Karma is one of the very few champions that can be used in all 3 lanes of the Summoner's Rift. In the Top Lane, she is a perfect Tank because of the combination of her W (max HP heal) and Spirit Visage which was popularized about 3 months ago. Karma can be used in the Mid Lane as a Support-Oriented champion, and of course as her primary role, which is Support. Karma is a really fun champion for those who seek a high-mobility damage-absorbing Support that can roam around the map and create plays for her team. Without further ado let's jump right into Karma's abilities.

ABILITIES

Passive: 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).

Not a lot to say here, just that this passive really fits with the aggressive playstyle of Karma, both in lane and in teamfights.

Q: Inner Flame

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.

This is Karma's main source of damage. You will mostly poke with this spell during the laning phase, as its short cooldown allows her to constantly threaten to go aggressive.

W: Focused Resolve

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.

This is good for locking targets down, whether you chase somebody or try to run away from him. Its Mantra bonus also heals you for a huge amount of your missing HP, so make sure to Mantra W in crucial moments, and when you desperately need to stay alive. Also, this can be used as a bait for enemies, or in towerdive situations.

E: Inspire

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.

This spell is the one you will mostly use your Mantra on in teamfights. Its range is absolutely enormous and will probably be able to shield the entire team. Without Mantra the shield is not that big as other Supports (Janna or Lulu), but it gives a big chunk of movespeed to your target.

R: Mantra

Karma empowers her next ability to do an additional effect. Mantra is available at level 1 and does not require a skill point.

Mantra goes on Cooldown the moment you press it, and not when you apply it to one of your abilities. Which means that in teamfight situations, you should press it upfront, even if you will not consume it in the next 6 seconds. Not a lot else to tell here, we already analyzed its use on every other spell of Karma's.

ITEMS

STARTING

Nothing odd here. The Spellthief's Edge every aggressive-type Support needs in early game, as it provides Mana regen and some AP, along with the three biscuits in order to sustain in lane.

CORE

Most Karma players prefer Eye of the Watchers rather than Ruby Sightstone and Frost Queen's Claim, because the extra 25 AP and 200 HP you gain with the Frost Queen's Claim is not worth the extra gold you give and, in addition, Eye of the Watchers saves a slot on your inventory, because you have a Support item that already has Sightstone in it.

Next up is Redemption which, despite receiving some nerfs in the latest patch (7.2), is still a must-buy for every Support in the game, tanky or not.

Last, tend to prefer Boots of Swiftness over Boots of Mobility, because in teamfights you will probably never stay out of combat, which makes the aforementioned item's passive useless.

FINAL BUILD

The Ardent Censer is an item that makes full value with Karma's abilities, due to her Mantra E. Its passive grants everyone that you have shielded bonus Attack Speed (which is good for pushing turrets as a team as well, not only in fights) and bonus on-hit damage. Really effective in an AD-based composition. Also it is relatively cheap.

The Locket of the Iron Solari, despite being nerfed in the first patch of Season 7 and getting its Aura removed, its shield got buffed by a wide amount which can reach up to a shield worth of 665 damage in level 18. It also synergizes well with Karma's Mantra E. Also, it is a cheap item, considering for the shield it provides in later levels.

Zeke's Harbinger is an item that is mostly bought for its active, which grants the teammate you link it to +20% increased AP and +50% Critical Strike chance whenever you hit 100 charges (you gain charges while moving and casting spells near each other). It is really helpful when you have a carry in your team that you desperately need to protect and make him to do more damage.

OPTIONAL

The Athene's Holy Grail is a really effective item when you constantly deal damage to the enemy team, as its passive says that the damage you do stacks up to a flat amount based on your level, and your next shield will heal the target for this amount. The reason why it is on the optional list is because the later the game goes the less damage you will be able to do, thus its passive will have little to no use, in addition to the fact that it is more valuable to build other items early on.

Righteous Glory is a good one to buy in engaging or disengaging compositions that include champions like Maokai and Cassiopeia, who need some extra move speed in order to get to the backline, and/or some to escape as well.

Mikael's Crucible went from a must-buy on all Supports got into the "Optional list", just because of the heal removal from its active on patch 6.22. It is still a useful item because of its active that can cleanse a target, but it definitely could be into a better position.

MATCHUPS

Difficult lane against:

BRAND

The reason why Karma struggles to lane against a Brand Support is because a Brand can punish her really hard whenever she tries to poke the enemy Bot Lane. Brand's early damage output is insanely huge considering the fact that he is a Support, and the build path most Brand Supports follow makes him even stronger in the later stages of the game.

NAMI

Despite Nami may seem as a weak Support against Karma on paper, her W can pretty much counter Karma's Mantra Q (main source of damage). The philosophy behind this is the following: Karma approaches to throw a Mantra Q on the enemy carry, Nami throws her W and immediately heals her carry for pretty much the amount of damage he got dealt from the Q, also giving him some movespeed from her passive to escape the second part of it, and in addition it bounces onto Karma, damaging her. Again, Nami is probably the easiest way to counter Karma in lane.

TAHM KENCH

Tahm Kench is a really good counter pick to Karma because of his W (Devour) that can get his AD Carry out of tough situations. Like, whenever Karma tries to go aggressive on them he can just use his W on his AD Carry and gain some extra movespeed in order to get him back into a safe position, while not losing a lot of Mana.

Easy lane against:

Pretty much the rest of the Supports. However Karma depends on constantly hitting her Q in order to carry out the Laning Phase, so if you can dodge it most of the time you should be fine, whichever Support you play.

RUNES

Most Karma players use the standard AP Rune Page, as seen above. That is because these choices give her a really strong Laning Phase.

We have the Greater Marks of Magic Penetration, as it is the most efficient rune you can take as an AP Carry for this category.

Next up are the standard Greater Seals of Armor, to block some damage from the autoattacks of the enemy ADC.

The Greater Glyphs of Magic Resist, to have some kind of tankier Mid Game, where the AP Carries from both teams truly shine. Some players that play a more aggressive laning Phase revert these Glyphs from MR into AP, reaching up to 26 bonus AP in level 1.

And last, we have the Greater Quintessences of Ability Power, which give Karma a ton more damage early on.

MASTERIES

So for Masteries this is the only page you will need for Karma. Every mastery choice from the Cunning Tree is about Supporting in general, while the Resolve Tree gives you a bit more tankiness.

Select Wanderer for more mobility, Secret Stash for the biscuits, Meditation for a big Mana regen buff, Bandid for some extra income, Intelligence to make full value from your items' Cooldown Reduction and Windspeaker's Blessing for a bigger shield. Some would say Thunderlord's Decree is a good choice as well, but Karma's build does not include a lot of AP, so in the later stages of the game your Keystone will do nearly nothing.

As for the Resolve Tree, Recovery is the best first choice, as its HP regeneration is worth more than like 5 bonus Armor and MR (considering Karma reaches up to approximately 100 Armor and MR in full build). Next up is Explorer for some mobility in the river and the bush (which is something you need if you poke from bushes a lot), Runic Armor for a bigger shield on you along with better HP regeneration and Insight for faster Summoner Spells' Cooldown.

GAMEPLAY

1) DURING LANING PHASE

So Karma has a very good early game, mostly due to her having her Ultimate up from level 1. The best thing a Karma can do to Support her AD Carry early on, is to bully the enemies, zoning them away from CS. You can spend most of your time on the bush and, if it is unwarded you can flash yourself momentarily off the bush just to scare enemies and show your presence, or if it is warded, do some steps in front and scare them. Whichever scenario however, if you have a clear sight and you are sure your Mantra Q will hit, do it. It does a massive amount of damage early on, as well as the slow which makes it a little bit difficult to dodge the second part of it.

Karma's roaming should start after she buys Sightstone, as she can ward the enemy Jungle when passing through it. Try to get a kill in the Mid Lane if it is easy, or burn some Summoner's. If the enemy Mid Laner has a lot of escape tools (e.g Ahri) just reveal yourself from the bush for a second just to make her scared, thus forcing her to back off, or engage on her and try to burn her Ultimate.

Last.. and foremost, make sure you don't lose your lane. In case Karma stays behind from the Laning Phase, it will be very difficult to catch up to the game later as the most gold income of her comes from the Laning Phase. Speaking of gold income, don't hesitate to throw some AA's whenever possible, as they give you a chunk of gold even on level 1 from the Spellthief's Edge and its upgrades.

Order of the Lotus Karma

2) DURING TEAMFIGHTING PHASE

When the Laning Phase ends you basically do nothing different than a real Support. You sit back to protect your AD Carry from the blood-thirsty tanks and frontliners that are coming for him. Due to the tanks however, your damage output becomes almost nonexistent now, and your Ultimates will mostly be consumed by your E (Inspire) for a bigger shield amount.

That is why Karma should build Ardent Censer and Redemption early on, before the Teamfighting Phase. Ardent Censer gives the AD Carry more AS and damage on-hit, which can be even used to have better lifesteal, and Redemption in case the enemy tanks are able to lock your ADC down, making him unable to kite.

Other than that, you ward (if possible, with a Control Ward) the objectives, clear the wards with your Oracle Alteration, and in general try to give as much information to your team as possible.

CONCLUSION

All in all, Karma could be stated as the "Ultimate Support" in League of Legends. She has an AoE shield and movespeed buff, an enormous self-healing from her Mantra W and a low-cooldown spell to constantly bully enemies in lane. She can lock down any target, and make sure her AD Carry never dies due to her supportive build. Karma takes a while to be learnt however, so in case you want to practise Karma out don't expect big results from the first 10 games, as her overall usage can be way more effective than anyone thinks, both in lane and in teamfights. "Lath Rian Oune Vi"!

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