How do you play Karma these days

Catastrop·May 17, 2015·2 votes·1,184 views

All I really want to know is how people play her compared to me as I'm not new to her or anything but I can definitely use some pointers. I play her exclusively as a Mid Lane Utilimage, so maxing Q first is a given but I always max E second because as it has a lot of uses. I take to rushing as early as possible along with upgraded so I can spam it(E) on myself and teammates, the alacrity boost helps to provide more mobility so I get there in time to save a teammate and give them a few more seconds to either take the kill or get away. I choose not to go for because I prefer the magic pen from mage boots and with Grail alone Inner Flame is on a 3 second cooldown while everything is like 7-9 seconds. After I've gotten those 2 items I get then build according to how the game is going. This way I end up as support that hits like a truck late game and by this I mean I usually come with like 25+ assists and never go above 15 kills(and even if I do it's pretty rare). Deaths are not really a problem as thanks to EW/WE(usually followed up by a Q) combo I usually come out safe from skirmishes and in teamfights. Also on the topic of teamfights, I make it a point to land W on someone while I cast RE so Mantra is back up to be used just in time for an RQ on any stragglers or chasers if the fight went awry. So yeah, that's about it.

23 Comments

aaronautumnMay 17, 20152 votes

i take w first and max it, especially when against someone melee. i don't usually poke much with q so that i can save mana and skip getting a mana item.

jDVL20eCYsMay 17, 20152 votes

never max w first make no sense. you have zero wave clear with it and can easy get pushed in and you lose so much mid game potetinal. and you use your w so you can land a easy mantra q. you never used just w for poke... its pretty bullshit. you can max w second do even after the changes

HealurownbumMay 17, 20152 votes

With the new changes it see whats what after those changes. Cause by the looks of it she will be support mostly W heal nerf is going to hurt her alot.

HupsisMay 17, 20154 votes

Mantra W heal stays the same. Also W got a AP ratio increase.

HealurownbumMay 17, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Mantra W heal stays the same. Also W got a AP ratio increase.

Sorry but the RW dmg part got removed i have not seen a AP ratio increase on the PBE for it. I know the heal will be changed from what it is now to 20% dmg dealt to the target will heal you. And the root will last longer. This makes her alot weaker in self healing. But gives her a ability to heal others if they attack the tethered/rooted target.

Also RE will get its damaged removed and RE will now increase the shield on the target its cast on. Shield its self will be nerfed some what but the CD will be reduced per level.

http://www.reignofgaming.net/ has alot of the pbe changes im too lazy to look throu them all be my guest.

I do not care for this Karma version so the changes do not bother me. If they effect you tho im sorry but i moved on after the relaunch cause this is not the champion i loved.

HupsisMay 17, 20152 votes

Those are the old PBE changes. There are more recent ones.

W heal got changed back to what it currently is but the extra damage from mantra is still removed. Normal W however got AP ratio increase from 60% to 90%.

Shield cooldown is also now reduced to 8 seconds at max rank instead of 6 seconds.

https://twitter.com/ricklessabandon/status/599423645300162560

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

https://twitter.com/ricklessabandon/status/599423645300162560

I can live with these changes as I never really cared for the shield damage, I mainly used it for the AoE shielding so I'm not bothered. Although the Tether's ratio buff is rather nice and I'm glad they kept her healing as it added to her ability to bait.

HealurownbumMay 18, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Those are the old PBE changes. There are more recent ones.

W heal got changed back to what it currently is but the extra damage from mantra is still removed. Normal W however got AP ratio increase from 60% to 90%.

Shield cooldown is also now reduced to 8 seconds at max rank instead of 6 seconds.

https://twitter.com/ricklessabandon/status/599423645300162560

Seems you are right checked it even on the PBE they do seem to be all over the place with W then. But cool.

CindikleMay 17, 20152 votes

Depends on the teams needs. She's very flexible in this way.

Full AP(Dcap, sorc boots, Void, Hourglass, Ludens, Athene/Morello)
AP bruiser(Abyssal, Liandry's, Athene/Morello, sorc boots, Hourglass or Omen+situational last time) You mostly want some more HP on your last item depending on if you got Omen.
AP tank(not after PBE changes though since she loses the %missing hp heal). Fairly general tank build, but you'll want Liandry's mixed in. Mostly played in jungle more than lane.

jDVL20eCYsMay 17, 20152 votes

god don't go omen on karma much better go roa + FH then athean+omen. and ap bruiser karma is rather shitty you go ap or you go cheesy tank roa fh spristvisage liandry omen thormai/mercs who needs boots on tank karma really.

CindikleMay 18, 20151 votes

Karma gets weaker as the game goes on. Late game she is more of a secondary support no matter what roll she is playing. Which is why I think RoA is situational on her. It delays her early game for a slightly better mid/late game. It's not a bad buy, but it's not worth weakening your early game if you don't think the matchup will be easy for you.

Which is why I'd say Omen is better if you want armor and HP. If you can get buy without the HP consider FH or Hourglass. Depending on your armor needs and gold availability.

SV wont be as great with the PBE changes coming up since the heal is not reliable. BV will be a better buy unless you want the CDR that badly. I expect tanky Karma to overall die off after these changes anyway. As it only really existed because of the %hp heal. After the changes you'll get more out of bruiser/ap for the shield(lower CD) and damage needed to make her RW heal worth it.

CatastropMay 18, 20151 votes

"Karma gets weaker as the game goes on. Late game she is more of a secondary support no matter what roll she is playing."

This is one of the things I like about her actually. Also this is one of the things I wanted to see someone highlight because I thought I was playing her wrong when I just ended up as a support mage late game so this is a nice bit of information to know I'm on the right track.

jDVL20eCYsMay 17, 20152 votes

vs ap you go ludens rush if you get 1600 gold at your first or second back. if not then you go double doran> mpen boots > athean > d cap >void > ludens >zhonya/liandr. in lane you poke with q and auto. you trade with e into w and then land point blank mantra q. in tema fights you try hit there back line with mantra q while you peel fro you adc or someone that needs it with e and w.

and next pathc they buffed ap karma mid since your e w menta q combo got a 30% ratio buff. DONT LISTEN TO ANYONE TAHT SAY NEW KARMA GET NERFED SHE GOT ONLY BUFFED THANKS. no one used mantra w and e for damage. you almost never used them. now its a purpose for them at least. but yeah just e w mantra q peoepl for tard damage. once you learn her mechanics she is broken in lane and have solid poke late and mid game

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=ekko or feed,realm=EUNE,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=dtu8AAq4,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2015-05-17T20:45:34.318+0000)

vs ap you go ludens rush if you get 1600 gold at your first or second back. if not then you go double doran> mpen boots > athean > d cap >void > ludens >zhonya/liandr. in lane you poke with q and auto. you trade with e into w and then land point blank mantra q. in tema fights you try hit there back line with mantra q while you peel fro you adc or someone that needs it with e and w.

and next pathc they buffed ap karma mid since your e w menta q combo got a 30% ratio buff. DONT LISTEN TO ANYONE TAHT SAY NEW KARMA GET NERFED SHE GOT ONLY BUFFED THANKS. no one used mantra w and e for damage. you almost never used them. now its a purpose for them at least. but yeah just e w mantra q peoepl for tard damage. once you learn her mechanics she is broken in lane and have solid poke late and mid game

Seems good, and I agree that she does get buffed, I never used W and E for their damage. The AoE shield is my main reason for REing and the snare and heal is the main reason for RW when I used it.

jDVL20eCYsMay 17, 20151 votes

<3 i see you are unranked. if you want to kern the game and play ranked you are happy to watch and give question and learn from ym stream with same name as i have here

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=ekko or feed,realm=EUNE,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=dtu8AAq4,comment-id=000300000000,timestamp=2015-05-17T21:44:31.925+0000)

<3 i see you are unranked. if you want to kern the game and play ranked you are happy to watch and give question and learn from ym stream with same name as i have here

Thanks, I'll check it up. Although i think I'm far from ready for ranked even though I've playing for like 3 years now, I still have some persisting errors being made.

SSLRranmaMay 17, 20152 votes

wouldn't item 3003 be better over item 3174 be better because of the AP? your giving up some CDR but Karma has low Cooldowns anyway. Besides you can get item 3165 for cooldown after a item 3089 or item 3285 .

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

{quoted}

wouldn't be better over be better because of the AP? your giving up some CDR but has low Cooldowns anyway. Besides you can get for cooldown after a or .

I've tried this but found that I ran out of mana very easily due to my E spamming habit although I see where you're coming from. I'll try to make use of this.

Vistha KaiMay 17, 20152 votes

Skill order: Q->E->W Build: RoA, Athene, Rabadon, Void Staff, Sorcs, Zhonya/Liandry's

I only ever use RW for heal, snare is secondary, damage is even lower priority. Once I get some points into E I walk into the middle of a wave RE then finish melees with a Q. Sometimes use it on the front line to shield them while getting refunds from Gathering Fire. RQ in any other situation.

PBE changes give me cancer.

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Vistha Kai,realm=EUNE,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=dtu8AAq4,comment-id=0005,timestamp=2015-05-17T20:46:46.611+0000)

Skill order: Q->E->W Build: RoA, Athene, Rabadon, Void Staff, Sorcs, Zhonya/Liandry's

I only ever use RW for heal, snare is secondary, damage is even lower priority. Once I get some points into E I walk into the middle of a wave RE then finish melees with a Q. Sometimes use it on the front line to shield them while getting refunds from Gathering Fire. RQ in any other situation.

PBE changes give me cancer.

I like the build path but I don't really care for RoA on Karma, I usually go Liandry's as it gives me the health, magic pen and ap which is all I need once I get Grail. The same actually instead I usually prioritize the shield on the ADC or the Tank as their positioning during teamfights are usually the most optimal depending on whether I want to shield the whole team or damage the whole enemy team. It seems though that the damage the whole enemy team is not an option anymore but I'm not really bothered by it, as I can live without it, as long I can shield the entire team I'm happy.

IGotScuttleCrabsMay 17, 20151 votes

item 3285 > item 3165 > item 3259 > item 3089 > item 3157 > item 3151 // item 3135 basically I aim to blow the adc down to 25% in one Mantra Q. Sometimes swap item 3048 in for and run some scaling cdr runes if I feel safe.

CatastropMay 17, 20151 votes

{quoted}

> > > > > // basically I aim to blow the adc down to 25% in one Mantra Q.

I know the feel, seeing that support or adc get hit and watching their HP bar drop from 100% to like 10-25% is just so satisfying.

SnugglePuggle94May 18, 20151 votes

My build for her is item 3285 item 3152 item 3089 along with what ever defensive item that goes well against the fed enemy champ, and another AP item or too. If I'm behind, I go with item 3020 , if I'm ahead and fed, I go with item 3158 as it helps me to be able to spam my spells more.