Vayne vs Karma — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Vayne against Karma · 53.18% win rate over 2,403 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Vayne is favoured — Vayne owns 4 of the 7 game windows. Vayne wins 53.18% of games vs Karma in top lane (2,403 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1Even / skillLevel 1 is a skill matchup: it hinges on whether you dodge Inner Flame.
Level 2VayneLevel 2 favours you: no CC to stop you walking her down for Silver Bolts stacks.
Level 3VayneLevel 3 favours you: you punish her long Mantra cooldown with Tumble trades.
Levels 4-5Even / skillLevels 4-5 are even: her empowered poke trades roughly with your DPS windows.
Level 6Even / skillLevel 6 is even: Karma's ult only refreshes spells and gives her no kill combo.
First itemVayneFirst item favours you: BotRK DPS shreds her weak base defenses in trades.
Two+ itemsVayneTwo-plus items favour you: you out-carry her utility role in every duel and fight.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Level 1 is a skill check around dodging Karma's Inner Flame (Q): sidestep it with Tumble and the lane opens up immediately. She has no reliable hard CC and mediocre base defenses, so once you are level 2-3 you walk her down and stack Silver Bolts freely. Bait her Mantra-Q poke, then punish the long Mantra cooldown with a Tumble-auto trade. Only the Focused Resolve (W) tether threatens you, and it breaks on range.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Vayne vs Karma 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.

Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →

🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.

Related guides

Playing the other side? Karma vs Vayne guide →
All Vayne top lane matchups →