Shaco vs Karthus JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Champion

Opponent

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Shaco

VS

Jungle

Karthus

Shaco vs Karthus

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Overview

Shaco's high early pressure and mobility let him disrupt Karthus's slow, full-clear jungle tempo through early invades and unexpected ganks.
Prioritize controlling river entrances with boxes to deny Karthus safe Scuttle access and force him into risky pathing.

Jungle Plan

Use deceptive early paths and invisibility to invade and steal camps before Karthus can complete his first full clear.
Contest first Scuttle only when your nearby lanes have priority to secure river control and deny Karthus vision.
Prioritize early dragon and Rift Herald setups by controlling objective entrances with boxes and forcing Karthus off key camps.

Danger windows

Karthus is most dangerous after level 6 when his ultimate can finish low-health enemies globally; avoid risky fights when (R) is available.
Isolated river fights early can backfire if lanes lack priority; respect enemy laners' ability to collapse on you.
Low-health clears are vulnerable moments; avoid fighting Karthus when your health or resources are low to prevent losing smite fights.

Early game

Start with a box setup for a fast, healthy clear and position traps near river entrances before the first Scuttle spawn.
Invade Karthus aggressively at level 2 or 3 when his camps are low-health to punish his vulnerable early clear.
Avoid extended river fights if nearby lanes lack priority to prevent risky counter-ganks from Karthus's team.

Power spikes

Level 3 unlocks strong gank and invade potential; use this to force Karthus off camps and snowball lanes.
Karthus's level 6 grants global damage with (R); avoid extended low-health fights across the map to reduce his impact.
Karthus's first AP item spike accelerates his clear speed and objective damage; invade and contest camps before he reaches this threshold.

Win conditions

Convert early jungle pressure into dragon and Rift Herald control by denying Karthus camps and vision around objectives.
Use invisibility and box setups to create unpredictable ganks and counter-jungle opportunities, snowballing lanes before Karthus scales.
Maintain river control and force Karthus into inefficient pathing to delay his scaling and reduce his global damage threat.