Yasuo vs Karthus
Build vs Karthus
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Yasuo: Blade of The Ruined King, Immortal Shieldbow, Infinity Edge, Berserker's Greaves, Kraken Slayer, Death's Dance, Lord Dominik's Regards, Bloodthirster.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
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 Yasuo
Tips to maximize your impact
- Charge your whirlwind on minions
Hit twice with Steel Tempest (Q), on minions if needed, to charge the whirlwind. Cast it during Sweeping Blade (E): the strike becomes a circle.
- Move to charge your shield
Keep moving before taking a trade: Way of the Wanderer (passive) builds your shield while you move, and it triggers on the first hit you take.
- Dash from minion to minion
Chain Sweeping Blade (E) on different targets to reposition or dodge: each target has its own cooldown, so the spell comes back almost instantly.
- Save Wind Wall for what matters
Save Wind Wall (W) for a projectile that decides the teamfight, like Jinx's ult, rather than for poke: it blocks for 4 seconds, on a 25 to 17 second cooldown.
- Use your allies' knock-ups
Watch for your allies' knock-ups: Last Breath (R) can be cast on any airborne champion, whether the knock-up comes from your whirlwind or Malphite's ult.
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 Yasuo matchups
Patch 16.21.1