Warwick vs Karthus JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Champion

Opponent

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Warwick

VS

Jungle

Karthus

Warwick vs Karthus

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Overview

Warwick's early dueling and sustain let him punish Karthus's vulnerable early clears and contest river control aggressively.
Prioritize disrupting Karthus's full clears to deny his fast tempo and scaling power.
This matchup is snowball-oriented; leverage early kills and objective control to limit Karthus's late-game impact.

Jungle Plan

Invade Karthus early to disrupt his full clear and force him off camps before level 6.
Use (W) to track low-health targets and collapse with lanes that have priority for kills or forced summoners.
Prioritize early dragon and Rift Herald control by using superior dueling and sustain to win river skirmishes and secure vision.

Danger windows

Avoid isolated river fights before level 6 when Karthus can kite and poke with (Q) and (W) slows.
Be cautious contesting objectives if Karthus has vision and is ready to use (R) on low-health enemies.
Low-health clears without (E) up increase vulnerability to Karthus's poke and counter-invades.

Early game

Start on the side with strong early lanes to enable level 3 invades or counter-invades against Karthus's slow early pressure.
Contest first Scuttle when nearby lanes have priority to deny Karthus river vision and objective setup.
Avoid extended fights if Karthus is at full health and has vision, as his clear speed and poke can punish overcommitments.

Power spikes

Level 3 unlocks full kit; use (E) to absorb burst and (Q) for healing to win extended duels against Karthus's weak early fighting.
Level 6 (R) allows suppression picks on overextended or low-health targets, forcing Karthus to play cautiously.
First dueling or tank item spike increases survivability in fights and objective control, enabling safer invades and counterjungling.

Win conditions

Convert early kills and river control into dragon and Rift Herald objectives using Warwick's sustain and dueling power.
Use suppression (R) to pick off isolated or low-health targets, enabling snowball and map pressure.
Deny Karthus free farm by invading and contesting camps early to delay his scaling and global damage impact.