League of Legends - Karma Champion Strategy and Item Build Guide

Karma

Basic Information

Champion Stats

Lore

Skills

Icon	Description
	Gathering Fire Reduces Mantra’s cooldown each time Karma damages an enemy champion with one of her abilities (Half-effect for Karma’s basic attacks)
	Inner Flame  (Target Range: 950, Effect Radius: 150/250, Cost: 50/44/60/65/70 Mana, Cooldown: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5)ACTIVE: Karma sends forth a ball of spirit energy that explodes and deals damage upon hitting an enemy unit.Mantra Bonus: In addition to the explosion, Mantra increases the destructive power of her Inner Flame, creating a cataclysm which deals damage after a short delay. Fires a blast of energy that explodes upon enemy contact, dealing 80/125/170/215/260 (+60% Ability Power) magic damage and slowing Movement Speed by 25% for 1.5 seconds. Mantra Bonus – Soulflare: Deals 25/75/125/175 (+30% Ability Power) additional magic damage and leaves a circle of flame that slows enemies by 50%. After 1.5 seconds the circle erupts, dealing 50/150/250/350 (+60% Ability Power) magic damage to enemies in the area.
	Focused Resolve (Target Range: 675, Tether Radius: 1000, Cost: 50/55/60/65/70 Mana, Cooldown: 12)ACTIVE: Karma creates a tether between herself and a targeted enemy, dealing damage over time and revealing them. If the tether is not broken, the enemy will be rooted.Mantra Bonus: Karma strengthens the link, healing herself and extending the root duration. Links Karma to an enemy champion or monster, revealing them, and dealing 60/110/160/210/260 (+90% Ability Power) magic damage over 2 seconds, rooting them in place for 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 second(s) if the link is not broken. Mantra Bonus – Renewal: Karma is healed for 20%(+1% per 100 AP) of her missing health. If the link is not broken or the target dies, the root duration is increased by 0 second(s) and Karma is healed for 20%(+1% per 100 AP) of her missing health.
	Inspire (Target Range: 800, Effect Radius: 600, Cost: 60/66/70/75/80 Mana, Cooldown: 10/9.5/9/8.5/8)ACTIVE: Karma summons a protective shield that absorbs incoming damage and increases the Movement Speed of the protected ally.Mantra Bonus: Energy radiates out from her target, strengthening the initial shield and applying Inspire to nearby allied champions. Target ally gains a shield, granting 40/45/50/55/60% Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds and absorbing 70/100/130/160/190 (+50% Ability Power) damage for 4 seconds. Mantra Bonus – Defiance: The shield overflows with energy, absorbing an additional 60/140/220/300 (+60% Ability Power) damage. Nearby allied champions gain shields that absorb [0]% as much as the initial target’s shield. All champions shielded gain [0]% movement speed for 1.5 seconds.
	Mantra (Cooldown: 45/42/39/36)ACTIVE: The character empowers her next ability to do an additional effect. Mantra is available at level 1 and does not require a skill point. Karma empowers her next ability within 8 seconds for an additional effect.Soulflare: Deals bonus damage and leaves behind a circle of flame, slowing enemies and dealing additional damage. Renewal: Karma heals for a portion of her missing health. If the link is unbroken the root is longer and Karma is healed again. Defiance: The shield is stronger and allied champions around the target also gain a shield and movement speed.

Strategy

• Karma is proficient in quick skirmishes, especially during the laning phase. She can use (Q) Inner Flare to harass the enemy laners, as well as assist her lane partner by hitting the enemy minion waves for easy last hitting. Likewise, she can root an enemy by ensuring (W) Focused Resolve‘s tether duration is fully completed against enemy champions. During (W) Focused Resolve‘s tether, Karma can still use her (Q) Inner Flare to add more damage to the tethered enemy champion, or use (E) Inspire to shield either herself or her lane partner from damage.
• Her spells can be enhanced by her (R) Mantra, but only can only do so for one spell at a time. This is important to note because her skills can be used offensively or defensively.
• Her (R) + (Q) Soul Flare is a good initiating and defensive skill, as it provides decent damage and an area-of-effect slow. Likewise, her (R) + (E) Defiance is useful as an engage or disengage tool for her team, as her enhanced shield covers a small area around the allied champion she casted it to (or to herself).
• Whenever you cast (R) Mantra to power up your skills, remember that your auto attacks and subsequent spells can help lower the cool down of (R) Mantra.

Runes & Masteries

COMING SOON

Summoner Spells

Support (Defensive)
Flash	Exhaust

This set up is the standard Summoner Spells for Support Champions. Exhaust provides a debuff that weakens the enemy carries’ effectiveness during the laning phase and clashes.

Support (Offensive)
Flash	Ignite

For more offensive-minded Supports, they can opt to use Ignite as their second Summoner Spell. This adds another damage-dealing spell to your arsenal that is good for further harassment or even kills in your lane.

Item Builds

Support

Starter Items
Spellthief’s Edge	Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation x3	Warding Totem

Core Items

Core Items
Eye of the Watchers	Ionian Boots of Lucidity	Redemption

Eye of the Watchers – This item provides decent health bonus, mana regeneration, cooldown reduction and ability power alongside the free wards. Most players get this item for these bonuses as well as it frees up one item slot for situational items.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Karma relies on having her skills at the ready to either dish out damage or help teammates during skirmishes and clashes. Having Ionian Boots of Lucidity allows her more chances to cast her shield and damaging spells to turn the tide to her team’s favor.

Redemption – Adding an area-of-effect heal to her kit such as Redemption greatly affects Karma’s potency when it comes to supporting her team. The item itself also increases her health, mana regeneration and cooldown reduction – things that Karma needs to make her an invaluable Support.

Full Build

Full Build
Eye of the Watchers	Ionian Boots of Lucidity	Redemption
Locket of the Iron Solari	Ardent Censer	Athene’s Holy Grail

Locket of the Iron Solari – Another item that provides shielding for her team, Locket of the Iron Solari offers good armor and magic resistance to Karma. This item enables her to tank a bit of damage while doing her Support duties.

Ardent Censer – This item synergizes with her (E) Inspire and (R) + (E) Defiance skills pretty well, as Ardent Censer enhances shielding and healing power by +10%. This item also gives shielded and healed champions +20% – 35% (based on level) attack speed and 20 – 35 (based on level) bonus on-hit magic damage healing them for the same amount. This, along with bonus Ability Power, movement speed, mana regeneration and cooldown reduction ensures Karma’s skills have greater potency.

Athene’s Holy Grail – This item further bolsters the effectiveness of your single-target and area-of-effect shields as it passive heals an ally champion you’ve shielded based on its Blood Charges. The Blood Charges can be gained as long as you can deal damage to opposing champions. Add to that, Athene’s Holy Grail‘s build items suits Karma’s needs – it gives 100% base mana regeneration, magic resistance, cooldown reduction, and Ability Power.

Situational Items

Situational Items
Frost Queen’s Claim	Mikael’s Crucible	Rabadon’s Deathcap
Mercury’s Treads	Void Staff

Frost Queen’s Claim – This item provides Ability Power, mana regeneration, and cooldown reduction, things Karma needs to become even more effective. works as another soft Crowd Control spell for Karma, as Frost Queen’s Claim‘s active spell sends two homing ghosts who tracks the closest enemy champions up to a certain range. Enemy champions that are touched by the ghosts are slowed for a short duration and gives your team vision of the slowed champions. Karma players can use this to scout an area in the jungle and see if their team can set up a gank, or conversely, if they should back away because the enemy team is preparing to initiate and engage.

Mikael’s Crucible – This item is often bought as a counter to more spell-based and Crowd-Control-heavy team lineups. Mikael’s Crucible‘s active spell removes an allied champion of any debuff and status conditions (i.e. Stun, Fears, Roots, Taunts, etc.), as well as 2 seconds of Slow immunity. Casting its active spell to allies also heals them for a short amount, which can be crucial at some points during the game.

Rabadon’s Deathcap – Karma’s skills all scale with Ability Power, which is why some players tend to build Rabadon’s Deathcap on Karma, even if they’re playing Support. In certain situations, this could be a good choice, especially if you plan on dealing more damage with your (Q) Inner Flame, (R) + (Q) Soul Flare, (W) Focused Resolve, or (R) + (W) Renewal.

Mercury’s Treads – If your enemy team predominantly has more magic damage or crowd control spells, it would be a better choice to purchase Mercury Treads for your boots. This item gives you magic resistance and grants you Tenacity which reduces the duration of crowd control effects to you by 30%.

Playing Against

• Always be on your toes when Karma uses an empowered skill. Usually, Karma has visual and auditory queues whenever she uses her (R) Mantra – when she casts it, she becomes enveloped with a light aura. When she does this, it is better to keep your distance.
• Karma is excels when it comes to harassing enemy laners. It is best to avoid getting hit with her (Q) Inner Flame, and especially her (R) + (Q) Soul Flare, as it can whittle down your health significantly during the laning phase. You can stand behind your minion wave to help mitigate the damage of (Q) Inner Flame and (R) + (Q) Soul Flare.
• If Karma catches you with her (W) Focus Resolve or (R) + (W) Renewal, do your best to run away from her tether range. If you move away from her far enough, you won’t get rooted.
• Karma’s (R) Mantra has a long cooldown. Anticipate what skill she might use whenever she casts (R) Mantra so that you can punish her should her skills do not hit their intended target.
• Karma tends to be squishy, especially when her (E) Inspire is on cooldown. Take note when she uses her (E) Inspire, as she is more prone to receiving damage after her shield dissipates.

Hard Counter

Nami – Her Aqua Prison can be used to quell Karma’s advances, allowing her lane partner to get out of (W) Focused Resolve and (R) + (W) Renewal’s tether. Her Ebb and Flow also heals either herself or her lane partner from damage taken, while also dealing damage to enemy champions too close to the healed champion during the laning phase.

Sona – Similar to Nami, Sona can heal damage that Karma and her lane partner dishes out with her Aria of Perseverance. She can also harass Karma and her lane partner from a relatively safe distance with her Hymn of Valor, which also boosts her lane partner’s Attack Damage for short duration.

Malzahar – Support Malzahar can be a pain to deal with when you are Karma. His passive, Void Shift renders him immune to crowd control and taking 90% reduced damage, lingering for 0.25 seconds after taking damage or blocking a crowd control effect. He also has Call of the Void, a skill that deals magic damage and silences champions it hits. Good Malzahar players can also use Void Swarm to block Karma’s (Q) Inner Flame and (R) + (Q) Soul Flare to lessen her harass during the laning phase.

Strategy video

COMING SOON

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