Lee Sin vs Karthus

51.0%

over 687 games

Skill matchup

High burstHeavy pokeCountered by stasisHeavy AP damage

Build vs Karthus

Build adapted to this matchup

Starting items

—

Core build

1—

2—

3—

Standard

4vs Slow

5—

Summoner spells

100%

Other options

—

60.8% WR79 games

Precision

Conqueror

Triumph

Legend: Alacrity

Coup de Grace

Inspiration

Magical Footwear

Cosmic Insight

Strength by game phase

Passive, spells and ultimate

Death Defied (P)

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

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

Tips to maximize your impact

Kick your target into your team
For the Insec, land Sonic Wave (Q), reach the target, ward behind them and jump to it with Safeguard (W): Dragon's Rage (R) kicks them toward your team.
Recast Q on a low-health target
Wait until your target has lost health before casting Resonating Strike (Q): its damage scales with missing health, and you have 3 seconds to cast it.
Ward hop to escape
Cast Safeguard (W) on an ally, minions included, or on a ward to dodge or escape: it has a 7-second cooldown and also shields the targeted allied champion.
Get ahead early
Look for invades, ganks and objectives early on: Lee Sin is strongest early, and his impact drops once the others have their items.

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.

Patch 16.21.1