Karthus is a powerful mage known for his global presence and sustained damage output. His unique passive "Defy Death" allows him to continue casting abilities for 7 seconds after death, making him a constant threat in teamfights.

Core Abilities Overview:

Q - Devastate

• Creates an explosion after 0.5s delay
• Deals double damage to isolated targets
• Primary farming and trading tool
• Strong level 1 all-in potential

W - Wall of Pain

• Creates a wall granting vision for 5 seconds
• Slows enemies passing through
• Reduces enemy magic resistance by 15%
• Costs 70 mana (equivalent to 2-3 Q casts)

E - Annihilation

• Passive: Restores mana on unit kills
• Active: Deals magic damage every 0.25s
• Can be toggled on/off
• Each deactivation deals damage

R - Requiem

• Global ultimate ability
• Deals magic damage to all enemy champions

Skill Order Priority:

1. Q - Devastate (Max first)
2. E - Annihilation
3. W - Wall of Pain Ultimate at levels 6, 11, and 16

Early Game Level Order:

• Level 1: Q
• Level 2: E
• Level 3: Q (or E for better mana sustain)
• Level 4: W (can be delayed to 5 if needed) Standard progression: Q->E->Q->W

Team Composition:

• Ideal as the sole AP damage source
• Excels when enemies build minimal magic resistance
• Strong with CC-heavy supports
• Effective in AoE team compositions

Key Strengths:

• Exceptional farming capability
• Strong level 1 all-in potential
• Global map pressure with ultimate
• High sustained damage output
• Effective even after death

Build Focus:

• Prioritize AP items with damage-over-time effects
• Build ability haste for spell rotation
• Include magic penetration for late game scaling
• Mana items essential for sustained casting

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