092100.0%60.0%
63.16%191.31,11614,40962.5%63.6%
38.89%181.51,44814,53542.9%36.4%
55.56%186.41,27613,45466.7%44.4%
72.22%185.11,12111,32260.0%87.5%
35.29%171.51,05612,45536.4%33.3%
52.94%171.31,37015,16157.1%50.0%
76.47%176.51,26315,48280.0%75.0%
47.06%171.596012,24444.4%50.0%
52.94%176.51,33013,71966.7%45.5%
43.75%161.41,24415,49750.0%41.7%
56.25%161.31,08013,22180.0%45.5%
53.33%155.41,37313,67875.0%45.5%
35.71%141.61,23913,56744.4%20.0%
28.57%146.71,35911,93450.0%12.5%
42.86%142.41,25014,77740.0%44.4%
50.00%141.61,08215,54125.0%60.0%
69.23%136.51,30513,96557.1%83.3%
61.54%136.51,25612,93960.0%62.5%
53.85%132.51,05212,27675.0%44.4%
58.33%125.91,02710,26957.1%60.0%
83.33%121.31,22913,18380.0%85.7%
50.00%125.41,34014,96775.0%37.5%
45.45%111.41,03113,14557.1%25.0%
72.73%111.61,02712,997100.0%57.1%
27.27%115.91,13213,2320.0%42.9%
30.00%103.21,05913,47225.0%33.3%
70.00%107.41,27115,568100.0%57.1%
70.00%102.91,14415,271100.0%62.5%
50.00%107.21,13812,21650.0%50.0%
40.00%102.91,37615,5780.0%44.4%
55.56%95.51,26613,15150.0%60.0%
33.33%94.992710,92520.0%50.0%
44.44%96.21,07210,46733.3%66.7%
55.56%93.31,21214,875100.0%42.9%
55.56%91.41,25215,076100.0%42.9%
77.78%92.91,16514,15366.7%83.3%
33.33%92.11,19513,83433.3%33.3%
87.50%81.31,11314,33780.0%100.0%
25.00%81.31,28513,22250.0%16.7%
87.50%86.41,18214,46450.0%100.0%
75.00%81.71,65016,96550.0%83.3%
75.00%86.71,19715,02375.0%75.0%
62.50%82.099113,519100.0%50.0%
37.50%81.799613,5240.0%50.0%
57.14%76.31,63217,174100.0%50.0%
42.86%72.91,10811,95025.0%66.7%
14.29%71.190712,62625.0%0.0%
71.43%76.91,20214,28450.0%80.0%
85.71%75.51,33217,1080.0%85.7%
42.86%74.11,21013,9640.0%50.0%
28.57%76.01,44213,3670.0%40.0%
57.14%77.01,42713,69033.3%75.0%
57.14%72.41,12412,10740.0%100.0%
85.71%71.01,06214,10450.0%100.0%
50.00%67.11,38812,74350.0%50.0%
33.33%66.81,14411,4860.0%66.7%
66.67%64.21,44015,135100.0%60.0%
33.33%62.39659,7790.0%50.0%
33.33%62.51,07412,12050.0%0.0%
33.33%66.61,31611,4480.0%66.7%
16.67%65.81,30313,2700.0%25.0%
50.00%62.51,43716,7350.0%75.0%
20.00%56.31,40913,9390.0%33.3%
40.00%55.37986,5180.0%100.0%
40.00%51.11,41814,8040.0%50.0%
40.00%53.41,19015,0350.0%50.0%
60.00%54.61,65613,73266.7%50.0%
80.00%56.71,33110,47066.7%100.0%
60.00%52.01,29214,405100.0%50.0%
20.00%56.01,20610,84633.3%0.0%
40.00%56.71,01212,7100.0%50.0%
40.00%56.31,48213,690100.0%25.0%
60.00%55.91,40013,38366.7%50.0%
40.00%56.51,1899,67725.0%100.0%

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Karthus vs Kai'Sa - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Karthus do against Kai'Sa in League of Legends?

Karthus wins the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup with a 52.9% win rate compared to Kai'Sa's 47.1%, a 5.9 percentage point difference. This data is based on 17 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Karthus do against Kai'Sa in the early game?

In the early game, Karthus has the advantage against Kai'Sa with a 66.7% win rate versus 33.3%. Karthus players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Karthus do against Kai'Sa in the late game?

In the late game, Kai'Sa takes over the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup with a 54.5% win rate compared to 45.5%. Kai'Sa scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup?

Karthus wins the matchup against Kai'Sa with a 52.9% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 5.9 percentage point advantage means Karthus is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 17 games analyzed.

What is the best Karthus build against Kai'Sa?

The best Karthus build against Kai'Sa includes optimized core items. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Karthus runes against Kai'Sa?

The best Karthus runes against Kai'Sa use the Sorcery primary tree with Precision secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Karthus vs Kai'Sa matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Karthus counter Kai'Sa?

Yes, Karthus has a favorable matchup against Kai'Sa with a 52.9% win rate. Karthus strongly counters Kai'Sa in lane based on current patch 26.11 data.

How do I play Karthus against Kai'Sa?

When playing Karthus against Kai'Sa, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. You have early game priority — look for kills and zone control before first recall. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.