Rengar vs Karthus JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Rengar

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Jungle

Karthus

Rengar vs Karthus

Updated Jun 5, 2026

Overview

Use Rengar's strong early dueling and invade resistance to disrupt Karthus's vulnerable early clear and deny his fast full clears.
Control river brush aggressively to secure Scuttle and create pick opportunities with (R) before Karthus scales into his global impact.

Jungle Plan

Invade Karthus's jungle early to deny camps and disrupt his full clear tempo before level 6.
Use (R) stealth to create picks around dragon or Rift Herald setups, forcing numbers advantages and objective control.
Prioritize river brush control and invade when lanes have priority to limit Karthus's scaling and objective access.

Danger windows

Avoid isolated river fights early where Karthus can kite with (Q) and (W) slows and punish you.
Be cautious contesting objectives after Karthus hits level 6 since his (R) can finish off low-health enemies.
Do not contest low-health clears or forced smite fights without vision and lane priority support to prevent losing tempo.

Early game

Start with a brush-heavy path to hit level 3 quickly and look for early invades when nearby lanes have priority to punish Karthus's vulnerable clear.
Contest first Scuttle only if your lanes can support quick exits and counter-gank potential to avoid risky isolated fights.
Avoid extended river fights without brush control to minimize exposure to Karthus's poke and global (R) damage.

Power spikes

Rengar's level 6 (R) spike grants high pick threat; use it to force Karthus to play cautiously and create skirmishes.
Respect Karthus's level 6 global (R) as it can finish low-health allies; avoid extended fights across the map when low on health.
Use your tempo advantage to invade and force fights before Karthus completes his first AP item, which boosts his clear speed and objective damage.

Win conditions

Convert early brush control and successful invades into dragon and Rift Herald advantages to snowball lanes.
Use (R) to pick off isolated targets and snowball lanes before Karthus reaches his item spikes.
Deny Karthus free farm by invading and resetting his jungle tempo, forcing him into unfavorable fights and reducing his scaling impact.