Hey reader. My name is xGuido and I'm a EU West player (IGN: Guidoo). Feel free to add me if you want to play with me or got questions! This is my second build. I'm usually a top laner, but I also got alot of exp with the support role. But sometimes I just want to play the AP Carry, and that is my moment to shine! With Karthus! This dude is just awesome. Not only for his ultimate. In fact, Karthus is way more then just: ''KARTHUS, PRESS R !!!''

Note: don't try to sing karaoke when casting your ult. You might ult some neighbours.

Karthus is usually played as the AP Carry (Mid in the current EU West meta), but sometimes used as a jungler. I don't like Karthus jungle, that's why I'm making this build for mid Karthus :). Karthus is known for his ulti, which is actually pretty hilarious when the enemy team starts yelling and screaming at you. Nothing funnier than angered enemies!

The Lore
The vast quantities of physical magic that were consumed and destroyed during Valoran's numerous Rune Wars have scarred much of Valoran. Many locations far from civilization have been morphed into hazardous and dangerous locales. The Howling Marsh is one of these places, and the self-appointed overlord of this land is the lich known as Karthus. It is thought that Karthus was a mage who, in life, was foolish enough to enter the fetid waters seeking his fortune, and that he was forever transformed by whatever dark magic permeates the swamp. Karthus now rules over his swampy dominion with an iron (albeit skeletal) fist. Visitors are not welcome, and those who are not scared away by the lich's terrible power most likely end up as one of the undead themselves... skeletons and zombies in Karthus' growing army of eternal servants. On the darkest of nights, Karthus is said to sing the tales of those who have succumbed to the swamp, past and present.

Karthus' tenure in the League of Legends is one of the more unusual ones in the history of the League. First, it is highly unusual that a lich who was known for isolation and hatred of life would even be a willing part of an organization which promoted the preservation of life. Next, Karthus specifically eschews the accrual of power and influence gained through service to the League; he is essentially an unpaid volunteer. This behavior is completely different than what his life outside of the League would have onlookers believe. Karthus has never spoken about his intentions in being a champion of the League, and in fact becomes quite agitated when asked about it. In the interests of not aggravating a lich, most sensible people subsequently drop the issue.

"Come visit my home, and I shall sing a dirge of your life as it once was."
―Karthus

My rune choice is pretty obvious.

9x Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
5x Greater Seal of Replenishment
4x Greater Seal of Ability Power
9x Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
3x Greater Quintessence of Ability Power

The Marks, Glyphs, and Quintessences are pretty standard. What I did, was taking 5x Greater Seal of Replenishment to help with my mana regen early game. Tear of the Goddess gives us mana regen, but I like this little extra regen! Ofcourse we also need some ability power, and that's why I created a mix of 2 different Seals

Just like the runes, these masteries are pretty obvious. You are the AP Carry, which means you need to do some damage, instead of tanking the game (ORLY, YE RLY). I chose the utility because it gives us faster movement speed, a shorter CD on Flash, and some mana regen :).

I will explain the Skill Sequence here :D

I choose to max my Lay Waste (Q) first, because that little nuke is awesome. 200% damage when you hit a solo target! This really pounds on just anyone on lvl 1-18.

After this spell, you want to max your Defile (E). Sick damage, + the mana refund when you kill a minion/champion. This means you can easily farm with your Q, because basic attacking is not easy with Karthus! Kill 2 minions with 1 Lay Waste and you will get more mana then it costed you!

Finally, max Wall of Pain (W). This is a utility spell, which does not deal damage but it just slows the enemy and reduces their armor/magic resist. It's not nessecary to max this early!

Requiem: This is what makes Karthus infamous. No one likes to get killed by this spell just when they think they are safe. Let your teammates know when it's ready to use! You can also ult first, so your teammates can kill their enemies a little bit easier. Like every ultimate, max this whenever possible!

Tha items!

I usually go for Boots + 3x Health Potion. Why not Doran's Ring? Doran's Ring does give you some nice stats for it's money, but the boots make it easier to move around, and with the health potions you can say in lane for a long time!

When you got enough money, go to the base to buy Tear of the Goddess. This is a VERY important item for Karthus. You will be casting your Q a lot, so it won't take long untill you will get the max bonus mana of it!

Next, Catalyst of Aeons. Mana + Health, + hp regen and mana regen when you level up! Getting this in very early game will give you some sustain, which means you can stay in the lane longer, which means: more farm, more money, more damage. Win win situation aye!

Now the core items. Archangel's Staff and Rod of Ages. The Archangel's Staff will convert the 1000 bonus mana into ability powah! POWAH! Rod of Ages is just awesome on mages, because it gives you a ****load of health, mana and ofcourse ability powah! Ok enough powah for now.

Morello's Evil Tome
CDR. Nuff Said.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Imagine a slow which would trigger with every Q you cast. Buy this and your wish will become true! Also gives you alot of health and some ability powah! I LIED. MORE POWAH!

Rabadon's Deathcap
This is self explanatory. Gives you a AP boost, and also it's own ability power! WINNING

Used:
Flash this is used for escapes, but you can also use it to flash into a teamfight and start to Defile some *sses!

Ignite Don't let your enemy get away! BURN THEM DOWN. MWUAHAHA. Do you feel evil already? I do :>

Thanks for reading my guide/build for Karthus the Deathsinger :).

Don't hesitate to leave a comment when you got one, or maybe ask me a question. I'm willing to accept your critism ^^

If you're interested in other builds, I have a Kha'Zix build aswell!
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