Karthus vs Shaco

Karthus
vs
49.3%

over 714 games

Shaco

Skill matchup

Heavy AD damageHigh burstDive threatSplit push

Build vs Shaco

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Karthus: Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Sorcerer's Shoes, Zhonya's Hourglass, Liandry's Torment, Void Staff, Malignance.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup

Core build

Blackfire Torch
1
Shadowflame
2
Rabadon's Deathcap
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Zhonya's Hourglass
5

Summoner spells

ExhaustSmite49%
FlashSmite41%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Zhonya's Hourglass
Liandry's Torment
Void Staff
Malignance
Stormsurge
Dark Seal
Mejai's Soulstealer
Seeker's Armguard
Oblivion Orb
Horizon Focus
Cryptbloom
Morellonomicon
Banshee's Veil
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Actualizer
Bloodletter's Curse
Luden's Echo
47.4% WR135 games
DominationDomination
Dark HarvestDark Harvest
Cheap ShotCheap Shot
Grisly MementosGrisly Mementos
Ultimate HunterUltimate Hunter
SorcerySorcery
Axiom ArcanistAxiom Arcanist
Gathering StormGathering Storm
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Shaco's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Backstab (P)

Shaco's basic attacks and Two-Shiv Poison deal additional damage when striking from behind.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
313s15s8s–
612s15s8s1m40
911s15s8s1m40
1111s15s8s1m30
1611s15s8s1m20
1811s15s8s1m20

Playing as Karthus

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Aim for isolated champions

    Aim Lay Waste (Q) at a champion away from their minions: if the blast hits only one enemy, it deals much more damage.

  2. Wall before your combo

    Place Wall of Pain (W) in their path before your combo: anyone who crosses it is slowed and loses magic resist.

  3. Keep playing after you die

    After you die, keep casting your spells: Death Defied (passive) keeps you in spirit form for a while, and you can still cast Lay Waste (Q) and Requiem (R).

  4. Requiem for the finish

    Save Requiem (R) to finish off wounded enemies, often right after a teamfight: it hits every enemy champion wherever they are, after a 3-second channel.

Playing against Shaco

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Back before you get too low

    Back before your health drops too low: below 30% health, Two-Shiv Poison (E) deals much more damage to you.

  2. Move away from his clone

    Move away from the Hallucinate (R) clone before it dies: it explodes and spawns three boxes that fear nearby enemies.

  3. Focus him when he engages

    If you can reach him, focus him when he engages with Deceive (Q): he no longer has it to escape, on a 13 to 11 second cooldown.

  4. Ward his camps and your entrances

    Ward near his camps and at the entrances to your lane: spot him before Deceive (Q), which makes him invisible for his gank.

  5. Move carefully in his jungle

    Move carefully in his jungle: Jack In The Box (W) goes invisible, fears the champion who comes near, then shoots nearby enemies for 5 seconds.

Patch 16.21.1