How to win lane as Karthus against Kai'Sa · 58.65% win rate over 1,069 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karthus | Before her Plasma stacks, Kai'Sa can't contest your level 1 Lay Waste poke. |
| Level 2 | Karthus | At level 2 you still out-range her without W online. |
| Level 3 | Kai'Sa | Level 3 W plus a full Plasma proc lets Kai'Sa burst and out-trade you. |
| Levels 4-5 | Karthus | By levels 4-5 your Requiem threat and poke recovery swing it back to you. |
| Level 6 | Karthus | Level 6 Requiem out-classes her reposition ult by executing low Plasma trades. |
| First item | Karthus | Your first AP item out-pokes her before she completes R-engage items. |
| Two+ items | Karthus | With two items Requiem snipes her out of dives, out-scaling her mobility. |
Levels 1-2 are yours: before Kai'Sa's Plasma stacking and W come online she can't trade into your Lay Waste range, so you poke and farm freely.
The full Karthus vs Kai'Sa report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Kai'Sa vs Karthus guide →
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