How to win lane as Karma against Cassiopeia · 44.83% win rate (261 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Poke war on your terms — RQ out-trades any single spell, and your shield erases her answer.
Track: Cassiopeia's W — Miasma (24–16s cooldown). Grounds you — dashes and leaps are disabled inside it.
Read from Karma's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Cassiopeia.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You have one strong cast here — open RQ Soulflare before she has Q poison stacking, and your single delayed-zone poke matches her one cast for the only time all lane. |
| Level 2 | Cassiopeia | Once her Q applies poison, Twin Fang (E) refunds its cooldown and chains on the poisoned target, so your lone Inner Flame can't out-trade her ramping DPS. |
| Level 3 | Cassiopeia | Her poison keeps stacking while she drifts in and out of your Soulflare zone on W passive move speed, and your E shield only buys one exchange. |
| Levels 4-5 | Cassiopeia | Your poke peak needs an immobile target, but she kites your Q line and chains Twin Fangs faster than your Q/RQ rotations can punish. |
| Level 6 | Cassiopeia | Your R is just re-empowerment while her Petrifying Gaze face-stuns your W-tether or RQ step-up if you're facing her, then deletes your thin frame. |
| First item | Cassiopeia | Even your first-item AP/haste spike can't out-DPS her ramping poison, and her W Miasma grounds and slows a Karma who has no dash to leave with anyway. |
| Two+ items | Cassiopeia | She out-scales hard — her single-target poison plus Liandry's and Malignance shred your no-resist body, so peel for your carries and never face her R alone. |
Level 1 is your only honest window — open with RQ Soulflare for a big delayed-zone poke before she has Q poison stacking, because right now your one empowered cast actually beats her one cast. The moment she hits 2-3 you lose it: her Q (Noxious Blast) lands poison, and Twin Fang (E) refunds its cooldown and chains on a poisoned target, so a single Inner Flame of yours can't trade back. Sidestep her Q line religiously — every poison tick ramps her damage, and if she pairs it with W Miasma you're slowed and grounded with no dash to leave anyway. Last-hit from max Q range and do not greed a second trade.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Karma's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Karma vs Cassiopeia 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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Cassiopeia — Karma wins only 44.83% of 261 games, so Karma plays this as the disadvantaged side.
Not really — Cassiopeia holds a real statistical advantage (55.17% win rate), so Karma is the one working uphill.
No — Cassiopeia counters Karma (Karma wins only 44.83% of games). Play it as the disadvantaged side and lean on the windows in the plan.
Karma takes Arcane Comet on the Sorcery tree with Manaflow Band, Transcendence and Scorch, and Inspiration secondary (Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight) vs Cassiopeia.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cuts her healing. Build Malignance / Blackfire Torch first, then Cosmic Drive, with Sorcerer's Shoes / Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Cassiopeia vs Karma guide →
All Karma top lane matchups →
More Karma top lane matchups: vs Ambessa · vs Aurora · vs Camille · vs Cho'Gath · vs Darius · vs Dr. Mundo
Also played in: Mid Lane