Mage · Jungle

Karthus counters, build & runes

Karthus, the Deathsinger, is a mage mostly played in Jungle. In Jungle it has a 48.6% win rate in patch 16.19 and sits in tier D. It excels at area damage, waveclear and sustained damage and is strongest in the late game.

Patch 16.19 · SoloQ

DTier

48.6%Win rate

1.4%Pick rate

0.9%Ban rate

#53Rank · Jungle

27,005Games

Karthus Jungle most played build

Runes34% of games · 44.1% WR

Dark Harvest · Cheap Shot · Grisly Mementos · Ultimate Hunter
Axiom Arcanist · Gathering Storm

Summoner spells48.0% WR

Exhaust

Smite

Skill order78% of games · 55.6% WR

QEW

Levels 1 to 3: Q · E · W

Starting items44% of games · 48.9% WR

Scorchclaw Pup

Health Potion

Core build17% of games · 51.8% WR

Blackfire Torch

Shadowflame

Rabadon's Deathcap

Boots98% of games · 48.9% WR

Sorcerer's Shoes

Jungle path

Starting on redBlueGrompWolvesRaptorsRedKrugs

Starting on blueBlueGrompWolvesRaptorsRedKrugs

Karthus Jungle counters

Karthus's win rate in the lane matchup

Struggles against

Sejuani40.1%207
Udyr43.2%220
Rammus43.8%201
Bel'Veth43.9%260
Ekko44.0%498
Hecarim44.4%640

Beats

Vi59.5%383
Quinn55.4%175
Rengar55.2%437
Fiddlesticks53.8%307
Sylas53.3%751
Viego53.3%845

Champion profile

Burst damage2
Sustained damage4
Durability1
Crowd control2
Mobility0
Engage0
Peel1
Poke3

0 to 5 attributes from HeroCoach's Fuente 1 profile, rated from the champion kit and Emerald+ stats.

Power curve

Early

Mid

Late

Game plan

Teamfighting

Excels at

Area damage
Waveclear
Objective control
Roaming

Struggles against

hard crowd control
poke
burst damage

Frequently asked questions

Who counters Karthus in Jungle?

In patch 16.19, the hardest lane opponents for Karthus in Jungle are Sejuani (40.1%), Udyr (43.2%) and Rammus (43.8%). In brackets, Karthus's win rate in that matchup.

Who is Karthus strong against?

In Jungle, Karthus wins most often against Vi (59.5%), Quinn (55.4%) and Rengar (55.2%).

What is the best Karthus build in Jungle?

The core Karthus build in Jungle is Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame and Rabadon's Deathcap. Keystone: Dark Harvest, with Sorcery as the secondary tree. Skill order: Q > E > W.

Is Karthus good in patch 16.19?

It is tier D in Jungle (rank 53), with a 48.6% win rate, 1.4% pick rate and 0.9% ban rate in SoloQ.

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Global SoloQ stats for patch 16.19. Updated October 4, 2026.