Talon vs Karthus

Talon
vs
50.2%

over 315 games

Karthus

Skill matchup

High burstHeavy pokeCountered by stasisHeavy AP damage

Build vs Karthus

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Talon: Umbral Glaive, Bastionbreaker, Voltaic Cyclosword, Boots of Swiftness, Edge of Night, Youmuu's Ghostblade, Lord Dominik's Regards, Serylda's Grudge.

Starting items

Gustwalker Hatchling

Core build

Umbral Glaive
1
Bastionbreaker
2
Voltaic Cyclosword
3

Standard

Boots of Swiftness
4vs Slow
Edge of Night
5

Summoner spells

FlashSmite98%
SmiteDot2%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Edge of Night
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Lord Dominik's Regards
Serylda's Grudge
Axiom Arc
Serpent's Fang
Hubris
Serrated Dirk
Maw of Malmortius
Guardian Angel
Death's Dance
Mortal Reminder
Profane Hydra
Black Cleaver
Eclipse
Endless Hunger
B. F. Sword
Executioner's Calling
60.0% WR65 games
PrecisionPrecision
Fleet FootworkFleet Footwork
TriumphTriumph
Legend: AlacrityLegend: Alacrity
Coup de GraceCoup de Grace
InspirationInspiration
Magical FootwearMagical Footwear
Cosmic InsightCosmic Insight
Adaptive ForceAdaptive 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 Talon

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Three spells, then an auto

    Apply three Blade's End (passive) stacks by hitting with your spells, then strike with an auto: the target starts bleeding and takes heavy damage over time.

  2. Use Noxian Diplomacy up close

    Cast Noxian Diplomacy (Q) in melee range when you can: instead of the leap, it lands a critical strike. If it kills, it heals you and comes back faster.

  3. Bring your blades back on your target

    During Shadow Assault (R), break invisibility with an auto or Noxian Diplomacy (Q): the blades then converge on your target instead of coming back to you.

  4. Push, then roam over the walls

    Push your wave, then roam by vaulting walls with Assassin's Path (E): the spell comes back fast, but you can only cross the same wall again after a long delay.

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