BattlemageMage

Karthus

The Deathsinger

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About Karthus

Karthus, The Deathsinger, is a battlemage and mage champion in League of Legends played in jungle on Summoner's Rift. Riot released Karthus on June 12, 2009 in Patch June 12, 2009 Patch. Karthus uses ranged attacks and deals magical damage.

Karthus has 10 skins in 10 skin lines. Karthus has waited 415 days for a new skin, the 65th longest wait of 173 champions. See every champion's wait

Gameplay style

Karthus fills the battlemage/mage role with ranged attacks, mostly in jungle.

Karthus deals magical damage and spends Mana to cast abilities. Mages like Karthus use spells to deal burst or area damage and control space in fights.

Karthus's story

The harbinger of oblivion, Karthus is an undying spirit whose haunting songs are a prelude to the horror of his nightmarish appearance. The living fear the eternity of undeath, but Karthus sees only beauty and purity in its embrace, a perfect union of life and death. When Karthus emerges from the Shadow Isles, it is to bring the joy of death to mortals, an apostle of the unliving.

Looking for a Karthus icon for your profile? Explore the Karthus icon collection.

Want to save on Karthus skins? Check the weekly skin sale to see whether any are currently discounted.

Latest Karthus skins

All Karthus skins (10)

Best Karthus streamers and one-tricks for high-elo play

Every Karthus streamer below sits at Diamond 4 or higher and puts serious games into this pick. Watch a few waves to steal their trades and matchup habits.

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Official Champion Spotlight

See Karthus's abilities and gameplay in the official League of Legends Champion Spotlight.

Learning Karthus

Here is what Karthus does well and where this battlemage and mage champion struggles.

Champion strengths

  • Powerful area-of-effect damage
  • Strong waveclear
  • Good scaling into late game
  • Useful utility for team fights

Champion weaknesses

  • Usually lacks mobility
  • Vulnerable to assassins
  • Skill-shot-dependent abilities
  • Can struggle against magic resistance

Karthus costs 1575 BE or 790 RP. Karthus sits in Riot's mid-range price tier for champions with steeper learning curves or specialized kits.

Karthus has not been on sale since March 1, 2026.

Karthus FAQ

Release date, price and skins of Karthus.

Karthus icons

All Karthus icons

Skin lines with Karthus

All skin lines

More Battlemage champions

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