Karthus Jungle Build

Karthus Champion Guide

Role: Mage

Lane: Jungle

Karthus Jungle is ranked B tier. The best build for Karthus Jungle is Blackfire Torch, Sorcerer's Shoes, Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame, and Rabadon's Deathcap. Most picked runes for Karthus Jungle are Dark Harvest, Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos, and Ultimate Hunter for primary tree, as well as Axiom Arcanist, and Gathering Storm for secondary tree.

Karthus Champion Abilities

Death Defied

Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form allowing him to continue casting spells for 7 seconds. During this time his abilities cost no mana. P

Lay Waste

Karthus creates a blast of magic, dealing 40 / 59 / 78 / 97 / 116 (+35% of ability power) magic damage. If the blast hits only one enemy, it instead deals 80 / 118 / 156 / 194 / 232 (+70% of ability power) magic damage. Q

Wall of Pain

Karthus creates a wall that lasts for 5 seconds. Enemies that pass through lose 25% magic resist for 4 seconds and are slowed by 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% decaying over the duration. W

Defile

Passive: When Karthus kills a unit, he restores 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 mana.

Toggle: Karthus creates a necrotic aura, dealing 7.5 / 12.5 / 17.5 / 22.5 / 27.5 (+5% of ability power) magic damage per second to nearby enemies. E

Requiem

Karthus channels for 3 seconds, then deals 200 / 350 / 500 (+70% of ability power) magic damage to enemy champions, regardless of distance. R

Karthus Summoner Spells

Flash

Flash is a location-targeted summoner spell that causes your champion to blink to the location in range of your cursor.

Smite

Smite is a unit-targeted summoner spell that deals true damage to the target large or medium monster, enemy minion, or pet.

Karthus Runes

Karthus Items

Karthus Ability Order

Karthus Matchups Overview

Strong against

Zed

Wukong

Ivern

Warwick

Pantheon

Evelynn

Weak against

Bel'Veth

Graves

Hecarim

Talon

Rengar

Master Yi

Karthus Tips and Tricks

Look to gank lanes that are overextended and low on health. Karthus does not have the greatest ganking potential, so focusing on easy lanes is key. When farming jungle camps, toggle your E on and off to maximize your damage. Don’t leave it on continuously, as it will quickly deplete your mana. Always keep an eye on the minimap and use your R to secure kills on enemies that are low on health, even if they're on the other side of the map.

The Best Karthus Builds, Runes and Items for Jungle

Most Popular

For the most popular Karthus Jungle build, take Exhaust and Smite as your Summoner Spells. For runes, pick Dark Harvest as your keystone, followed by Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos, and Ultimate Hunter in the primary tree, with Axiom Arcanist and Gathering Storm in the secondary tree. For rune shards, choose Adaptive Force in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense, although this can vary based on the matchup. Start with Blackfire Torch, followed by Sorcerer's Shoes and Liandry's Torment. Finish with Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, and Void Staff. The skill order should be Q - E - W.

Alternative

For an alternate build, use Exhaust and Smite as your Summoner Spells. Keep Dark Harvest as your keystone, and use Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos, and Ultimate Hunter in the primary tree, with Axiom Arcanist and Gathering Storm in the secondary tree. Choose Adaptive Force for offense and flex, and Health Scaling for defense. Start with Malignance, followed by Sorcerer's Shoes and Liandry's Torment. Finish with Shadowflame, Void Staff, and Rabadon's Deathcap. Stick to the ability max order of Q - E - W.

Off-Meta

If you're looking for an off-meta build, you can use Exhaust and Smite for Summoner Spells, Dark Harvest as your keystone, and Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos, and Ultimate Hunter in the primary tree, with Axiom Arcanist and Gathering Storm in the secondary tree. Choose Adaptive Force for offense and flex, and Health Scaling for defense. Start with Liandry's Torment, followed by Sorcerer's Shoes and Blackfire Torch. Finish with Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, and Void Staff. The ability order remains Q - E - W.

Situational Karthus Runes and Items

Depending on the context of your game, matchup, and the enemy champions, you may want to adjust your items or select specific runes. Always consider your team composition, the enemy team, and the game state when planning your Karthus build. For example, if you're facing a team with heavy physical damage, you may want to prioritize Armor shards or consider building items like Zhonya's Hourglass for additional survivability.