Karthus Strategy: Agree/Disagree?

[quote=Riggsinator]I used to play Karthus rather frequently but got bored with him. Lately I've been seeing more Karthus players than usual. But what is usual is how most of them don't really know how to utilize his ult for anything beyond finishing/stealing kills. KDA ratios aren't enough to judge a good Karthus, some times It's just too easy for him to have a decent record. Example 1: Team Karthus is setting up a gank, they wait and wait then attack. Karthus dies then uses his ult. Team loses team fight, although most of the other team is low health. What he should have done: Press Ult as team initiates. Ult goes off then he sweeps in and goes down to aoe town probably gets two or three kills. Karthus's ult takes a while to channel, if you stop your assault to stand there with your hands in the air saying "ayooo" then you probably will get silenced/stunned or maybe even just flat out lose out on so much damage that you team may die. Another thing I see people doing on him is the misconception that: "Unless you go all AP, you suck!" I find Karthus to be quite a good beefy champion if you build him as such. Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil, Guardian Angel. (After you get Mejais of course). Round it off with a Rabadon's Deathcap. Summary: Karthus can use his ult for things other than stealing/guaranteeing kills. Use it when fights are being initiated. The missing chunks of health could ensure your enemies will fragment and maybe try to flee rather than fighting. + You don't have to build him full AP. Sometimes being full AP and a massive squishy won't work well for a champion that does his best damage by being able to stand in team fights and use his aoes.[/quote]

[quote=PFP]jungle karthus. gg[/quote]

[quote=Jebus McAzn][quote=Riggsinator] Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil [/quote] This. Two items that should be seen on casters a lot more that, sadly, a lot of people don't seem to get. Also, starting a fight with your ultimate puts a bigger psychological strain on your opponents - they think that they're at a lower health than they should be, meaning that they're less likely to play aggressively. Compare this to post-death Karthus, which blows his Requiem after the enemy team has already won the fight.[/quote]

[quote=Trojan995][quote=Riggsinator] I used to play Karthus rather frequently but got bored with him. Lately I've been seeing more Karthus players than usual. But what is usual is how most of them don't really know how to utilize his ult for anything beyond finishing/stealing kills. KDA ratios aren't enough to judge a good Karthus, some times It's just too easy for him to have a decent record. Example 1: Team Karthus is setting up a gank, they wait and wait then attack. Karthus dies then uses his ult. Team loses team fight, although most of the other team is low health. What he should have done: Press Ult as team initiates. Ult goes off then he sweeps in and goes down to aoe town probably gets two or three kills. Karthus's ult takes a while to channel, if you stop your assault to stand there with your hands in the air saying "ayooo" then you probably will get silenced/stunned or maybe even just flat out lose out on so much damage that you team may die. Another thing I see people doing on him is the misconception that: "Unless you go all AP, you suck!" I find Karthus to be quite a good beefy champion if you build him as such. Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil, Guardian Angel. (After you get Mejais of course). Round it off with a Rabadon's Deathcap. Summary: Karthus can use his ult for things other than stealing/guaranteeing kills. Use it when fights are being initiated. The missing chunks of health could ensure your enemies will fragment and maybe try to flee rather than fighting. + You don't have to build him full AP. Sometimes being full AP and a massive squishy won't work well for a champion that does his best damage by being able to stand in team fights and use his aoes. [/quote] The thing about pure AP karthus is he can flash into the middle of a team fight and have [[defile]] on for 8 seconds after death. That means that you can deal massive damage to the enemy and they can't do squat against you. If you die in a team fight instantly, then keep defile on and hit [[requiem]] you can do about 3/4 of a squishy's health and even more with [[defile]] damage. Your team mopping up will be cake after you've destroyed them utterly and only cost your life, not your team's.[/quote]

[quote=Searz]FTP needs to go to troll-rehab. He can't stop![/quote]

[quote=Chaotic Bliss][quote=Trojan995] The thing about pure AP karthus is he can flash into the middle of a team fight and have [[defile]] on for 8 seconds after death. That means that you can deal massive damage to the enemy and they can't do squat against you. If you die in a team fight instantly, then keep defile on and hit [[requiem]] you can do about 3/4 of a squishy's health and even more with [[defile]] damage. Your team mopping up will be cake after you've destroyed them utterly and only cost your life, not your team's. [/quote] This. I play Straight AP, I cant play Sunfire Karthus anymore >.<, and I find that this method is great to have. If you get something like Rylai's and Zhonya's Hourglass, you can add some survival also. I agree that Heart and BV are great, but to play purre AP you gotta be a lil suicidal[/quote]

[quote=DEWO]Ok Karthus 100% win ratio with thinking team. Inform your team to get all enemies to 1/2 HP. And run away. Ulti and win. Build: [[Tear of the Goddess]] -> [[Sorcerer's Shoes]] -> [[Archangel's Staff]] -> [[Rabadon's Deathcap]] -> [[Archangel's Staff]] -> [[Archangel's Staff]] -> [[Void Staff]] -> [[Lich Bane]] Build 9/0/21 with max in [[Expanded Mind]] Tactic, early game is the same, go mid and farm. mid game and lategame: Farm Farm Farm Farm Farm, ignore existance in teamfights. just keel creeps and push lanes. Get blue buff whenever possible, kill dragon on respawn, take 1 dps with lifesteal and farm baron. Farm farm farm. If your team will get the plan of dealing some damage to all instead of focusing one by one, you have a 100% win ratio. Later on you can ask for them to drop enemies down to 2/3 hp since your ulti will deal 2/3 of their hp anyway wherever you are so you can farm and still do most damage done. When you are done with the build start buying pots. all of them :P roam the map destroying wards, farm farm farm. When a teamfight occurs, go and suecide dealign as much damage with slow+aoe+Q as long as you live, and ulti for some tripple quadras after you are accualy dead. There is no way of stopping Karthus getting fed that way since you are just farming creeps... Even banshee's wont help if your team gets the 1/2 hp idea. All bubbles will be poped during that teamfight... and than... boom from the sky.[/quote]

[quote=Searz]Expanded Mind is CRAP. It gives +5% of BASE mana, not total. Just to let ya know DEWO ;) Also; LB feels like an unnecessary item on full AP Karth and you do have 7 items there.[/quote]

[quote=Marrakoosh]When me and friends play, we always have one guy take Karthus middle. He's incredible. Always massive carry, he uses Ulti to initiate, but sometimes to steal kills early ingame. Uses same build order as DEWO practically. In fact I don't think he's ever used another Champion for long periods. We were all playing together when we were level 1-5 or something, kept getting owned by Karthus' ulti and he was like...I'm totally using that guy. Boom. Gotta say, I can't play him for anything. Just useless.[/quote]

[quote=Jermatoo]Abyssal Scepter is also extremely good since it gives you Magic Resist aswell gives you extra AP AND it reduces any champs who are around you, ie when you die use your ult asap.[/quote]