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Karthus the Forgotten Champion

Roy Stang··7 votes·1,511 views

Almost every single mid laner I've seen has had some kind of change whether it be a buff or nerf. However I've never even seen any changes done to Karthus ever and he is FAR from perfect. Is this because Riot feels like he is balanced? I mained Karthus s2,s3 and s4 and managed to get d2 during s4. He feels like absolute trash right now. Every single mid lane champion dominates him, hard. The ahri buff literally made me flip out because EVERYTHING she does counters Karthus. Im so sick and tired of playing against zed, LB, ahri etc. Every matchup is a goddam nightmare for karthus. Not only that, but Karthus has SEVERE mana problems in lane. You cant even afford to go offensive unless you're willing to oom yourself and losing an entire wave. Everybody who comments is going to state "oh but his late game is insane" no its not. Everybody will have a banshees and you will get popped so fast in a team fight its insane. Sometimes you will get popped so fast that you cant even zhonyas.

What im trying to get at is that every mid lane champion excels in atleast one aspect. Karthus excels in literally nothing. He feels ridiculously weak when playing against semi-competent people. He just gets styled on in every regard and there is really no reason to pick him.

27 Comments

Leti the Yeti3 votes

I'm not even karthus main, and Iove this guy going oom? his Q is dirt cheap, ima fire like 45 of these before I go oom

yeah he definitely is going to struggle trading with alot of champs but hey, he's great against any melee mids simply placing Q's infront of your minions

people might have banshees late game but 11/9, chances are its gonna get popped in a team fight anyway idk karthus has quite above mage health with the kind of shit he builds seraphs and zhonyas let your AoE last long and it hardly matters if you die cuz thats your chance to ult in peace

Moulin Rouge3 votes

Karthus needs a real rework imo. He usually ends up feeding in most games...

He might have a great late game, but that's only if the enemy mid lane lets you get there. (And anyone who loses to Karthus mid lane should uninstall)

DomainSpecific4 votes

Karthus is strong 1v1 actually. Even during early game.

Its main problem is his lack of mobility/ hard CC/ sustain. He is food for the junglers, especially since he tends to push.

Roy Stang1 votes

He is OK 1v1 with rylais. But it isnt good enough to pick him over anything else.

DomainSpecific2 votes

"It isnt good enough to pick him over anything else"

Damn, this is so true though.

Roy Stang1 votes

sht man. Ive been playing this guy for years. He feels so awful right now. Just depressing.

Moulin Rouge1 votes

{quoted}

Karthus is strong 1v1 actually. Even during early game.

Its main problem is his lack of mobility/ hard CC/ sustain. He is food for the junglers, especially since he tends to push.

When was the last time you got hit by one of his spells in a 1vs1? xDD

His Q's are so delayed you can see them a mile away and you'd have to be mentally challenged to stand in his aura. I dunno, maybe high elo Karthus's have a way to keep people in their auras but I can tell you that unless I walk up to him and let him wall me, he's not hitting me.

cody dong2 votes

Karthus got a rework a few months ago.

Roy Stang3 votes

Purely visual.

Direwolfiez2 votes

Not even really a rework, just a "visual update" if we're using Riot's terms.

DrMarshSwamp2 votes

Personally I was thinking that his Lay Waste could have some sort of "Stacking CC" on it, or maybe increased movespeed while using Defile?

For Lay Waste - I was thinking that it could either have a stacking slow, or perhaps hitting a target X amount of times in X seconds could give a stun.

Roy Stang1 votes

That actually doesnt sound too bad. Not having to go first item rylais to not feel completely useless would be really nice. I would be able to go RoA and not have as many mana issues.

A little Peepo1 votes

Cool idea but that is just too damn op xD as a hyper carry he is supposed to be a champion you pick to get to late game not stomp early and late or else you have syndra or even akali. I would like to see his AA faster and more reliant than Q and perhaps a few mana cost reductions or full mana refund on his Q when he kills minions or a percent of mana back when he hits champions.

Karthus is an amazing champion... late game but the question is, how the hell do you get there without raging? XD would be nice to see his late game nerfed and his early buffed so he could be a more rounded champion all through game.

Kitten of Evil2 votes

What if it just applied a small slow if it hits only one enemy, like 15%?

DrMarshSwamp1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kitten of Evil,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=rWXNstIb,comment-id=00030002,timestamp=2015-02-07T10:08:44.922+0000)

What if it just applied a small slow if it hits only one enemy, like 15%?

While that wouldn't be a bad idea it'd limit his usefulness during teamfights, or lower his harassment opportunities during laning if the enemy stands near their minions.

Envy Sin2 votes

Non-Mobile, Non-Flashy mage.

Karth is just a dud to riot.

At least until (if) AOE comps make a comeback.

A little Peepo1 votes

Karthus isn't a champion you pick to counter someone but to play him. Karthus has one of the most obnoxious late game in game but honestly I feel it's the popularity of junglers that make karthus feel meh early and mid. I've seen god like karthus but also awful karthus as well so it depends. I think if karthus got a buff yo his early, he would definitely get nerfed late so he is a tricky champion to balance tbh. Those are my 2 cents on him but yeah I kind of miss old school mid laners like anivia, lux, karthus, ect

Roy Stang1 votes

Hs late game isnt even worth it though. To endure his awful lane phase/mana problems is just too much. Late game he just gets 1 shotted in team fights. Too many counters to his ult Maw, Zhonyas, banshees, GA.

Kitten of Evil1 votes

Anivia is still super-viable. Can't say the same about Lux (those mana costs are brutal, but Lux unlike Anivia doesn't build mana), but yes, I think mana-users need to be compensated for the regen nerfs.

Kitten of Evil1 votes

Almost every mid-lane champion has seen some change lately? Uh... Anivia Brand Malzahar Swain Mordekaiser Lux say hi, just to name a few. Mages are feeling somewhat neglected, well except Ahri. Assassins have been getting a lot of attention though.

I think Karthus just suffers from the same mana regen issues most mid-lane mages suffer from. Ahri's just nuts at the moment. She can now defeat almost any mid-laner because of her free and spammable MS boost, which will boost a no-boots Ahri from 330 MS to 515 MS without having to even hit an enemy (why do you think her win-rate is the highest in the game at 58%, four percentage points over second place Heimer?) I'm fairly annoyed at the Ahri changes as well, but that's why they're looking at nerfing her now.

I would say, though, that Karthus doesn't "excel at nothing." He excels at preventing low-life escapes anywhere on the map. Sure, Ezreal and Jinx can kill a low-life enemy if they're very lucky, and Nidalee can snipe a low-life enemy near her, but Karthus can guarantee a kill across the map, while also giving all other enemies a love tap. Not bad for an ultimate.

Roy Stang1 votes

I dont think anivia, swain or lux need any changes... They are decently strong in lane and have way better mana compared to karthus.

BeatzBoyFTW4 votes

Except Karthus gets to refund his mana on kills. Swain is fine, but Anivia's & Lux's mana problem is seriously huge, and even effectively worse in late if you're not fast in getting mana regeneration items.

KirbyCake1 votes

the problem is that he has a huge game breaking bug with his passive

not to mention the q hitbox isn't exactly clear cut on the edges either

Wheatloaf1 votes

Malz and Vel'Koz haven't received any big changes for a long time, either. They have more well-defined roles than "lemme deal damage, and maybe secure a kill top lane."

Daedalus8711 votes

Idk, I've managed to bully out assassins as Karthus. But you got to force feed them skittles.

Llanite1 votes

Tbh he has better win rate than a lot of other mids. Sure, some other might outshine him, doesn't mean he is trash.

Kingsgrave1 votes

Karthus is honestly the epitome of completely fine

He isn't UP or OP

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