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

Karthusvs Malzahar

CMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 6, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Karthus vs Malzahar is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Karthus wins with a 70.0% win rate (+40.0%) over Malzahar based on 10 games. Karthus holds the advantage in both the early and late game. Below you'll find the best Karthus build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Karthus vs Malzahar 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 - 70.0% win rate in this matchup
Karthus
70.0% WR
VS
Malzahar vs Karthus matchup - 30.0% win rate
Malzahar
30.0% WR

Who Wins the Karthus vs Malzahar Matchup?

Karthus wins the Karthus vs Malzahar matchup
Winner
Karthus
Matches: 10
70.0%
Win Rate
30.0%
7.4
CS / min
7.4
1,271
DMG / min
882
15,568
Gold / game
13,854
145
Heal / min
97
444
DMG Mitigated / min
570
0.5
CC / min
1.7
100.0%
Early Game WR
0.0%
57.1%
Late Game WR
42.9%

Karthus vs Malzahar Matchup Summary

The Karthus vs Malzahar matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 10 recent matches analyzed, Karthus wins with a 70.0% win rate compared to Malzahar's 30.0%, giving Karthus a 40.0 percentage point advantage. Karthus dominates at every stage — from early laning through late game team fights. This consistent advantage makes it difficult for Malzahar players to find favorable windows, so team-dependent strategies and avoiding solo confrontations are essential. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Malzahar leads by 1.2s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Karthus players can confidently pick into Malzahar and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Malzahar away from CS whenever possible. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Karthus vs Malzahar Laning Phase Breakdown

Malzahar wins the laning phase against Karthus in League of Legends

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

Farming
7.4Karthus
7.4Malzahar
Karthus and Malzahar 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
1,271Karthus
882Malzahar
Karthus heavily out-damages Malzahar by 389 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Malzahar 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
15,568Karthus
13,854Malzahar
Karthus generates a commanding 1,713 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Karthus consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Malzahar should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
0.5Karthus
1.7Malzahar
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Karthus, with 1.2 more seconds of CC per minute. This large utility gap makes Malzahar far more valuable in setting up jungle ganks, controlling objectives, and locking down targets in team fights. Karthus should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
589Karthus
668Malzahar
Malzahar heals and mitigates 79 more damage per minute than Karthus, providing moderate extra durability. This sustain edge allows Malzahar to stay in lane longer between recalls and gradually win extended wars of attrition. Consider building early grievous wounds if playing Karthus.

Best Karthus Build Against Malzahar

Spellslinger's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Malzahar, providing the mobility and stats Karthus needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Karthus against Malzahar are Shadowflame, Malignance and Rabadon's Deathcap. This combination gives Karthus an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 100.0% win rate across 1 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Malzahar. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Karthus vs Malzahar matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Karthus
100.0%
+100.0% advantage
Karthus early game win rateKarthus100.0%
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar0.0%
Late Game
Karthus
57.1%
+14.3% advantage
Karthus late game win rateKarthus57.1%
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar42.9%

Karthus dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 100.0% win rate — a 100.0 percentage point lead over Malzahar. This lopsided early game means Karthus can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Karthus is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 57.1% win rate — 14.3 points above Malzahar. Extended games heavily favor Karthus, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

Karthus holds the advantage at every stage of the game, making this a consistently favorable matchup from lane through late game team fights. Malzahar players should look for outplays, team-dependent strategies, and picks rather than relying on scaling to win this matchup.

Best Karthus Runes Against Malzahar

Sorcery rune tree - Karthus primary runes vs MalzaharSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Karthus rune vs MalzaharManaflow Band - best Karthus rune vs MalzaharAbsolute Focus - best Karthus rune vs MalzaharScorch - best Karthus rune vs Malzahar
Precision rune tree - Karthus secondary runes vs MalzaharPrecision
Presence of Mind - best Karthus rune vs MalzaharLast Stand - best Karthus rune vs Malzahar
100.0% WR

Running Sorcery primary with Precision secondary allows Karthus to press their advantage against Malzahar, 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 Malzahar - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Karthus do against Malzahar in League of Legends?

Karthus wins the Karthus vs Malzahar matchup with a 70.0% win rate compared to Malzahar's 30.0%, a 40.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 10 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Karthus do against Malzahar in the early game?

In the early game, Karthus has the advantage against Malzahar with a 100.0% win rate versus 0.0%. 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 Malzahar in the late game?

In the late game, Karthus takes over the Karthus vs Malzahar matchup with a 57.1% win rate compared to 42.9%. Karthus scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Karthus vs Malzahar matchup?

Karthus wins the matchup against Malzahar with a 70.0% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 40.0 percentage point advantage means Karthus is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 10 games analyzed.

What is the best Karthus build against Malzahar?

The best Karthus build against Malzahar includes Shadowflame, Malignance, Rabadon's Deathcap with Spellslinger's Shoes. This build achieves a 100.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Karthus runes against Malzahar?

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

Does Karthus counter Malzahar?

Yes, Karthus has a favorable matchup against Malzahar with a 70.0% win rate. Karthus strongly counters Malzahar in lane based on current patch 26.11 data.

How do I play Karthus against Malzahar?

When playing Karthus against Malzahar, 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.