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

KarthusRunes

BMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 10, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Best Karthus runes for LoL Patch 26.11 - Deathfire Touch from the Sorcery tree with Domination secondary (75.0% WR, 0.9% pick rate). Karthus's optimal primary runes are Deathfire Touch, Axiom Arcanist, Absolute Focus, Gathering Storm. Secondary tree: Cheap Shot, Ultimate Hunter.

MetaBot Desktop
Live In-Game Overlays
Join Our Discord
Bug reports, feature requests & developer chat
Join Discord
Karthus performs best with Deathfire Touch as the keystone rune from the Sorcery tree. Karthus's optimal primary runes are Deathfire Touch, Axiom Arcanist, Absolute Focus, Gathering Storm. Karthus's secondary rune tree is Domination with Cheap Shot, Ultimate Hunter. This rune setup achieves a 75.00% win rate (+24.6% win rate difference) with a 0.9% pick rate across 20 Karthus games.
75.0%Win Rate
+24.6%WR Diff
0.9%Pick Rate
Deathfire TouchDeathfire Touch

Damaging a champion with an ability burns them for 3 - 12 based on level (+7.0% AP) (+2.5% bonus AD) magical damage per second. After burning for 3 seconds, the damage of the burn increases by 75% while they remain on fire.

Duration:
Single Target: 4s
Area of Effect: 2s
Damage over Time: 1s

Axiom ArcanistAxiom Arcanist

Your Ultimate has 12% increased damage, healing, and shielding.
(AoE damage is reduced to a 8% increase)

Scoring a takedown on an enemy champion reduces your Ultimate's current cooldown by 7%.

Absolute FocusAbsolute Focus

While above 70% health, gain an adaptive bonus of up to 18 Attack Damage or 30 Ability Power (based on level).

Grants 1.8 Attack Damage or 3 Ability Power at level 1.

Gathering StormGathering Storm

Every 10 min gain AP or AD, adaptive.

10 min: + 8 AP or 5 AD
20 min: + 24 AP or 14 AD
30 min: + 48 AP or 29 AD
40 min: + 80 AP or 48 AD
50 min: + 120 AP or 72 AD
60 min: + 168 AP or 101 AD
etc...

Cheap ShotCheap Shot

Damaging champions with impaired movement or actions deals 10 - 45 bonus true damage (based on level).

Cooldown: 4s
Activates on damage occurring after the impairment.

Ultimate HunterUltimate Hunter

Your ultimate gains 6 Ability Haste, plus an additional 5 Ability Haste per Bounty Hunter stack. Bounty Hunter stacks are earned the first time you get a takedown on each enemy champion.

This alternative Karthus rune build uses Deathfire Touch as the keystone from the Sorcery tree. The primary runes are Deathfire Touch, Axiom Arcanist, Transcendence, Gathering Storm. Karthus's secondary rune tree is Precision with Triumph, Last Stand. This setup achieves a 63.16% win rate (+12.7% win rate difference) with a 0.8% pick rate across 19 games.
63.2%Win Rate
+12.7%WR Diff
0.8%Pick Rate
Deathfire TouchDeathfire Touch

Damaging a champion with an ability burns them for 3 - 12 based on level (+7.0% AP) (+2.5% bonus AD) magical damage per second. After burning for 3 seconds, the damage of the burn increases by 75% while they remain on fire.

Duration:
Single Target: 4s
Area of Effect: 2s
Damage over Time: 1s

Axiom ArcanistAxiom Arcanist

Your Ultimate has 12% increased damage, healing, and shielding.
(AoE damage is reduced to a 8% increase)

Scoring a takedown on an enemy champion reduces your Ultimate's current cooldown by 7%.

TranscendenceTranscendence

Gain bonuses upon reaching the following levels:
Level 5: +5 Ability Haste
Level 8: +5 Ability Haste
Level 11: On Champion takedown, reduce the remaining cooldown of basic abilities by 20%.

Gathering StormGathering Storm

Every 10 min gain AP or AD, adaptive.

10 min: + 8 AP or 5 AD
20 min: + 24 AP or 14 AD
30 min: + 48 AP or 29 AD
40 min: + 80 AP or 48 AD
50 min: + 120 AP or 72 AD
60 min: + 168 AP or 101 AD
etc...

TriumphTriumph

Takedowns restore 5% of your missing health, 2.5% of your max health, and grant an additional 20 gold.



'The most dangerous game brings the greatest glory.'
—Noxian Reckoner

Last StandLast Stand

Deal 5% - 11% increased damage to champions while you are below 60% health. Max damage gained at 30% health.

These champions share at least 4 runes with Karthus's recommended rune builds. use similar keystone and secondary runes, making them good alternatives if you enjoy Karthus's playstyle or want to learn champions with familiar rune setups.Teemo, Annie

Get the MetaBot Desktop App

Level up your gameplay with real-time overlays, automatic game detection, and instant stats — all on your desktop.

In-game overlaysAuto game detectionMulti-game supportPersonal dashboard
Download NowFree download
🔍

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.

Report an Issue

Karthus Runes - Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best Karthus runes in patch 26.11?

The best Karthus runes in patch 26.11 use the Sorcery tree with Deathfire Touch, Axiom Arcanist, Absolute Focus, and Gathering Storm, and the Domination tree with Cheap Shot and Ultimate Hunter. This rune setup achieves a 75.0% win rate with a 0.9% pick rate.

What is the win rate for Karthus's best rune page?

Karthus's best rune page has a 75.0% win rate in patch 26.11, which is +24.6% compared to Karthus's average win rate. This rune setup has a 0.9% pick rate among Karthus players.

What keystone should I use on Karthus?

Deathfire Touch from the Sorcery tree is the best keystone rune for Karthus in patch 26.11. This keystone synergizes well with Karthus's kit and provides a 75.0% win rate.

What is Karthus's primary rune tree?

Karthus's primary rune tree is Sorcery. The optimal Sorcery runes for Karthus are Deathfire Touch, Axiom Arcanist, Absolute Focus, and Gathering Storm, with Deathfire Touch being the keystone of choice.

What is Karthus's secondary rune tree?

Karthus's best secondary rune tree is Domination. The recommended Domination runes are Cheap Shot and Ultimate Hunter, which complement Karthus's Sorcery primary tree.

What are alternative rune setups for Karthus?

An alternative Karthus rune setup uses Deathfire Touch from the Sorcery tree. This alternate build may be preferred in certain matchups or playstyles. Check the alternative rune page above for full details including win rate and pick rate.

How popular are Karthus's runes?

Karthus's top rune page has a 0.9% pick rate in patch 26.11. This indicates that 0.9% of Karthus players use the Deathfire Touch setup with Sorcery and Domination trees.