Naafiri - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
50.6%
Pick Rate
3.9%

Naafirivs Karthus

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

Naafiri vs Karthus is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Naafiri wins with a 53.1% win rate (+6.3%) over Karthus based on 32 games. Naafiri wins the early laning phase while Karthus scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Naafiri build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup.

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Naafiri Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Naafiri 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
Naafiri - 53.1% win rate in this matchup
Naafiri
53.1% WR
VS
Karthus vs Naafiri matchup - 46.9% win rate
Karthus
46.9% WR

Who Wins the Naafiri vs Karthus Matchup?

Naafiri wins the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup
Winner
Naafiri
Matches: 32
53.1%
Win Rate
46.9%
1.2
CS / min
1.8
866
DMG / min
1,146
13,459
Gold / game
12,845
453
Heal / min
279
799
DMG Mitigated / min
457
0.3
CC / min
0.6
61.5%
Early Game WR
38.5%
47.4%
Late Game WR
52.6%

Naafiri vs Karthus Matchup Summary

The Naafiri vs Karthus matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 32 recent matches analyzed, Naafiri wins with a 53.1% win rate compared to Karthus's 46.9%, giving Naafiri a 6.3 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Naafiri controls the early laning stage, but Karthus outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Naafiri needs to press advantages before Karthus reaches their power spikes, while Karthus should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Karthus leads by 0.4s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Naafiri players can confidently pick into Karthus and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Karthus away from CS whenever possible. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Naafiri vs Karthus Laning Phase Breakdown

Karthus wins the laning phase against Naafiri in League of Legends

Karthus is favored during the laning phase against Naafiri, 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
1.2Naafiri
1.8Karthus
Karthus edges out Naafiri by 0.6 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 9 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Karthus.
Damage
866Naafiri
1,146Karthus
Karthus heavily out-damages Naafiri by 280 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Naafiri 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
13,459Naafiri
12,845Karthus
Naafiri earns 615 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 Naafiri slightly faster item completions.
Utility
0.3Naafiri
0.6Karthus
Karthus provides 0.4 seconds more crowd control per minute than Naafiri, 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
1,253Naafiri
735Karthus
Naafiri vastly out-sustains Karthus, healing and mitigating 517 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Naafiri 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 Naafiri Build Against Karthus

Gluttonous Greaves is the optimal boots choice against Karthus, providing the mobility and stats Naafiri needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Naafiri against Karthus are Voltaic Cyclosword, Axiom Arc and Serylda's Grudge. This combination gives Naafiri an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 75.0% win rate across 8 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Karthus. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Naafiri
61.5%
+23.1% advantage
Naafiri early game win rateNaafiri61.5%
Karthus early game win rateKarthus38.5%
Late Game
Karthus
52.6%
+5.3% advantage
Naafiri late game win rateNaafiri47.4%
Karthus late game win rateKarthus52.6%

Naafiri dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 61.5% win rate — a 23.1 percentage point lead over Karthus. This lopsided early game means Naafiri 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 52.6% win rate — 5.3 points above Naafiri. Extended games heavily favor Karthus, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Naafiri must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Karthus reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Karthus 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 Naafiri Runes Against Karthus

Precision rune tree - Naafiri primary runes vs KarthusPrecision
Conqueror - best Naafiri rune vs KarthusTriumph - best Naafiri rune vs KarthusLegend: Alacrity - best Naafiri rune vs KarthusCoup de Grace - best Naafiri rune vs Karthus
Inspiration rune tree - Naafiri secondary runes vs KarthusInspiration
Cosmic Insight - best Naafiri rune vs KarthusMagical Footwear - best Naafiri rune vs Karthus
69.2% WR

Running Precision primary with Inspiration secondary allows Naafiri to press their advantage against Karthus, amplifying the strengths that make this a favorable matchup.


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

Naafiri 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
51.12%1783.479312,18147.7%54.4%
49.41%1701.173812,67957.5%43.3%
60.14%1486.391212,15659.7%60.5%
44.20%1381.269312,38048.5%40.0%
45.52%1346.295412,90950.0%41.4%
42.11%1331.273813,04442.3%42.0%
41.67%1325.684512,30134.6%46.3%
46.56%1316.185412,66450.0%44.2%
51.20%1254.084412,37045.5%55.7%
55.74%1221.272812,95452.6%58.5%
45.90%1226.294313,04737.5%51.4%
46.61%1181.375113,28947.3%46.0%
58.47%1181.173413,21663.8%53.3%
47.79%1135.285612,42351.1%45.5%
48.65%1116.094212,30943.2%52.2%
60.38%1066.185012,66255.6%63.9%
53.85%1046.188212,24156.8%51.7%
52.00%1006.392912,69058.5%47.5%
50.00%961.279813,48552.5%48.2%
53.68%954.41,04113,14861.0%48.1%
45.26%953.583612,20344.4%46.3%
48.39%931.276113,39747.4%49.1%
42.86%911.477011,87040.4%45.5%
49.40%831.367011,52153.3%44.7%
51.85%812.778212,88254.5%50.0%
57.14%706.084111,96851.6%61.5%
46.38%696.21,02312,77759.3%38.1%
55.07%696.487911,57754.3%55.9%
53.85%656.587812,01163.6%43.8%
44.44%636.392813,37841.7%46.1%
55.00%605.890212,87552.2%56.8%
51.72%581.383213,94360.7%43.3%
56.14%575.183413,31745.8%63.6%
45.61%571.274013,48955.0%40.5%
50.91%556.495111,48148.6%55.0%
48.15%542.484613,41450.0%46.7%
46.30%546.01,05413,52154.5%40.6%
46.30%546.392612,67448.1%44.4%
59.26%546.184712,14660.0%58.6%
45.28%536.085011,46150.0%40.7%
30.19%531.073612,70730.8%29.6%
45.28%531.481513,17137.5%51.7%
49.06%531.169212,25957.1%40.0%
54.00%506.695712,46361.9%48.3%
48.00%501.279413,98355.6%43.8%
50.00%506.095912,59952.0%48.0%
44.90%491.165812,62352.4%39.3%
45.83%481.175211,65237.5%54.2%
54.17%481.469913,18256.0%52.2%
56.52%463.680111,58065.4%45.0%
57.78%456.296912,68363.2%53.9%
57.78%456.31,04614,26184.2%38.5%
54.55%442.880612,49260.9%47.6%
61.36%445.595613,74262.5%60.7%
39.53%434.877212,66123.8%54.5%
57.14%426.384412,33161.9%52.4%
42.50%402.189914,84750.0%38.5%
51.28%391.170811,95550.0%52.6%
48.72%391.181113,38450.0%47.4%
50.00%386.189111,87450.0%50.0%
48.65%376.285111,69256.3%42.9%
58.33%361.673212,29668.4%47.1%
36.11%366.186512,25546.1%30.4%
57.14%354.195413,38460.0%55.0%
51.43%353.389213,14653.3%50.0%
61.76%345.889113,54763.6%60.9%
64.71%341.881112,31966.7%62.5%
58.82%346.11,05212,47668.8%50.0%
61.76%344.490712,42757.9%66.7%
54.55%336.01,01013,69450.0%57.1%
53.13%321.286613,45961.5%47.4%
53.13%324.092411,16562.5%43.8%
43.33%305.61,00912,36950.0%38.9%
46.67%303.788212,50357.1%37.5%
43.33%306.21,06711,74040.0%46.7%
40.00%306.397012,03121.4%56.3%
50.00%281.380312,73961.5%40.0%
60.71%283.190612,47253.9%66.7%
55.56%271.678513,86366.7%50.0%
48.00%254.293614,43950.0%47.1%
60.00%256.599412,11057.1%63.6%
56.00%255.785613,24972.7%42.9%
45.83%241.379711,66946.7%44.4%
69.57%236.487712,44680.0%61.5%
56.52%234.91,14212,15164.3%44.4%
43.48%233.998612,66127.3%58.3%
54.55%221.172911,33569.2%33.3%
40.91%224.389011,96030.0%50.0%
36.36%221.075713,07440.0%33.3%
57.14%216.896312,26950.0%66.7%
47.62%216.189012,39844.4%50.0%
70.00%206.993311,52371.4%66.7%
47.37%194.71,01214,11257.1%41.7%
66.67%181.182613,12655.6%77.8%
61.11%185.385312,98555.6%66.7%
55.56%186.387511,16553.9%60.0%
55.56%183.585813,07454.5%57.1%
52.94%176.190111,91742.9%60.0%
47.06%176.090913,20757.1%40.0%
64.71%171.184913,07475.0%55.6%
50.00%165.692512,77820.0%63.6%
40.00%153.693511,49050.0%28.6%
40.00%150.970511,53728.6%50.0%
35.71%143.681212,27114.3%57.1%
50.00%146.21,05411,87060.0%44.4%
61.54%135.569910,56842.9%83.3%
53.85%136.11,08114,26150.0%57.1%
69.23%136.81,03013,31983.3%57.1%
76.92%134.51,05614,39466.7%80.0%
53.85%136.01,02713,75575.0%44.4%
58.33%121.487013,92842.9%80.0%
50.00%125.91,00011,59950.0%50.0%
72.73%115.374511,844100.0%50.0%
54.55%116.696411,74840.0%66.7%
54.55%114.81,11211,93916.7%100.0%
50.00%105.779211,90120.0%80.0%
60.00%103.091812,88360.0%60.0%
33.33%95.51,30814,4660.0%42.9%
33.33%90.876112,83425.0%40.0%
44.44%95.38279,84040.0%50.0%
77.78%94.493312,50080.0%75.0%
75.00%85.485011,837100.0%60.0%
50.00%86.61,02910,930100.0%0.0%
37.50%86.31,00213,1560.0%60.0%
12.50%86.372813,04716.7%0.0%
42.86%75.867014,3730.0%75.0%
57.14%72.070310,82057.1%0.0%
71.43%75.71,07913,01280.0%50.0%
57.14%76.499111,88350.0%66.7%
71.43%75.81,01915,21166.7%75.0%
33.33%62.361911,07233.3%33.3%
16.67%63.473611,98033.3%0.0%
66.67%66.089713,32466.7%66.7%
80.00%56.51,09211,154100.0%50.0%
60.00%54.072310,66850.0%100.0%
60.00%52.781813,80050.0%66.7%
80.00%56.31,15612,89566.7%100.0%
100.00%56.292613,664100.0%100.0%
40.00%55.968913,41450.0%33.3%
40.00%57.21,03314,20050.0%33.3%
60.00%55.45219,4850.0%100.0%

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Naafiri vs Karthus - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Naafiri do against Karthus in League of Legends?

Naafiri wins the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup with a 53.1% win rate compared to Karthus's 46.9%, a 6.3 percentage point difference. This data is based on 32 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Naafiri do against Karthus in the early game?

In the early game, Naafiri has the advantage against Karthus with a 61.5% win rate versus 38.5%. Naafiri players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Naafiri do against Karthus in the late game?

In the late game, Karthus takes over the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup with a 52.6% win rate compared to 47.4%. Karthus scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup?

Naafiri wins the matchup against Karthus with a 53.1% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 6.3 percentage point advantage means Naafiri is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 32 games analyzed.

What is the best Naafiri build against Karthus?

The best Naafiri build against Karthus includes Voltaic Cyclosword, Axiom Arc, Serylda's Grudge with Gluttonous Greaves. This build achieves a 75.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Naafiri runes against Karthus?

The best Naafiri runes against Karthus use the Precision primary tree with Inspiration secondary. This rune setup achieves a 69.2% win rate in the Naafiri vs Karthus matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Naafiri counter Karthus?

Yes, Naafiri has a favorable matchup against Karthus with a 53.1% win rate. Naafiri strongly counters Karthus in lane based on current patch 26.11 data.

How do I play Naafiri against Karthus?

When playing Naafiri against Karthus, 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.