Kindred vs Karthus
Skill matchup
Build vs Karthus
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kindred: Kraken Slayer, The Collector, Lord Dominik's Regards, Mercury's Treads, Infinity Edge, Trinity Force, Hexoptics C44, Wit's End.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Karthus's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form that allows him to continue casting spells.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | – |
| 6 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | 3m20 |
| 9 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | 3m20 |
| 11 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | 3m |
| 16 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | 2m40 |
| 18 | 0s | 15s | 0.5s | 2m40 |
Playing as Kindred
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hunt your marks
Hunt the targets of Mark of the Kindred (passive), jungle monsters included: each successful hunt empowers your basic spells, and every 4 hunts, your range increases.
- Fight inside Wolf's zone
Activate Wolf's Frenzy (W), then fight inside its zone: Dance of Arrows (Q) has a much shorter cooldown there.
- Three autos after your E
Cast Mounting Dread (E), then land three autos on the same target: the third sends Wolf, who strikes based on their missing health.
- Save your team with your R
Cast Lamb's Respite (R) to save your team or deny an objective: nothing inside the zone can die, allies, enemies and monsters alike.
Playing against Karthus
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- 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.
- Jump on him if you can
If you can engage, jump on him: Karthus has no dash or leap to escape.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Other Kindred matchups
Patch 16.21.1