MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Sylas vs Karthus
Sylas vs Karthus in Jungle: who wins more often?
Across 786 ranked games in Jungle, Sylas beats Karthus in 48% of them.
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 Sylas behind by 470 gold.
Sylas at 15:00
- Gold: -470
- CS: -23
- XP: -899
Typical gap to Karthus, from 781 games that reached 15:00.
Does Sylas counter Karthus?
Even on the count: Sylas lands at 48% over 786 games. Neither pick wins the lane alone, so take the side you play better and use the rows below to see which early spots swing this one, then play your first ten minutes around them.
Your Sylas game plan against Karthus
With a gold lead at 10:00, Sylas wins 64% of 297 games in this matchup. Behind at the same mark, the rate drops to 39% over 489.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 64% | 297 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 39% | 489 |
| First blood | 55% | 475 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 59% | 329 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 68% | 131 |
| 0 deaths at 10:00 | 71% | 159 |
| 0 deaths at 15:00 | 86% | 62 |
In the median game here, the first death comes near 5:26 and level 6 lands around 7:20. Until your spike is online, treat the all-in window with respect.
Sylas in Jungle: the items that actually get built
Into Karthus specifically, Sylas finishes Hextech Rocketbelt first most often: 50.2% over 261 games of this matchup.
The most-finished core in this exact matchup is Hextech Rocketbelt, Riftmaker, Zhonya's Hourglass: 50.0% across 114 games.
The most-finished Sylas core is Hextech Rocketbelt, Riftmaker, Zhonya's Hourglass: 54.3% across 12,052 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Scorchclaw Pup + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Hextech Rocketbelt (32,249 games).
Skill plan: Sylas players max W first and take E at level 1.