
Karthus: Complete Champion Guide for Jungle Mage
A global terror in the jungle, Karthus excels at farming and dealing massive magic damage while offering constant map pressure through his ultimate ability Requiem. His unique passive allows him to continue casting spells after death, making him a persistent threat in teamfights.
Best Role: Jungle Damage Type: AP (Magic Damage) Difficulty: Medium Patch: 15.4.1
Core Strengths:
- Extremely fast jungle clear
- High sustained AOE damage
- Global ultimate pressure
- Strong late-game scaling
- Effective against AD-heavy teams
Optimal Skill Order:
- Q (Lay Waste) - Max First
- E (Defile) - Max Second
- W (Wall of Pain) - Max Last R (Requiem) - Take at 6/11/16
Early Game Priority:
- Level 1: Q
- Level 2: E
- Level 3: Q (safe farming) or W (early fighting)
Item Build Path: Starting Items:
- Hailblade
- Refillable Potion
Core Items:
- Liandry's Anguish
- Sorcerer's Shoes
- Shadowflame
- Rabadon's Deathcap
Situational:
- Void Staff (vs MR)
- Zhonya's Hourglass (vs assassins)
- Morellonomicon (vs healing)
Gameplay Tips:
- Use Q on single targets for double damage
- Position E to maximize AOE damage in jungle camps
- Save ultimate for securing kills or teamfight cleanup
- Use passive effectively - don't be afraid to die for objective control
- Track enemy MR items to adjust build path
Team Role: Karthus functions best as the primary AP damage source in AD-heavy team compositions, where opponents are less likely to build magic resistance. His global presence and constant damage output make him a reliable carry option from the jungle position.
Remember: Position safely in teamfights while maintaining damage output, and use your global ultimate to influence fights across the map. Your late-game scaling makes you a formidable threat if you can maintain consistent farm.
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