Karthus is a powerful undead mage in League of Legends who excels at dealing sustained magic damage and impacting fights across the entire map. His unique death mechanic allows him to continue casting spells even after dying.

Core Abilities:

Death Defied (Passive)

• Upon death, Karthus becomes a ghost for 7 seconds
• Can cast all abilities at no cost while in ghost form
• Becomes untargetable and immune to crowd control

Lay Waste (Q)

• Creates delayed explosion dealing magic damage
• Deals double damage when hitting single target
• 0.5s cooldown makes it great for sustained damage

Wall of Pain (W)

• Creates wall that slows enemies and reduces magic resistance
• Lasts 5 seconds
• Great for zoning and setup

Defile (E)

• Toggle ability dealing constant AoE damage
• Restores mana when killing units
• Key for sustained teamfight damage

Requiem (R)

• Global ultimate damaging all enemy champions
• 3 second channel time
• Excellent for securing kills across map

Key Playstyle Elements:

• Master positioning to land single-target Q hits
• Time ultimate to secure kills on low health targets
• Use passive aggressively in teamfights
• Control zones with Wall of Pain
• Balance mana usage with Defile toggle

Karthus excels as both a mid lane mage and jungler, using his global presence and sustained damage to influence fights anywhere on the map while maintaining strong objective control.

Tips:

• Use ultimate when enemies are engaged in fights
• Position wall to cut off escape routes
• Toggle Defile off to restore mana between fights
• Take advantage of passive in teamfights
• Land isolated Q hits for maximum damage

Build Path Focus:

• Ability Power
• Mana/Mana Regeneration
• Magic Penetration
• Survival items situationally

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