Nasus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
51.8%
Pick Rate
4.6%

Nasusvs Karthus

SFighterTank
Patch26.14
Matches491,560
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJul 23, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Nasus vs Karthus is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.14. Nasus wins with a 61.5% win rate (+23.1%) over Karthus based on 13 games. Karthus wins the early laning phase while Nasus scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Nasus build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Nasus vs Karthus matchup.

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Nasus Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Nasus 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
Nasus - 61.5% win rate in this matchup
Nasus
61.5% WR
VS
Karthus vs Nasus matchup - 38.5% win rate
Karthus
38.5% WR

Who Wins the Nasus vs Karthus Matchup?

Nasus wins the Nasus vs Karthus matchup
Winner
Nasus
Matches: 13
61.5%
Win Rate
38.5%
1.5
CS / min
1.6
738
DMG / min
1,250
13,581
Gold / game
13,792
962
Heal / min
265
1,964
DMG Mitigated / min
499
0.7
CC / min
0.6
33.3%
Early Game WR
66.7%
70.0%
Late Game WR
30.0%

Nasus vs Karthus Matchup Summary

The Nasus vs Karthus matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 13 recent matches analyzed, Nasus wins with a 61.5% win rate compared to Karthus's 38.5%, giving Nasus a 23.1 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Karthus controls the early laning stage, but Nasus outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Karthus needs to press advantages before Nasus reaches their power spikes, while Nasus should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in sustain, where Nasus leads by 2,162 HP/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Nasus 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.

Nasus vs Karthus Laning Phase Breakdown

Karthus wins the laning phase against Nasus in League of Legends

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

Farming
1.5Nasus
1.6Karthus
Nasus and Karthus farm at nearly identical rates in this matchup, with only a 0.1 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
738Nasus
1,250Karthus
Karthus heavily out-damages Nasus by 512 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Nasus 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
13,581Nasus
13,792Karthus
Nasus and Karthus generate nearly equal gold per game, with just a 211 gold difference. Neither champion has a clear economic advantage, so gold leads will depend on individual play quality, kill participation, and objective contributions.
Utility
0.7Nasus
0.6Karthus
Both Nasus and Karthus 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
2,926Nasus
764Karthus
Nasus vastly out-sustains Karthus, healing and mitigating 2,162 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Nasus 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 Nasus Build Against Karthus

Ionian Boots of Lucidity is the optimal boots choice against Karthus, providing the mobility and stats Nasus needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Nasus against Karthus are Dead Man's Plate, Frozen Heart and Trinity Force. This combination gives Nasus an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build achieves a solid 50.0% win rate across 2 games, proving it to be a reliable item path when facing Karthus. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Nasus vs Karthus matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Karthus
66.7%
+33.3% advantage
Nasus early game win rateNasus33.3%
Karthus early game win rateKarthus66.7%
Late Game
Nasus
70.0%
+40.0% advantage
Nasus late game win rateNasus70.0%
Karthus late game win rateKarthus30.0%

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

Nasus is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 70.0% win rate — 40.0 points above Karthus. Extended games heavily favor Nasus, 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 Nasus reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Nasus 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 Nasus Runes Against Karthus

Precision rune tree - Nasus primary runes vs KarthusPrecision
Fleet Footwork - best Nasus rune vs KarthusTriumph - best Nasus rune vs KarthusLegend: Haste - best Nasus rune vs KarthusCut Down - best Nasus rune vs Karthus
Inspiration rune tree - Nasus secondary runes vs KarthusInspiration
Approach Velocity - best Nasus rune vs KarthusMagical Footwear - best Nasus rune vs Karthus
87.5% WR

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


Nasus matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.14. The table below shows Nasus'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 Nasus build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Nasus matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.14
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
47.89%1421.372311,71845.5%49.4%
45.32%1395.473910,52938.6%50.0%
44.35%1246.471011,56252.3%40.0%
52.54%1181.670311,59244.2%59.1%
47.75%1111.764211,17050.0%46.1%
49.54%1091.164711,14046.0%52.5%
47.22%1081.369312,14843.2%49.3%
49.02%1021.271712,12947.2%50.0%
49.47%951.258811,31038.5%57.1%
51.61%935.766711,63948.1%53.0%
54.35%925.883211,20350.0%58.0%
48.91%922.376912,00237.8%56.4%
59.78%921.376812,18651.5%64.4%
44.44%905.575410,72648.6%41.8%
54.55%886.376811,48248.6%58.8%
41.38%873.766611,45839.4%42.6%
58.33%721.165812,75645.0%63.5%
41.43%701.172711,80464.3%26.2%
50.00%704.370010,78048.4%51.3%
50.72%695.81,16112,54357.9%48.0%
53.85%655.477512,59858.3%51.2%
53.13%643.575011,57746.4%58.3%
45.45%551.364311,55361.1%37.8%
55.56%544.478812,37163.2%51.4%
49.06%531.573812,52152.9%47.2%
48.08%526.167811,26363.2%39.4%
55.77%521.972811,53756.5%55.2%
54.90%517.187613,02060.0%51.6%
58.82%511.170112,39060.0%58.1%
46.00%505.36759,79642.3%50.0%
38.78%491.575412,56643.8%36.4%
52.08%486.267810,41752.4%51.9%
70.83%481.879412,18468.8%71.9%
54.17%485.379711,17752.2%56.0%
52.08%481.372811,72044.4%56.7%
56.25%481.476413,30650.0%58.8%
54.35%464.876411,18944.4%60.7%
44.44%455.999110,92644.4%44.4%
53.49%436.369111,43169.2%46.7%
45.24%424.969310,41945.0%45.5%
48.78%415.272211,67847.4%50.0%
56.10%416.062310,64157.9%54.5%
50.00%401.873512,18252.4%47.4%
48.72%391.670712,29650.0%48.1%
56.41%394.875911,77945.5%60.7%
44.74%386.178712,19446.7%43.5%
63.16%385.265911,33668.4%57.9%
44.74%386.073810,09555.6%35.0%
70.27%376.378311,20880.0%63.6%
55.56%361.467910,68053.3%57.1%
44.44%361.269611,01735.7%50.0%
63.89%366.574313,30762.5%64.3%
54.29%353.570011,75453.3%55.0%
58.82%341.065712,28541.7%68.2%
48.48%337.072312,12863.6%40.9%
65.63%321.275213,01772.7%61.9%
62.50%326.778110,49372.2%50.0%
58.06%316.173611,29153.9%61.1%
70.97%314.993811,95061.5%77.8%
61.29%315.266411,29572.7%55.0%
48.39%316.082711,01346.1%50.0%
48.39%311.265012,57146.1%50.0%
53.33%301.974912,30063.6%47.4%
46.67%301.477912,48054.5%42.1%
64.29%282.674513,85666.7%62.5%
60.71%282.462411,40766.7%56.3%
53.57%286.679212,08744.4%57.9%
55.56%275.168110,95855.6%55.6%
59.26%276.178312,31481.8%43.8%
69.23%261.971612,21970.0%68.8%
73.08%265.581112,33885.7%68.4%
26.92%264.365710,9259.1%40.0%
66.67%241.153011,73966.7%66.7%
56.52%231.577513,49642.9%62.5%
69.57%236.176910,22566.7%71.4%
38.10%211.364611,06955.6%25.0%
55.56%185.173113,11075.0%50.0%
61.11%184.864011,55875.0%50.0%
43.75%161.566712,7880.0%53.9%
25.00%161.05178,57230.0%16.7%
60.00%152.966611,24457.1%62.5%
40.00%155.969010,02042.9%37.5%
57.14%146.192913,866100.0%53.9%
61.54%131.573813,58133.3%70.0%
30.77%136.269012,71233.3%30.0%
69.23%135.978111,56480.0%62.5%
66.67%122.081613,32750.0%75.0%
54.55%111.56349,95950.0%66.7%
70.00%106.41,00012,29680.0%60.0%
30.00%106.179213,32066.7%14.3%
50.00%106.663611,62050.0%50.0%
30.00%105.44968,81016.7%50.0%
66.67%91.775013,786100.0%57.1%
55.56%91.769312,92233.3%66.7%
42.86%76.266712,724100.0%33.3%
57.14%75.35438,35425.0%100.0%
14.29%76.353210,1480.0%33.3%
16.67%62.552810,49633.3%0.0%
66.67%66.071110,821100.0%60.0%
50.00%67.04299,08250.0%50.0%
40.00%56.18039,81450.0%33.3%
60.00%56.35398,95350.0%66.7%
60.00%54.758011,4070.0%60.0%
60.00%56.379812,05850.0%66.7%
40.00%53.675914,2850.0%40.0%
40.00%54.489910,2840.0%66.7%
60.00%56.481416,147100.0%50.0%
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Nasus vs Karthus - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Nasus do against Karthus in League of Legends?

Nasus wins the Nasus vs Karthus matchup with a 61.5% win rate compared to Karthus's 38.5%, a 23.1 percentage point difference. This data is based on 13 recent ranked games in patch 26.14.

How does Nasus do against Karthus in the early game?

In the early game, Karthus has the advantage against Nasus 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 Nasus do against Karthus in the late game?

In the late game, Nasus takes over the Nasus vs Karthus matchup with a 70.0% win rate compared to 30.0%. Nasus scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Nasus vs Karthus matchup?

Nasus wins the matchup against Karthus with a 61.5% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.14. The 23.1 percentage point advantage means Nasus is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 13 games analyzed.

What is the best Nasus build against Karthus?

The best Nasus build against Karthus includes Dead Man's Plate, Frozen Heart, Trinity Force with Ionian Boots of Lucidity. This build achieves a 50.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Nasus runes against Karthus?

The best Nasus runes against Karthus use the Precision primary tree with Inspiration secondary. This rune setup achieves a 87.5% win rate in the Nasus vs Karthus matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Nasus counter Karthus?

Yes, Nasus has a favorable matchup against Karthus with a 61.5% win rate. Nasus strongly counters Karthus in lane based on current patch 26.14 data.

How do I play Nasus against Karthus?

When playing Nasus against Karthus, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. Play safe early and scale into your power spikes where you outperform Karthus. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.