Karthus & Nautilus Synergy

Karthus Jungle and Nautilus Support win 50.2% of 1,429 Low Elo games together, +1.3 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.

Why this duo works

Nautilus' hard crowd control gives Karthus time to land Lay Waste(Q), while Karthus' Wall of Pain(W) slow helps Nautilus connect his engage. That two-way setup can make jungle catches easier to convert, matching the duo's low-elo edge.

Playing the duo

Nautilus' crowd control can hold a target for Karthus to land Lay Waste(Q), and Karthus' Wall of Pain(W) slow helps Nautilus connect his own crowd control.

How to play as Karthus

When Nautilus catches someone with his hook or ultimate, place Lay Waste(Q) on the immobilized target; use Wall of Pain(W) on an approach when its slow can help Nautilus land follow-up crowd control.

How to play as Nautilus

Look for Dredge Line(Q) when Karthus can follow with Lay Waste(Q), then layer your passive root or Depth Charge(R) while he deals damage; Karthus players specifically value Nautilus' hard lockdown for landing Q.

Sources

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