Darius vs Karthus

Darius
vs
Not enough games
Karthus
High burstHeavy pokeCountered by stasisHeavy AP damage

Build vs Karthus

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Darius: Youmuu's Ghostblade, Force of Nature, Dead Man's Plate, Mercury's Treads, Sterak's Gage, Death's Dance, Stridebreaker, Kaenic Rookern.

Starting items

Doran's Blade
Health Potion

Core build

Youmuu's Ghostblade
1
Force of Nature
2
Dead Man's Plate
3

Standard

Boots of Swiftness
4vs Slow
Sterak's Gage
5

Summoner spells

FlashHaste71%
FlashDot19%

Other options

Sterak's Gage
Death's Dance
Stridebreaker
Kaenic Rookern
Spear of Shojin
Randuin's Omen
Jak'Sho, The Protean
Maw of Malmortius
Guardian Angel
42.9% WR7 games
SorcerySorcery
Stormraider's SurgeStormraider's Surge
Nimbus CloakNimbus Cloak
CelerityCelerity
Gathering StormGathering Storm
PrecisionPrecision
Legend: AlacrityLegend: Alacrity
TriumphTriumph
Attack SpeedAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Karthus's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Death Defied (P)

Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form that allows him to continue casting spells.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
30s15s0.5s–
60s15s0.5s3m20
90s15s0.5s3m20
110s15s0.5s3m
160s15s0.5s2m40
180s15s0.5s2m40

Playing as Darius

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Hit with the edge of your axe

    Aim the outer edge of Decimate (Q): only the blade heals you and applies Hemorrhage (passive). The handle, in the center, deals less damage.

  2. All-in at five stacks

    Go all-in when your target has five Hemorrhage (passive) stacks: you gain a massive AD bonus, and Noxian Guillotine (R) hits harder with each stack.

  3. Save Apprehend for runners

    Save Apprehend (E) to pull back an enemy who retreats, not to start a trade: it's your only pull, on a 26 to 16 second cooldown.

  4. Execute to recast your R

    Cast Noxian Guillotine (R) on the lowest-health target: its true damage ignores armor, and if it kills, you can recast it right away.

Playing against Karthus

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Stay near your minions

    Stay near your minions or your allies: Lay Waste (Q) deals much more damage when the blast hits only one enemy.

  2. Jump on him if you can

    If you can engage, jump on him: Karthus has no dash or leap to escape.

  3. Don't stay low once he hits 6

    Once he hits level 6, back instead of staying at low health: Requiem (R) hits every enemy champion wherever they are, 3 seconds after he starts channeling.

  4. Save your protection for Requiem

    If you have a shield, a heal or invulnerability, save it for Requiem (R): it hits every enemy champion 3 seconds after he starts channeling.

  5. Move away after he dies

    Once Karthus is dead, move away: Death Defied (passive) keeps him in spirit form for a while, and he can still cast his spells.

Patch 16.21.1