How to win lane as Vayne against Karthus · 51.07% win rate (1,216 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
He zones what your range can't answer yet — dodge the rotation, farm the windows, and shred the mage once items vote.
Track: Karthus's R — Requiem (200–160s cooldown). The global execute — recall above the red line and track it from his level 6 on.
Read from Vayne's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Karthus.
This is Vayne's own plan; across 1,216 pooled games the lane is leaning Vayne.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karthus | At Level 1 Karthus's Lay Waste poke controls the lane over a stack-less Vayne. |
| Level 2 | Karthus | At Level 2 his Q spam and Wall setup keep the trading edge. |
| Level 3 | Karthus | At Level 3 his poke still zones Vayne off farm. |
| Levels 4-5 | Karthus | At Levels 4-5 his mana and Defile burn keep the lane in his favour. |
| Level 6 | Karthus | At Level 6 Requiem's global execute adds pressure Vayne can't match. |
| First item | Karthus | At first item his AP spike lets him zone the whole lane with Q and burn. |
| Two+ items | Vayne | By two-plus items Final Hour and Silver Bolts let Vayne flank and melt his immobile body. |
Levels 1-3 favour Karthus — Lay Waste spam pokes you off CS and his Wall slow zones your walk-ups before Silver Bolts stacks matter, so farm safe and dodge his Q. His poke reaches further than you do and his wall slows your step-up, so farm at range and take the safe CS. Tumble out of the Defile ring rather than through it. Keep Condemn for the moment he walks forward to clear, and let your support decide when the lane opens.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Vayne's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Vayne vs Karthus 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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Vayne, slightly — a 51.07% win rate edge over 1,216 games; execution can flip it.
Mostly — Vayne has a small statistical edge (51.07% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
Not a hard counter — Vayne has a slight edge (51.07% win rate), and play quality decides the rest.
Vayne takes Lethal Tempo on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Bloodline and Coup de Grace, and Domination secondary (Taste of Blood and Treasure Hunter) vs Karthus.
Start Doran's Blade + Health Potion and back for Cutlass / Recurve (≈1000g). Build Blade of the Ruined King first, then Guinsoo's / Terminus, with Mercury's Treads / Berserker's.
Playing the other side? Karthus vs Vayne guide →
All Vayne bot lane matchups →
More Vayne bot lane matchups: vs Jinx · vs Kai'Sa · vs Kalista · vs Kog'Maw · vs Lucian · vs Miss Fortune