Guide Matchups 8.18
Items (standard)
Start - Doran’s Ring, 2 Pots
First Back - ideally Catalyst (1100), Boots (300) if against high mobility, can also build Dark Seal (350) and any Pots for sustain
The Core- ROA, Sorc Shoes, everything else is situational
Suicide Karthus Items (Gbay99)
Start - Doran’s Ring, 2 Pots
First Back - Catalyst (1100), Dark Seal (350), and any Pots for sustain
The Core - ROA, Sorc. Shoes, Liandry’s, Void (Aim for this around 27 minutes)
Predator(Oneshot) Items
Start - Dark Seal, Refill Pots
First Back - Lost Chapter (1300), Boots (300)
The Core - Luden’s, Sorc. Shoes, Oblivion Orb, Spellbinder, AP heavy situational items
Additional Items- Liandry's for DPS, Rylai’s for Kiting/ team utility, Zhonya’s for divers or lots of teamfights, Void Staff for heavy MR, Oblivion Orb for low MR, Morellonomicon for 2+ healing champs, Mejai’s/Spellbinder if stomping, Luden’s for CDR/Mana/Poke, Abbysal Mask for non-ROA builds when heavy AP on either team, Banshee’s for AP burst
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Runes (standard)
Aery- MF Band- Transcendance- Scorch
Presence of Mind- Coup de Grace
Suicide Karthus Runes
Electrocute- Taste of Blood- Eyeball Collector- Ultimate Hunter
Presence of Mind- Last Stand
Predator Runes
Predator- Taste of Blood- Ghost Poro- Ultimate Hunter
Transcendence- Gathering Storm
Utility/Nonstandard Runes (Origin)
Unsealed Spellbook- Boots/Stopwatch*- Biscuits/Future’s Market**- TW Tonic
*Stopwatch for Zhonyas **Future’s Market for better backs
Sustain Secondary: Taste of Blood, Ravenous Hunter
Damage Secondary: Absolute Focus, Gathering Storm
Suicide Karthus: Presence of Mind, Last Stand
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Standard Summs - Flash- Exhaust
Alternative Summs - Flash- TP
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Ability Order - R, Q, E, W
Karthus Ult Cooldown: 200/180/160
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How to play Against Different Matchups (Not Karthus Specific):
Come up with Plans for every Matchup(Very Detailed)
Against Roaming Assassins (Talon)
Against Skirmishers with mobility (Irelia/Yas)
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Aatrox - Aery
-Boots rush for this matchup
-Understand that he’ll try to land Q on you when CSing
-Avoid getting hit by the outer edge of Q (middle doesn’t CC, also deals less damage)
-Try to get some poke off when his spells are on cooldown (mainly his Q)
-His passive refreshes every 20 seconds, he’ll try to use this with his Q’s
-His chains get blocked by minions, if you get hit, try to move to the sides of it
-Try to keep the lane on your side, both of you have about even waveclear early on
-Play it safe and outscale (Gathering Storm>Scorch)
- Ult cooldown: 140/130/120
Ahri - Aery
-Bait her Q by standing in minions and moving to the side
-Her Q cooldown is 7 seconds without CDR, use this time to trade with her or zone
-Stand right next to casters if you want to bait charm, then sidestep behind them
-Keep track of her exp, she’ll look for in all-in if you’re low
-Be careful of the E-Flash trick, she can use E, than flash instantly to extend the range
- Ult cooldown: 110/95/80
Akali - Aery
-Bully her early on, she’s got almost no sustain (she regens 3.5 hp per 5)
-You can use your W in front of you if she lands an E on you, it’ll slow her
-You can try hitting her when she shrouds, Aery will show the area she’s in
-You win sustained trades, she can’t heal with Q below 180 energy
-Don’t channel ult while her ult is up, her first ult dash can cancel it
-She has to end Early/Mid game, she’s got no resets so she’s a lot worse late game
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Anivia - Comet
-You straight up outdamage her in lane if she misses her Q
-Poke her when she goes to CS
-Be aware that her passive usually discourages ganks, but it takes more damage
-Her abilities cost a lot of mana, you’ve got better mana sustain then her
-Her passive has a cooldown of 240 seconds, if you use timestamps in chat, ping her
-She excels at in chokepoints, don’t chase her into the jungle (river is fine)
-You’ll rarely be able to solo kill her in lane, so try freezing so your jungler can gank
-She’s got AOE CC, move to the opposite side of your jungler during ganks
Annie - Comet
- She wins at 6 and there’s nothing you can do about it but roam or jungle ganks
- You’ll need a ruby crystal to survive her burst, build one on your first back
- Flash her W to avoid her all-in combo (typically her W stun, ult, Q)
- She has low mobility, so bait her stun if you’re going to get a gank
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Aurelion Sol - Comet
- His kit is designed around his stars, you should rush boots in this matchup
- Try to keep him from hard shoving, push back so he can’t roam
- He does less damage to you if you can get in melee range of him
- He gets movement speed from traveling in a straight line, make him juke Qs to slow him
- Ult cooldown: 110/90/70
Azir - Comet
- Tough matchup here, he’s got a pretty long range and a lot of DPS damage
- Harass him while he goes for CS, predict when he’ll walk up to CS
- Exhaust can really shut him down in a teamfight, you should be taking it
- Engage on him if he’s CC’d or when he has no mana
- His E has a 9 second cooldown if he builds full CDR
- Ult cooldown: 120/105/90
Brand - Comet
- Consider rushing boots, most his damage comes from skillshots
- Early levels, if he misses his skillshots, all-in him, or punish him for CSing
- Try to bait his spells because he’s mana hungry
- Don’t stand too close to minions that his passive is on, his e spreads his passive
- Tell your team not to clump up in a teamfight
- Zhonyas or Stopwatch can help you survive a teamfight
- Ult cooldown: 105/90/75
Camille - Aery
- You should be able to get rid of her passive easily, so pop it with an auto before you try to harass
- She has low mobility early levels until she gets E
- Her W’s outer edge does max HP damage, be aware of this
- Consider getting Seeker’s Armguard early on
Cassiopeia - Aery
- Skill matchup typically. You need to dodge her q and hit yours
- Don’t all in until you know you can hit your q reliably
- She’s mana hungry early on so try to force some fights levels 1 and 2
- Consider building some MR early on, it help against every cast of her e
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Cho’gath - Spellbook
- This is usually a farm lane, if he goes into MR early, make sure to tell your team
- Know that his Q isn’t visible immediately if he casts it from inside a bush
- Freeze in front of your tower to avoid ganks
- You’ve got a relatively long range to harass with Q, time this with his CSing
- Buy health items early, you’re going to want it against his true damage ult
- Be aware of his level 6 all-in, also keep track to see if his health changes after leaving lane- this could be because he’s stacking his ult
- Never channel ult in front of him, he has 2 ways to disrupt it
Corki - Comet
- The majority of his damage is AP, consider getting an Abyssal Mask if there are more AP sources in their team
- Once he uses his W (dash), try to all-in because he has no escape
- You can try all-inning him level 1 as you have superior DPS
- Ult cooldown: 2
- Ult recharge: 12/11/10
Darius - Spellbook/Phase Rush
- You NEED movement speed in this matchup, rush boots
- Try to keep the wave on your side of the river, this can end up being a farm lane as long as you respect him and keep your distance
- He’s got low MR until he buys items- look to poke him but avoid his Q
- Keep track of his items, once he gets Phage he can start trying to catch you out
- Consider getting a Rylai’s to keep him away from your team
- He wins the all-ins unless you poke him down, NEVER step into his E range
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Diana - Spellbook
- Poke her a lot early on
- Try to get used to the shape of her Q, if you can dodge these you can generally farm safely, think of it like an Irelia E
- Ult is a dash that refreshes CD if used on a target hit by her Q, play back if you get hit
- If you swap to Exhaust in before a teamfight, this’ll screw her over if you time it right
- Try to keep her from shoving you in after level 6 because her roams become a lot stronger then
Ekko - Spellbook
- Don’t get shoved in levels 1 and 2, but be aware of his level 2 all-in
- Getting boots early on is handy in this matchup
- If he gets a third proc on his passive, he gets a burst of MS, so try to stay safe
- Most Ekko’s rush Protobelt for CDR and for utility, keep him from roaming post-6 or warn your team
- His ghost form indicates if his ult is up, be careful of it when chasing
- Sustain up, most his all-ins come after he’s chunked you to lower health
Fiora - Spellbook
- Poke her early on, but try keeping the wave to your side
- She’s pretty strong early on, so don’t let her all-in you during laning phase
- Give up CS to not let her get vital procs on you, this can allow her to all-in you
- If she al-ins you using her ult, try to land your Q’s based on which vital she might dash to
- Rylai’s might be a good second item to disengage from her
- Ult cooldown: 110/90/70
Fizz - Aery
- Bully him, he can’t do much until levels 2-3ish when he gets his combo
- Punish him when he uses his E, you’ve got several seconds to do so
- Consider getting stopwatch early on to mitigate his Ult all-in
- Don’t expect to finish him with ult, unless he wastes his E
- Don’t let him roam after 6 and ward the paths to top and bot for your team
- Be careful of “fake” roams, and make sure your team knows when he’s missing
Galio - Spellbook
- He’s most likely going to try poking you throughout the laning phase, make sure you harass him early on with Q’s
- Be careful not to stand in his Q, as that’s where all is harass comes from
- He can only use his ult on a teammate, it also has the same cooldown as your ult
- Play the laning phase safely, keep the wave on your side early levels; keep out of his E (dash) range and shove him in later levels
- Ult cooldown: 200/180/160
Gangplank - Comet
- Shove him in the first 2 waves, then freeze/hold the wave near your tower after- this will allow you to ge harass of early and then make him vulnerable to ganks
- Setting him behind will help your team in the mid-game as he needs items to be relevant
- Try to track the enemy jungler, then deny as much CS as you can from him
- Be wary of barrels in bushes, also don’t expect you W to have much use besides wasting his mana
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- Ult cooldown: 180/160/140
Garen - Spellbook/Phase Rush
- He’s got strong early game and a MS boost on a basic ability, freeze the wave
- Be aware of bush Garen cheeses for him to get a health lead early on
- Keep track of his build, Triforce means he’s looking to splitpush/duel you
- Save W for after his Q, otherwise the slow gets removed
- Build health and Seeker’s armguard early on
- Make sure to ping his MIA, some Garens take Predator to go for roams
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Gnar - Spellbook
- His Q is his main harass tool, you can try all-inning him level 1
- Punish him when he wastes his hop
- Be careful once he gets his 3 hit passive, this does a lot of damage
- Don’t expect any solo-kills in lane, unless he heavily misplays or is extremely behind, instead try to keep him from roaming or split pushing
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Heimerdinger - Spellbook
- Hit the turrets so that he can’t charge his beams, but don’t be obvious about it or you’ll eat a grenade.
- Will place down turrets before minion waves spawn, use your q to get rid of them before the wave clashes
- Don’t let your jungler gank if he’s build up a big wave along with his turrets
- He’s a lane bully, you outscale him as long as you don’t feed
Illaoi - Spellbook
- Treat this lane like Darius with a skillshot that let’s him all-in
- Either stay in your minions or get boots early to avoid her E grabs
- Keep track of the enemy jungler, you’re going to have a better time if you shove and keep her from shoving you in- if she shoves you in she’s free to aim her E’s
- Don’t expect solo kills, try to farm, respect her strength, and outscale her in teamfights
- Don’t let your jungler gank if she’s set up her tentacles, tell him/her to get other lanes ahead
- Ult cooldown: 120/105/90
Irelia - Spellbook
- Harass her levels 1 and 2, or if she misses her E
- If she’s far away, but 1 of your minion is low, try to predict her Q
- Be careful if she uses her Q to clean up a wave, her passive will be stacked and she’ll look to all-in you
- Build health and Seeker’s Armguard early to deal with her all-ins
- Be careful of her 6, try not to push the wave around this time and farm under tower
- If she leaves lane, make sure your team knows she’s missing- this could be the difference between the enemy getting kills or just Aurelia wasting time
- Ult cooldown:
Jax -
- Ult cooldown: 80
Jayce -
- Ult cooldown:
Karma -
- Ult cooldown:
Kassadin -
- Very frustrating matchup because he can walk whatever way to dodge your q thanks to his passive ( ghosted)
- You need to be able to read him heavily before you can get a kill off him
- Strong roams, you need to shove him in post 6
- He can 4 ults before he runs OOM unless he kills someone or hits two empowered W on a champion
-Ult cooldown: 8/4/2
Katarina -
- Telegraphs movement with her blades, so easier to hit than most
- She may go for an all in at lvl 3 which you have to be ready for (use potions/sum)
- She can burst you down at first completed item
-Ult cooldown: 90/60/45
Kayle -
- Ranged for 10 seconds, melee for 8- bully her then
- Strong 2 Item spike, scales well into late game- you need to end before then
- Weak to hard CC
- Her ult protects her from yours, it also has no cost so keeping track of it is important
- Most Kayle’s will end up shoving- let your jungler know
- Kayle will go for 30% CDR to have the E uptime all the time, so her ult is 63 seconds around mid game
-Ult cooldown: 100/90/80
Kennen -
Kled -
- Ult cooldown: 160/140/120
Leblanc -
- She’ll definitely kill you if you don’t dodge the chain
- Be aware that some Leblancs will Q a low health minion then chain you in the gap
- Get MR early so she can’t burst you down and kill you
- Don’t stand too close minions
- Do your best to shove
Lissandra - Comet
- Lissandra burst is weak, so unless you are at half health, you can win any kind of fight
- That said, her burst is practically guaranteed, so you need to recall if you get chunked to half health
- So if she goes in on you when you’re full health, you follow through and go all in in return
Lux -
Malphite -
- Ult cooldown: 130/105/80
Malzahar -
Maokai - Spellbook
- Ult cooldown: 120/100/80
Mordekaiser - Comet
Morgana -
Mundo - Spellbook
- Consider building Morello’s later, this depends if the enemy team has several sources of healing
- If you don’t get ahead, prioritize Sorc. Shoes so he doesn’t run you down with Ult and cleavers
- Liandry’s should be your first item if behind
- His Ult has a health cost, if he’s low, try to all-in him to try and burst through his regen
- If he spams cleavers at you, try to keep the lane frozen in front of your tower and stay between minions
- Ult cooldown: 110/100/90
Nasus -
- Ult cooldown: 120
Olaf -
- Ult cooldown:
Orianna -
- Ult cooldown:
Ornn -
- Ult cooldown:
Pantheon -
- Ult cooldown: 150/135/120
Poppy -
- Ult cooldown:
Quinn -
- Don’t underestimate her burst!
- Get a zhonyas second or third item, use this for aggressive plays
- If you’re laning against her, rush a seeker’s armguard
- Ult cooldown: 2
Riven -
- Ult cooldown: 130/95/60
Renekton -
- Ult cooldown: 120
Riven -
- Ult cooldown:
Rumble -
- Ult cooldown:
Ryze -
- Ult cooldown:
Shen -
- Ult cooldown: 200/180/160
Singed -
- Ult cooldown: 120/110/100
Sion -
- Be careful of his E, try not to keep minions directly in a straight line form him
- Ult cooldown: 140/100/60
Swain -
- Ult cooldown: 120
Syndra -
- Ult cooldown:
Taliyah -
- Ult cooldown:
Talon -
- Ult cooldown:
Teemo -
- Ult cooldown: 30/25/20
Trundle -
- Ult cooldown:
Tryndamere -
- Ult cooldown: 110/100/90
Twisted Fate -
- Ult cooldown:
Urgot -
- Ult cooldown:
Veigar -
- Ult cooldown:
Vel’Koz -
- Ult cooldown:
Viktor -
- Ult cooldown:
Vladimir -
- Ult cooldown: 150/135/120
Wukong -
- Ult cooldown: 120/105/90
Xerath -
- Ult cooldown:
Yasuo -
- Your wall is worthless if you aren’t getting a gank due to Yas’ mobility
- Ult cooldown:
Yorick -
- Ult cooldown:
Zed -
- Ult cooldown:
Ziggs -
- Ult cooldown:
Zoe -
- Ult cooldown: