Karthus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
50.4%
Pick Rate
1.2%

Karthusvs Sylas

BMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 7, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Karthus vs Sylas is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Sylas wins with a 72.0% win rate (+44.0%) over Karthus based on 25 games. Sylas 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 Sylas 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 - 28.0% win rate in this matchup
Karthus
28.0% WR
VS
Sylas vs Karthus matchup - 72.0% win rate
Sylas
72.0% WR

Who Wins the Karthus vs Sylas Matchup?

Sylas wins the Karthus vs Sylas matchup
Winner
Sylas
Matches: 25
28.0%
Win Rate
72.0%
1.8
CS / min
0.9
1,163
DMG / min
865
13,295
Gold / game
13,725
278
Heal / min
629
489
DMG Mitigated / min
946
0.6
CC / min
0.8
30.0%
Early Game WR
70.0%
26.7%
Late Game WR
73.3%

Karthus vs Sylas Matchup Summary

The Karthus vs Sylas matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 25 recent matches analyzed, Sylas wins with a 72.0% win rate compared to Karthus's 28.0%, giving Sylas a 44.0 percentage point advantage. Sylas dominates at every stage — from early laning through late game team fights. This consistent advantage makes it difficult for Karthus players to find favorable windows, so team-dependent strategies and avoiding solo confrontations are essential. The most significant statistical gap is in sustain, where Sylas leads by 808 HP/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Sylas has a strong advantage in this matchup. Karthus players should play defensively, prioritize safe farming under tower, and look for opportunities created by jungle pressure or Sylas overextending. Avoid prolonged trades and wait for team fights where positioning and coordination matter more. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Karthus vs Sylas Laning Phase Breakdown

Sylas wins the laning phase against Karthus in League of Legends

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

Farming
1.8Karthus
0.9Sylas
Karthus significantly out-farms Sylas by 0.8 CS per minute, accumulating an estimated 12 CS lead by mid game. This substantial farming gap gives Karthus a major gold advantage and earlier item completions. Sylas players should prioritize wave management techniques like freezing near tower and using abilities efficiently to minimize the deficit.
Damage
1,163Karthus
865Sylas
Karthus heavily out-damages Sylas by 298 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Sylas 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
13,295Karthus
13,725Sylas
Sylas earns 430 more gold per game than Karthus, equivalent to roughly one additional component item. This economic edge comes from a combination of better farming, kill participation, and objective control, giving Sylas slightly faster item completions.
Utility
0.6Karthus
0.8Sylas
Both Karthus and Sylas provide similar amounts of crowd control (0.2s/min difference), meaning neither has a significant advantage in locking down opponents for ganks or team fights. Lane ganks are equally effective for both sides.
Sustain
767Karthus
1,575Sylas
Sylas vastly out-sustains Karthus, healing and mitigating 808 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Sylas 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.

Best Karthus Build Against Sylas

Sorcerer's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Sylas, providing the mobility and stats Karthus needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Karthus against Sylas are Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap and Blackfire Torch. This combination gives Karthus an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 66.7% win rate across 3 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Sylas. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Karthus vs Sylas matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Sylas
70.0%
+40.0% advantage
Karthus early game win rateKarthus30.0%
Sylas early game win rateSylas70.0%
Late Game
Sylas
73.3%
+46.7% advantage
Karthus late game win rateKarthus26.7%
Sylas late game win rateSylas73.3%

Sylas dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 70.0% win rate — a 40.0 percentage point lead over Karthus. This lopsided early game means Sylas can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Sylas is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 73.3% win rate — 46.7 points above Karthus. Extended games heavily favor Sylas, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

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

Best Karthus Runes Against Sylas

Domination rune tree - Karthus primary runes vs SylasDomination
Dark Harvest - best Karthus rune vs SylasCheap Shot - best Karthus rune vs SylasGrisly Mementos - best Karthus rune vs SylasTreasure Hunter - best Karthus rune vs Sylas
Precision rune tree - Karthus secondary runes vs SylasPrecision
Coup de Grace - best Karthus rune vs SylasPresence of Mind - best Karthus rune vs Sylas
100.0% WR

The Domination and Precision rune setup gives Karthus the best tools to compete against Sylas in this difficult matchup, compensating for the statistical disadvantages with optimal rune synergies.


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 Sylas - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Karthus do against Sylas in League of Legends?

Sylas wins the Karthus vs Sylas matchup with a 72.0% win rate compared to Karthus's 28.0%, a 44.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 25 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Karthus do against Sylas in the early game?

In the early game, Sylas has the advantage against Karthus with a 70.0% win rate versus 30.0%. Sylas players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Karthus do against Sylas in the late game?

In the late game, Sylas takes over the Karthus vs Sylas matchup with a 73.3% win rate compared to 26.7%. Sylas scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Karthus vs Sylas matchup?

Sylas wins the matchup against Karthus with a 72.0% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 44.0 percentage point advantage means Sylas is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 25 games analyzed.

What is the best Karthus build against Sylas?

The best Karthus build against Sylas includes Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Blackfire Torch with Sorcerer's Shoes. This build achieves a 66.7% 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 Sylas?

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

Does Karthus counter Sylas?

No, Karthus struggles against Sylas with only a 28.0% win rate. Sylas has the advantage in this matchup. Karthus players should focus on safe farming and avoiding extended trades to minimize Sylas's lead.

How do I play Karthus against Sylas?

When playing Karthus against Sylas, play cautiously and avoid Sylas's power spikes. Look for jungle assistance and team-dependent plays since Sylas has the statistical advantage at most stages. Use the matchup-specific build and runes above to optimize your chances.