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Karthus's ultimate needs serious nerfs, unrelated to Dark Harvest

Yenn··1 votes·1,323 views
https://imgur.com/PZw8o5Q

https://imgur.com/PZw8o5Q

Elder Dragon is about to spawn and we're getting in position to contest it... And then Karthus makes a high skill play (aka presses R) and we all lose 50-70% of our health. Dark Harvest only accounted for maybe 10% of my health; his ult without it still did way too much, and this Karthus had more stacks of it than usual.

Zyra got hit by a single blind Jayce shot and would have died if she didn't have Hourglass.

I have two choices:

  • Hourglass his ultimate and become food for any assassin that wants to kill me after, because my only defense against them is gone. Also pray that none of the enemies (i.e. Pyke) are able to collapse on top of me while I'm in Hourglass.

  • Don't Hourglass his ultimate and lose 70% of my health, and pray that I don't get hit by any stray ability (i.e. Jayce), as it will kill me.

I opted to eat it. Shortly after, Pyke jumped in and ulted me, and I only survived because I flashed it in time. If I didn't have Flash, I would have been guaranteed dead. If I had Hourglassed it, Pyke likely would have hooked me out of it.

Even worse, this particular Karthus didn't actually do anything; he just picked up kills from ults, mostly to clean up after our top lane Jax was dived to low health.

Completely losing all ability to contest an objective and your defense against assassination because someone presses R is absurd and has no place in the current state of game.

5 Comments

TheSingularity4 votes

If you noticed jax and graves the ult tickled them. Likely because they have MR or other beef items. The 3 mages most likely did not. It is then a lategame karthus who, based on the score is possibly fed. Your first option is flawed as you assume you're alone with an assassin nearby. If that is the case then it's your fault for not grouping at the stage of the game that example is at.

Even worse, this particular Karthus didn't actually do anything; he just picked up kills from ults, mostly to clean up after our top lane Jax was dived to low health. That is what it is for. Picking off stragglers and applying global pressure Karth trades several things for his R: a stupidly long CD, a long channel and immobility during the cast. If he's ulting and you can see him, then chances are that his only contribution. You run, recall, then go back as he won't have his R for ages

Other options

  1. invest in an MR item perhaps banshees for spellshield
  2. interrupt him 2.1 shoving hard forcing him to show himself makes this easier
  3. ensure tanks/supports have built locket/redemption
Yenn1 votes

{quoted}

If you noticed jax and graves the ult tickled them. Likely because they have MR or other beef items. The 3 mages most likely did not. It is then a lategame karthus who, based on the score is possibly fed. Your first option is flawed as you assume you're alone with an assassin nearby. If that is the case then it's your fault for not grouping at the stage of the game that example is at. That is what it is for. Picking off stragglers and applying global pressure Karth trades several things for his R: a stupidly long CD, a long channel and immobility during the cast. If he's ulting and you can see him, then chances are that his only contribution. You run, recall, then go back as he won't have his R for ages

Other options

  1. invest in an MR item perhaps banshees for spellshield
  2. interrupt him 2.1 shoving hard forcing him to show himself makes this easier
  3. ensure tanks/supports have built locket/redemption

This entire post only applies to low rated games. None of these options are viable at Diamond.

Karthus is the only form of magic damage on the enemy team. Building MR is a terrible idea, even if itemizing a second defensive item on top of my Hourglass were viable (it's not). If my entire team needs to build multiple ~3k gold items around him while completely ignoring the rest of his team, there is a serious balance problem.

Also, his ultimate is global and we're contesting dragon. There is nothing to push and he's nowhere near us or even visible. You clearly have extremely poor game knowledge and no idea what you're talking about.

TheSingularity2 votes

In the order they were bought up:

  1. Diamonds are incapable of applyong cc, activating items or grabbing banshees over hourglass? That's depressing.
  2. If there is a damage threat. You itemize against it. 4 AP with an adc, tanks still buy armor because otherwise they melt. The same applies in reverse.
  3. Multiple 3K gold items? Locket 2700 redemption 2100 adaptive helm or visage if u just want beef, 2800.
  4. Karthus is an immobile lategame hyper carry. Like ryze, cass, velkoz, yi, kog and jax. By design they're meant to be stupidly high damage threats for what the less OP ones sacrifice early on.
  5. 2 words. Vision control. If you lit up their jg and had the redem and locket you could tank his ult then 5v4 if karth wasnt visible nearby. As he'd likely have ulted from base or opposite side jg.
  6. I see 3 lanes with inhib towers up. You had nothing to push?
Iota Theta1 votes

{quoted}

This entire post only applies to low rated games. None of these options are viable at Diamond.

Karthus is the only form of magic damage on the enemy team. Building MR is a terrible idea, even if itemizing a second defensive item on top of my Hourglass were viable (it's not). If my entire team needs to build multiple ~3k gold items around him while completely ignoring the rest of his team, there is a serious balance problem.

Also, his ultimate is global and we're contesting dragon. There is nothing to push and he's nowhere near us or even visible. You clearly have extremely poor game knowledge and no idea what you're talking about.

Honest question, How did you hit Diamond with that logic? Even LCS players build MR when there’s a substanial AP threat on the enemy team, even if they only have one AP. It’s not uncommon to see midlaners build early MR depending on the lane matchup.

A banshee’s veil spellshield can completely negate his ultimate if he’s leading with it, while also providing AP. If you’re AD, I believe Edge of Night’s shield channels faster than his ultimate. If a Karthus is on the enemy team, those are some of the most efficient MR items due to the ability to completely nullify his ultimate. On you and your team for not building properly.

Or, if you see his ult coming late game, back off to minimize losses.

Dynikus4 votes

Karthus makes a high skill play (aka presses R) and we all lose 50-70% of our health

How unbelievably squishy were all of you that a single karthus ult did 50-70% of your health? And why are you acting like item 3814 item 2420 don't exist? zhonya's isn't the only item you can buy to counter his ult.

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