How to win lane as Karma against Nasus · 52.78% win rate over 36 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karma | Mantra is up at level 1, so open RQ Soulflare and chunk Nasus before he banks a single Q stack. |
| Level 2 | Karma | Inner Flame poke plus Gathering Fire's Mantra refunds tax his last-hits while he has no ranged answer to trade back. |
| Level 3 | Karma | Full kit online: E Inspire makes your trades free and RQ zones over his casters deny his Q stacking entirely. |
| Levels 4-5 | Karma | Bullying peak, repeated Q and RQ Soulflare push him off the wave and let you take plates with Inspire speed. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Skill window at 6, Nasus's Fury of the Sands is a real bonus-HP and drain spike while your Mantra is unchanged, so the lane swings on whether he lands Wither, respect it. |
| First item | Karma | Your first AP item plus Lost Chapter sharpens RQ poke and E shield value while keeping his Q starved. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | With 2+ items, a stacked Q plus Wither and Fury of the Sands out-sustain your chip, do not 1v1 him, peel and let your team kite. |
Nasus has almost nothing at level 1, so open with RQ Soulflare: Mantra is up immediately, and the Soulflare delay-zone plus slow chunk him and push him off his Q-stacking range before he banks a single stack. Sit at Inner Flame range and punish every last-hit; his only answer is to eat the poke or miss CS, both of which you win. Track his W Wither: it slows your move AND attack speed, so it is his one tool to lock you for a trade, never step to melee range with your E shield on cooldown, and save W Focused Resolve's root to set up your RQ rather than burning it defensively.
The full Karma vs Nasus 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? Nasus vs Karma guide →
All Karma top lane matchups →