Jinx vs Karthus ADC Matchup

Jinx ADC wins 51.3% of 310 Low Elo games against Karthus ADC, +0.2 points vs expected, 2-patch window 26.19-26.20.

Researched on LoL patch 26.20. Tips are written to hold at any rank; stats come from Low Elo ranked games up to patch 26.20.

How to play as Jinx

Dodge Lay Waste(Q) before thinking about trading back; an isolated hit can chunk hard, and repeated hits can force an early recall.

If Karthus is out of mana and your support has committed, consider taking the trade instead of backing away automatically; an Emerald Jinx VOD review points out that Karthus had no mana and was vulnerable under tower. (Unverified: no source confirms this note.)

Lay Waste(Q) deals extra damage when it hits only one enemy, so whether Jinx is isolated from other units changes how much Karthus's poke hurts.

How to play as Karthus

Aim Lay Waste(Q) at Jinx when she is isolated to maximize its damage; Jinx players describe a single-target hit as the spell's dangerous lane pattern.

Sources

These notes come from r/summonerschool, checked against the champions' abilities.