Mage / Battlemage
Beginner Rule
Don't forget Karthus can keep fighting after death through Death Defied (Passive).
Karthus is a scaling mage who deals massive area damage and remains threatening even after death. He wants to continuously damage enemies with Lay Waste (Q) before finishing low-health targets with Requiem (R). Many beginners forget that Karthus can still damage them after dying.
Level 6 – Global ultimate creates kill pressure.
First Item – Consistent damage increases significantly.
Late Game – One of the highest damage champions in teamfights.
Global ultimate
Isolated Q damage
Passive damage after death
Objective fights
QWhat it does
Unleashes a delayed blast dealing more damage to isolated enemies.
How to play against
Don't stand alone away from minions. The isolation bonus doubles his damage. Standing with minions reduces Q effectiveness.
WWhat it does
Creates a passable wall reducing Move Speed and MR of enemies passing through.
How to play against
The MR reduction makes his Q and E much more dangerous. Walk around the wall — don't run through it.
EWhat it does
Passively drains mana on kills. Active: deals damage to nearby enemies while rapidly draining his mana.
How to play against
He'll toggle E in melee range fights. Don't stand near him — his active E constantly damages everything around him.
RWhat it does
Channels 3 seconds then deals damage to all enemy champions globally.
How to play against
The channel is visible and audible. Use Heal/Barrier/Shield immediately. Interrupt him with CC — he's immobile for 3 seconds.
Q Spam → Wear Down
Core poke pattern.
W → Q → Follow-Up
Slows targets for easier hits.
R → Finish Targets
Secures kills across the map.
Death Defied: when Karthus dies he enters a spirit phase and can cast spells freely for 7 seconds. Killing him isn't always safe — he'll cast his full kit on you from death. Back away when you kill him.
