Mel vs Karthus

Not enough games

High burstHeavy pokeCountered by stasisHeavy AP damage

Build vs Karthus

The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup

Starting items

—

x2—

Core build

1—

2—

3—

Standard

4Magic pen

5—

Summoner spells

100%

Anti CC

4vs CC

Other options

—

Sorcery

Arcane Comet

Manaflow Band

Transcendence

Scorch

Precision

Presence of Mind

Coup de Grace

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

Poke from range with your volley
Stay back and poke with Radiant Volley (Q): its projectiles explode in an area up to 950 range, and each hit applies Overwhelm.
An auto after each spell
Land an auto after each spell: Searing Brilliance (passive) adds three projectiles to it per spell cast, and enough Overwhelm executes the target.
Reflect their projectiles
Save Rebuttal (W) for a dangerous projectile: the barrier sends it back to its caster, and you gain a shield and move speed.
Land your snare dead center
Hit your target head-on with Solar Snare (E): only the core of the orb roots, the aura around it just slows and damages.
Finish from range with your R
Cast Golden Eclipse (R) to finish from range: it hits every enemy marked by Overwhelm, wherever they are, harder with each stack.

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