How to win lane as Karma against Nasus · 48.08% win rate (1,273 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
A toll booth he can't afford — RQ every step-up and tether the one chase he tries.
Track: Nasus's W — Wither (15–11s cooldown). His only answer to kiting — bait it before you commit.
Read from Karma's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Nasus.
This is Karma's own plan; across 1,273 pooled games the lane is leaning Nasus.
| 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.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Karma's side, sampled July 2026.
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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Nasus, slightly — Karma wins 48.08% of 1,273 games; winnable with the right plan.
Mostly — Nasus has a small statistical edge (51.92% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
No — if anything Nasus has the slight edge (Karma wins 48.08%), though it stays close.
Karma takes Arcane Comet on the Sorcery tree with Manaflow Band, Transcendence and Scorch, and Inspiration secondary (Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight) vs Nasus.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Malignance / Blackfire Torch first, then Cosmic Drive, with Sorcerer's Shoes / Plated Steelcaps.
Playing the other side? Nasus vs Karma guide →
All Karma top lane matchups →
More Karma top lane matchups: vs Master Yi · vs Mel · vs Mordekaiser · vs Nautilus · vs Neeko · vs Olaf