Karma vs Sona Counter Pick

Sona’s base durability is among the lowest in the game, 550 health growing to 2,097 at level 18 with 325 movement speed, and she still beats Karma. The record reads 45.2% for Karma over 1,369 games on patch 16.13.1, and Hard is the verdict.

The explanation is cumulative value rather than a single interaction. Power Chord grants permanent ability haste as Sona uses her basic abilities well, so the rotation of Hymn of Valor, Aria of Perseverance and Song of Celerity returns faster the longer a game runs. Karma’s equivalent scaling engine, Gathering Fire, only shortens the Mantra cooldown when her damaging abilities connect, and Sona’s 550 attack range against 525 makes connecting slightly harder than it looks. Shared magic damage and a shared mana pool leave itemization with no lever to pull for either side. Karma is the tougher champion on every defensive line, opening at 630 health and 28 armor against 550 and 26, finishing at 2,483 and 113 against 2,097 and 97.4, and moving ten points faster at 335. That durability edge is the lever: forcing repeated short trades before Crescendo is available, and using Focused Resolve to root through the healing, is the version Karma can win. Sona is rated 4 for difficulty against Karma’s 5, so the losing side of this record is not being outplayed mechanically so much as out-scaled. The aura effects are listed on the Sona champion page.