MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Karthus vs Kai'Sa
How often does Karthus beat Kai'Sa in ADC?
Karthus into Kai'Sa in ADC: 55% observed win rate across 559 ranked games.
Global ranked sample: games from every region and every rank pooled together, not one server's stats. Data runs through patch 26.12; curves updated 2026-08-07.
By 15 minutes the median game has Karthus ahead by 312 gold.
Karthus at 15:00
- Gold: +312
- CS: +5
- XP: +407
Typical gap to Kai'Sa, from 557 games that reached 15:00.
Does Karthus counter Kai'Sa?
The count says yes: across 559 ranked ADC games into Kai'Sa, Karthus takes 55%. That edge is worth playing for. Check the rows below to see how much a gold lead at 10:00 adds, and what a bad start costs Karthus.
Beating Kai'Sa: the Karthus game plan
A gold lead at 10:00 puts Karthus at 64% across 285 games. Flip the lead and Karthus falls to 46% across 274.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 64% | 285 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 46% | 274 |
| First blood | 60% | 241 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 64% | 233 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 64% | 296 |
| 0 deaths at 10:00 | 56% | 50 |
Someone usually dies here around 3:20 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 7:18. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Karthus's ADC build, with receipts
Into Kai'Sa specifically, Karthus finishes Blackfire Torch first most often: 51.9% over 237 games of this matchup.
The most-finished core in this exact matchup is Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap: 53.8% across 65 games.
The most-finished Karthus core is Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap: 58.3% across 949 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Blackfire Torch (3,479 games).
Skill plan: Karthus players max Q first and take Q at level 1.