Karthus

Karthus is an AP mage in the adc, and on patch 16.11 they grade out as a strong pick — a 55.0% win rate, 0.9% pick rate, 10,682 ranked games sampled. On the power curve, Karthus is a scaling champion: comparatively weak early, but one of the strongest picks on the map once core items come online — so the plan is to survive the laning phase and take the game over late.

How Karthus wins: winning the wave and turning push priority into map control, and grouped 5-v-5 teamfights, where Karthus tips the fight. The kit grades 10/10 waveclear, 9/10 teamfighting. Play around where Karthus is thin, disengage and engage (3/10, 2/10), and the enemy loses their angle.

The most-played core build is Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, which holds a 57.3% win rate across 1,184 games this patch. Item order and defensive swaps update against whichever enemy comp you select.

The matchup to respect is Brand, where Karthus sits at just 46.6%, the lane swings the other way into Malphite (62.5%), and on the team side, Karthus gains the most from a Vex (+13.5% pair win rate).