Karthus Pro Builds - How to Play Karthus in Season 14
Karthus – the Deathsinger – is a great Mage that is usually played on position Jungle. Karthus can also be played in other roles, but we focus on position Jungle in this LoL Karthus guide as it fits the current meta in S14 very well.
Karthus has a win rate of 51% and pick rate of 0.4%. There is a ban rate of 27%. Although a great champion, winning with Karthus is not a given. You need to have the right Karthus build in order to unleash the full potential on patch 14.23. There are many Karthus probuilds out there. We help you to find the right probuild, Karthus players need to win.
Latest Karthus probuilds
Here a quick view on the latest Karthus probuilds on position Jungle.
How to play Karthus
We will show you what you need to do, to increase your chances of winning your lane. Karthus is strong, but if you ran into 
Nocturne or 
Talon you might get in trouble. In order to win your lane and against your counter, you need the right spells, items and runes. The following Karthus Jungle pro build will help you with that.
Follow our build, pentakills will follow and you will learn how to play Karthus. Since Riot Games regularly releases a new patch, Karthus builds may change from time to time. It is important to keep up to date.
Items for Karthus
Items obviously play a big role in League of Legends. Buying the right item can make the difference between winning and losing as Karthus. The order of items is also very important. Especially in early game, it is imperative to make the right decision on what to buy. You need to know the right starter item and starter trinket. But you also need to know what your final items will be. Your opponent like 
Rammus or 
Shaco can also influence your buying decisions.
Since Karthus is a powerful Mage you should start with 
Scorchclaw Pup and 
Health Potion. Your starter trinket should be 
Stealth Ward. You will find those in the shop under: Tools > Vision & Trinkets. Your optimal final boots are 
Sorcerer's Shoes. So make sure to buy accordingly. A good buy order for your items is:
Blackfire Torch
Liandry's Torment
Rabadon's Deathcap
Karthus abilities and summoner spells
Pro Gamers in LoL also gain advantage by their choice of spells and the order they use their abilities on Karthus. You also shouldn’t leave this to chance.
During champion select you have the possibility to choose two spells for Karthus. The choice of summoner spells can’t be underestimated. They can play a big role in team-fights. Countless team-fights have been decided by a well-used flash. Statistics have proven that the best choice is 
Flash and 
Smite.
You can also gain an advantage in early game by using Karthus abilities in a certain order. Each phase of the game differs. Some abilities might be good in late game, but less in early game. Start the game with 
Lay Waste. Then you should continue with 
Defile, followed by 
Wall of Pain. An order for abilities of Karthus up to level 10:
| Level | Key | Champion Spell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R | Lay Waste |
| 2 | R | Defile |
| 3 | R | Lay Waste |
| 4 | R | Wall of Pain |
| 5 | R | Lay Waste |
| 6 | R |  Requiem |
| 7 | R | Lay Waste |
| 8 | R | Defile |
| 9 | R | Lay Waste |
| 10 | R | Defile |
Most effective Karthus runes selection
For an effective Karthus build, you also need to select the appropriate runes. Ideally, you make an extra rune page for Karthus. You have to choose a primary and a secondary path from five rune paths for the Deathsinger: Precision, Domination, Sorcery, Resolve and Inspiration.
In the primary path you can choose a keystone rune and three lesser runes. The secondary path only consists of two lesser runes. There are also the three so-called shard slots. The best rune paths for Karthus are for primary 
Domination and for secondary 
Precision. As the keystone rune on Karthus most pros pick 
Dark Harvest.
For your primary path – Domination – choose these runes on Karthus:
- Dark Harvest
Eyeball Collection
Cheap Shot
Treasure Hunter
For your secondary path – Precision – choose these runes on Karthus:
Presence of Mind
Coup de Grace
Champions that counter Karthus
As mentioned before, it is always necessary to react to opponents of Karthus. There are champions that counter Karthus. These champions have advantages that can be dangerous for you. Nocturne for instance is strong against Karthus and has a win rate of 56%. Another dangerous counter is Talon.
When your opponent counter picks Karthus in champion select, you need to be aware. In this case, adjust your items and game to the situation.
Elderwood Karthus is one of the 10 available skins for Karthus.
Conclusion
Many people are looking for Karthus pro builds, that players often used to win. By following our probuilds, you can turn Karthus into a beast. Especially if you also follow our Karthus guide. When you have your runes placed like we told you, Karthus will reach its full potential. Buying the items we listed will also increase your chances. Start with the abilities in the correct order to gain an advantage in early game.
When you build Karthus in League of Legends correctly, you will have a very capable champion. But as always you need to practice, especially when and how to use Requiem. League of Legends is a dynamic game that changes with every patch. Keep following the patch notes and keep adjusting your LoL Karthus build.
Also, keep reacting to the game itself. Do you play mid, top or bot? Who is support or jungle? Overall, a good game is the sum of the right decisions. Over time, you your skills with Karthus will grow. Once you mastered Karthus – the Deathsinger – you will rule the rift.
