How to win lane as Karma against Zilean · 49.86% win rate over 2,838 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karma | Your Q out-ranges Zilean's single Time Bomb at level 1, so you win the opening poke. |
| Level 2 | Karma | At 2 your Q+E trade beats his lone non-stunning bomb, keeping it yours. |
| Level 3 | Karma | Level 3 favours Karma as your poke out-tempos his mana before double-bombs. |
| Levels 4-5 | Karma | At 4-5 your shield-speed and range keep the poke war yours. |
| Level 6 | Karma | At 6 you still lead the lane; bait Chronoshift and your poke advantage holds Karma. |
| First item | Karma | First item, your Mantra-Q poke stays ahead of his siege, so it's yours. |
| Two+ items | Zilean | With 2+ items Zilean's double-bomb stun, peel, and Chronoshift out-utility you, so late is his. |
Karma leads 1-3: your Q (Inner Flame) out-ranges Zilean's single Time Bomb, and Mantra-E (Inspire) shield-speed lets you trade in before he can stack a double-bomb stun, so the early chart is yours.
The full Karma vs Zilean 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? Zilean vs Karma guide →
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