Karma Scaling: Grade A
Yes. Karma scales well into the late game. Grade A, Great late, in The Scaling Codex. The grade belongs to one specific build, described below.
Reviewed for League of Legends Season 16 (2026).
Verdict. Downgraded from initial S once Serpent's Fang counterplay is considered. Team-wide shielding becomes less valuable when enemies build Serpent's Fang. Build note: AP build only
- Team utility
- Build-dependent
Why Karma gets an A
AP Karma does two things at once. The shielding keeps growing, and a Mantra shield spread across the team is extra health for everyone at the moment the enemy engage lands, which is usually when late fights are decided.
The damage side gets forgotten. With full AP, her empowered Q is real poke that makes the enemy start objective fights already behind, on a short cooldown, from range.
One item cuts her in half
That is the whole downgrade. When the enemy buys Serpent's Fang, the shields shrink before they finish appearing, and a large part of her contribution goes with them.
She has to read their items and lean on the damage half of the kit when the shield half is being answered.
Check for Serpent's Fang before relying on the shield. Against it you are a poke mage who sometimes shields.
Common questions about Karma scaling
Does Karma scale well into the late game?
Yes. Karma scales well into the late game. Grade A, Great late, in The Scaling Codex. The grade belongs to one specific build, described below.
What holds Karma back?
That is the whole downgrade. When the enemy buys Serpent's Fang, the shields shrink before they finish appearing, and a large part of her contribution goes with them.
Which Karma build gets this grade?
That is the whole downgrade. When the enemy buys Serpent's Fang, the shields shrink before they finish appearing, and a large part of her contribution goes with them.
What is the late-game rule for Karma?
Check for Serpent's Fang before relying on the shield. Against it you are a poke mage who sometimes shields.
How this grade was judged
The grade weighs range, target access, sustained and burst damage, crowd control, mobility, durability, healing and shielding, resets, cooldown structure, objective and formation control, split pressure, and how well the champion survives a long fight. Builds and forms that scale differently are graded separately. This is Vambient's gameplay evaluation of coordinated late-game fights, not a win-rate calculation. Full methodology.
Related champions
- Garen is also build-dependent
- Graves is also build-dependent
- Kai'Sa is also build-dependent
- Katarina is also build-dependent
- Other champions that share this: team utility
- Other champions that share this: build-dependent
- See the full Grade A tier
The grade measures one thing: how much a champion can influence a coordinated late-game objective fight once both teams reach full builds. It does not measure early strength, snowballing, or win rate. A weak late-game champion still wins by ending the game first, which is what the rest of the library teaches. How the grades are decided.