Yasuo vs Karthus

Yasuo
vs
Not enough games
Karthus
High burstHeavy pokeCountered by stasisHeavy AP damage

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

Doran's Bow
Health Potion
x2

Core build

Blade of The Ruined King
1
Immortal Shieldbow
2
Infinity Edge
3

Standard

Berserker's Greaves
4AS
Kraken Slayer
5

Summoner spells

ExhaustFlash52%
FlashDot35%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Kraken Slayer
Death's Dance
Lord Dominik's Regards
Bloodthirster
B. F. Sword
Guardian Angel
Phantom Dancer
Wit's End
PrecisionPrecision
Lethal TempoLethal Tempo
Absorb LifeAbsorb Life
Legend: AlacrityLegend: Alacrity
Last StandLast Stand
ResolveResolve
Second WindSecond Wind
OvergrowthOvergrowth
Attack SpeedAdaptive 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 Yasuo

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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

  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