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Karma
Patch 16.2.1
SupportDifficulty
Easy
Strength
Early
Mid
Late
Win Condition
Win the lane early to force the enemy bot lane off farm, then use the utility of + in mid-game skirmishes to keep your carries at full health and high movement speed during every rotation.
Playstyle
Karma is a lane-dominant utility mage who focuses on oppressive early poke and high-tempo mid-game kiting. You transition from a secondary damage dealer in lane to a primary shield-engine for your team during late-game teamfights.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Unmatched level 1 pressure with +
- +High survivability through movement speed and + healing
- +Excellent kiting and peel for ADCs using and slows
- +Passive allows for very frequent use of empowered abilities
Weaknesses
- -Damage falls off significantly in the late game compared to traditional mages
- -Relies heavily on landing skillshot to refresh cooldown
- -Squishy and vulnerable to hard engage if is on cooldown
- -Tether from requires you to stay in dangerous range to proc the root
Abilities
is your engine. Every time you hit an enemy with or , the cooldown of is reduced. In teamfights, prioritize hitting multiple people with to get your back instantly.
Your primary tool for poke and wave control. It deals damage in a small AOE on impact. When empowered by , it creates a zone that explodes a second time. Use the initial slow to help guarantee the second explosion hit.
A tether that roots after a delay. It provides true sight of the target. Use + when you are low on health, as it heals you for a percentage of your missing HP immediately and again if the root connects.
A shield that grants movement speed. This is your primary defensive tool. When using + , the main target gets a massive shield, and all nearby allies receive a smaller shield and the same movement speed buff.
Unlike other ultimates, is available at level 1. It doesn't do anything on its own but significantly enhances your next basic ability. Your choice of which ability to empower determines your success in a fight.
Teamfight Role
High-Mobility Utility Enabler
In teamfights, stay near your carries. Use on cooldown to reset . Your primary goal is to use + to give your entire team a movement speed burst to either engage or disengage from enemy threats.
If an assassin dives your backline, use + on them instead. The extended root duration and your self-healing will allow you to tank the dive and lock them down for your team to collapse.
Combos
Level 1 Trade
→ → Auto Attack
The strongest level 1 poke in the game. Use this the moment the enemy ADC walks up for a minion. The auto attack procs extra damage from items like Zaz'Zak's or Spellthief's.
The Safe Root
(self) → →
Use the movement speed from to get into range. While they are tethered, land to slow them, making it nearly impossible for them to walk out of the root range.
Survival Bait
→ → (self)
Use this when you are below 30% HP. The missing health heal from + is massive. Shield yourself with to survive until the root and second heal proc.
Full Lockdown
→ Wait for Root → →
Standard mid-game pick combo. By waiting for the root to land before using + , you guarantee the target takes both instances of the cataclysm damage.
Power Spikes
| Spike | Why |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | You have access to + while everyone else only has one basic ability. Use this to chunk the enemy bot lane immediately. |
| Level 3 | With all three basic abilities unlocked, you can safely trade by using to negate damage and to peel or set up kills. |
| Level 6 | While you don't get a traditional ultimate, the base damage of your empowered abilities increases significantly here compared to other champions' scaling. |
| Level 11 | At this point, your and ability haste usually allow you to cycle two casts in a single extended fight. |
Tips & Tricks
- • gives true sight; use it on Akali shroud or Shaco to keep them targetable by your team.
- •The explosion from is larger than the missile width. Aim at minions near the enemy to hit them with the splash damage.
- •Don't waste + on targets that can easily dash away. The second explosion takes a long time to trigger.
- • procs on every 'tick' of damage. This means reduces cooldown once on cast and again when the root lands.
- •Late game, + is almost always better than + . The team-wide shield value is massive in 5v5s.
- •Use for the movement speed even when your ally isn't taking damage; helping a slow jungler get in range for a CC skillshot is often more valuable.
Common Mistakes
- ✕Using + exclusively in the late game.→Your team loses the massive protection of + , often leading to your carries getting burst down.
- ✕Casting + while you are at full health.→The missing health heal is completely wasted, losing you a significant portion of your effective HP pool.
- ✕Playing too passive in lane.→You fail to proc , meaning your stays on a long cooldown and you lose lane pressure.
- ✕Forgetting that gives movement speed.→Allies may fail to dodge avoidable skillshots or miss out on securing kills because they couldn't close the gap.
- ✕Tethering with without having available.→You are forced to stand near the enemy for 2 seconds and will likely be out-traded or killed before the root procs.
AI-generated guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached