Karma in League Classic: Legacy Kit and Changes

Karma in League Classic brings back Heavenly Wave, Spirit Bond, Soul Shield and a two-charge Mantra. Here is the legacy kit, how it compares to today’s Karma, and the Patch 26.21 buff.

By the MID.GG editorial team

Patch 26.21 28 October 2026 6 min read

Karma in League Classic at a glance

Karma in League Classic is the original version of the champion: an enchanter-mage with a cone-shaped Q, a tether that hastes allies and slows enemies, and a shield that bursts into damage when empowered. The first thing a live-game player notices is Mantra, which holds up to two charges from level 1 and empowers her next basic ability instead of being fed by a passive that cuts its cooldown. Classic Karma arrived in Patch 26.20 and took her first balance change, a buff, in Patch 26.21.

If you are browsing the mode’s roster, the full list sits on the League Classic champions page. For the current version of the champion, see our Karma guide.

The Classic Karma kit, ability by ability

The legacy kit is built around choosing which basic ability to empower, and when. Every ability has a plain version and a Mantra version, and holding two charges lets you double up in a single fight.

Passive, Inner Flame: Karma’s ability power grows as her health drops, so she hits harder the closer she is to dying.
Q, Heavenly Wave: a short cone of blades that damages every enemy inside it. With Mantra, the same cone also heals every ally it touches, Karma included, and the heal grows with how much health each ally is missing.
W, Spirit Bond: Karma links herself to a target. Allies get move speed, enemies get slowed, and the line between the two acts like a clothesline: any champion who crosses it is hasted or slowed as if they were the original target, and enemies who cross it also take damage. With Mantra, every move speed effect is doubled.
E, Soul Shield: a shield on Karma or an ally. With Mantra, it also damages enemies standing around the shielded target.
R, Mantra: available at level 1 and stores up to two charges. Casting it empowers the next basic ability Karma uses.

Passive - Inner Flame: Karma gains bonus AP based on her missing health.
Q - Heavenly Wave: Karma fires out blades in a fan, err, cone in front of her, damaging all enemies it hits. If empowered with Mantra, it also heals all allies (herself included), scaling with their missing health.
W - Spirit Bond: Karma bonds with another target, giving allies (herself included) move speed, slowing enemies, and creating a tether between the two. Any champion caught in the clothesline is hasted or slowed as if they were the initial target. Enemies who get caught in the clothesline are damaged. If empowered with Mantra, all move speed effects are doubled.
E - Soul Shield: Karma shields a target. If empowered with Mantra, it also damages all enemies around her target.
R - Mantra: Mantra is available at level 1 and can hold up to two charges. She can cast it to empower her next basic ability.

MID.GG analysis

This entry sets up a Karma built around choosing which basic ability to empower, with two Mantra charges available from level 1. The kit leans on group utility, a healing cone, an ally-or-enemy tether and an exploding shield, rather than the root and long-range poke of live Karma. Inner Flame also rewards staying in fights at low health, which changes how aggressively she can trade.

How it differs from today’s Karma

Classic Karma and live Karma share a name and a Mantra button, but four of the five abilities work differently. Only the shield keeps the same basic job, and even its empowered effect changes.

Passive: Inner Flame vs. Gathering Fire

These are unrelated. Classic Inner Flame turns missing health into ability power, so Classic Karma wants to keep fighting while low. Live Gathering Fire lowers Mantra’s cooldown whenever her damaging abilities land. The name Inner Flame survives in the live kit, but as her Q.

Q: Heavenly Wave vs. Inner Flame

Classic Q is a cone that hits everything in front of Karma; live Q is a projectile that explodes on the first enemy it reaches. The empowered versions pull in opposite directions: Classic Mantra Q adds a group heal for allies, while live Mantra Q adds a delayed second blast of damage. In Classic, an empowered Q is as much a sustain tool as a poke tool.

W: Spirit Bond vs. Focused Resolve

This is the biggest gap. Classic Spirit Bond can go on an ally or an enemy and works through move speed, slows and a tether other champions can cross. Live Focused Resolve only targets enemies, reveals them and roots them if the tether holds; its Mantra version heals Karma and lengthens the root. Classic W has no root at all, so your lockdown comes from slows and positioning the line across the enemy’s path.

E: Soul Shield vs. Inspire

Both put a shield on a target. Live Inspire also gives the shielded ally move speed, and its Mantra version strengthens the shield and spreads it to nearby allies. Classic Soul Shield’s empowered version turns the shield into an area of damage around the target instead, so it doubles as an engage tool when cast on a diving ally.

R: Mantra in both kits

Mantra is the same idea in both: unlocked at level 1, it empowers Karma’s next ability. The Classic version stores up to two charges and empowers her next basic ability. The live description instead stresses that it needs no skill point and makes no mention of a second charge.

Key takeawayWhat to relearn from the live game

Classic Karma rewards different habits than the version you know.

Spirit Bond can go on allies, so a hasted teammate running through enemies spreads slows with the tether.
There is no root on W, so you rely on slows and the clothesline to catch targets.
Two Mantra charges let you chain empowered abilities, such as a healing Q followed by an exploding shield.

Classic patch history

Classic Karma has been tuned once since she arrived: a Patch 26.21 buff aimed at her support play and at Spirit Bond. Heavenly Wave gained damage and its Mantra heal gained base healing at every rank, with rank 1 damage rising to 85. Spirit Bond’s damage was reshaped to favor early ranks, ending slightly lower at its last rank, while its move speed now starts at 15% instead of 10% and still tops out at 20%. The net effect is a stronger early game for a Karma who skills W early, and more value from bonding an ally. The full numbers are on the card below, and every live patch is on our patch notes hub.

Patch 26.21

Riot’s reasoning
These buffs answer a weak Classic Karma, leaning toward her low-income support role so she works in both mid and support, with an extra-large boost to Spirit Bond because it is hard to use on allies.

QHeavenly Wave

Damage: 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 / 270changed to 85 / 125 / 165 / 205 / 245 / 285
Base Mantra Heal: 35 / 55 / 75 / 95 / 115 / 135changed to 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 / 150

WSpirit Bond

Base Damage: 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 / 305changed to 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 / 260 / 300
Move Speed: 10 / 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20%changed to 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20%

MID.GG analysis

Higher base values on Q damage and the Mantra heal help most when Karma has few items, which is the support’s situation. Spirit Bond now hits harder at low ranks and gives allies more speed from rank 1, so bonding a teammate early pays off sooner, even though its last-rank damage dips slightly. The change pushes Classic Karma toward an early, ally-focused playstyle.

Frequently asked questions

What is different about Karma in League Classic?

Classic Karma uses her legacy kit: Inner Flame gives ability power as her health drops, Heavenly Wave is a cone that can heal allies, Spirit Bond tethers allies or enemies for haste and slows, Soul Shield explodes when empowered, and Mantra holds two charges from level 1. Live Karma’s root, poke projectile and Gathering Fire passive are absent.

Is Karma’s old Spirit Bond back in League Classic?

Yes. Classic Karma’s W is Spirit Bond, which links her to an ally or an enemy. Allies gain move speed, enemies are slowed, and anyone crossing the tether gets the same effect, with enemies also taking damage. Mantra doubles the move speed effects. It replaces live Karma’s Focused Resolve, so there is no root.

When did Karma arrive in League Classic?

Karma arrived in League Classic in Patch 26.20, when her legacy kit was added to the mode with Inner Flame, Heavenly Wave, Spirit Bond, Soul Shield and a two-charge Mantra. She received her first Classic balance change one patch later, a buff in Patch 26.21 that raised her Q damage and Mantra heal and reworked Spirit Bond’s numbers.

Has Classic Karma been buffed or nerfed?

Classic Karma has been buffed once, in Patch 26.21. Heavenly Wave gained damage and a bigger base Mantra heal at every rank. Spirit Bond’s damage was shifted toward early ranks and its move speed now starts at 15% rather than 10%, still reaching 20%. The buff targeted her support play and making Spirit Bond easier to use on allies.

Is there a Classic Karma build?

No build data exists for League Classic. The mode has no statistics of any kind, so there are no tracked items, runes, win rates or tiers for Classic Karma. What is known comes from patch notes: her legacy abilities and the Patch 26.21 buff. Builds and stats for the live version of Karma are tracked separately.