Katarina is the reset assassin. Kills reset ALL basic ability cooldowns, letting her chain E blinks through the entire team. She has the highest pentakill rate in the game.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Voracity
Passive
Whenever an enemy champion dies that Katarina has damaged recently, her remaining ability cooldowns are dramatically reduced.If Katarina picks up a Dagger, she uses it to slash through all nearby enemies, dealing magic damage.
Voracity: kills/assists reset Q, W, E cooldowns. Pick up daggers on the ground for massive AoE damage.
Q
Bouncing Blade
Bounce · Dagger Drop
Katarina throws a Dagger at the target that then bounces to nearby enemies before ricocheting onto the ground.
CD: 11/10/9/8/7 · Cost: 0
Q throws a dagger that bounces then drops behind the target. Pick it up for AoE.
W
Preparation
Spin · Dagger Drop
Katarina gains a burst of Move Speed, tossing a Dagger into the air directly above herself.
CD: 15/14/13/12/11 · Cost: 0
W spins and drops a dagger at your feet. Pick it up for AoE burst.
E
Shunpo
Blink · Reset
Katarina blinks to the target, striking it if its an enemy, or striking the nearest enemy otherwise.
CD: 12/11/10/9/8 · Cost: 0
E blinks to a target (champion, minion, dagger). Resets on kill/assist. Your chain-kill tool.
R
Death Lotus
Channel · AoE · Daggers
Katarina becomes a flurry of blades, dealing massive magic damage while she channels to the 3 nearest enemy champions.
CD: 75/60/45 · Cost: 0
R channels spinning daggers hitting all nearby enemies. Applies on-hit effects. Cancel to E to daggers.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q | ||||
| 2 | Take E — blink | ||||
| 3 | Take W | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Death Lotus | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level E | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level E | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level E | ||||
| 13 | Level E | ||||
| 14 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Hextech Rocketbelt
Dash + magic pen for gap-close.
2600g
Sorcerer's Shoes
Magic pen.
1100g
Nashor's Tooth
R applies on-hit. AS + AP synergy.
3000g
Rabadon's Deathcap
AP multiplier.
3600g
Situational
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis after diving.
3250g
Void Staff
Magic pen vs MR.
2800g
Lich Bane
Sheen proc on E blink.
3000g
Rocketbelt → Nashor's → Deathcap. R applies on-hit from Nashor's.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
Q + E + dagger pickup procs instantly.
Sudden Impact
Magic pen after E blink.
Eyeball Collection
Free AP.
Ultimate Hunter
Lower R cooldown.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on kill — essential for chain-killing.
Coup de Grace
Execute.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Katarina
01
Early Game
Q Poke, Learn Dagger Drops
- Q bounces → dagger drops behind target. E to dagger for burst.
- W → E to W dagger is your fast trade. Drop W, E to it when enemy walks over.
- Farm with Q bounce. Your melee autos are weak for CSing.
- Pre-6 all-in: Q (dagger behind) → E to enemy → W → E to Q dagger → auto.
- Roam at 6 for kills. Kat needs kills to snowball.
02
Mid Game
All-In at 6, Roam Kills
- R is a massive AoE channel. R in the middle of enemies for max damage.
- Kill → ALL abilities reset. E to next target → Q → dagger → E → kill → repeat.
- Roam constantly. Push wave → roam bot → get double kill → snowball.
- Gunblade/Rocketbelt → R + daggers one-shots squishies.
- E to ANY target: champions, minions, daggers, wards. Massive flexibility.
03
Late Game
Reset Pentakill Machine
- One kill in a teamfight = everything resets = chain through entire team.
- Wait for CC to be used before diving. One stun during R = death.
- E to a dagger behind the carry for surprise burst.
- R applies on-hit effects (Nashor's). Massive AoE DPS.
- Triumph healing on each kill keeps you alive through chains.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Katarina
Katarina waits for CC, then dives in and chains kills through the entire team with resets.
1
Wait — CC Must Be Used
Patience
01
DON'T dive first.
02
Wait for enemy CC abilities to be used.
03
Identify the squishiest target.
One stun during R = dead Katarina. NEVER dive when CC is available. Wait.
2
Dive — E to Dagger
Assassination
01
Q throws dagger behind target.
02
E blink to dagger → AoE burst.
03
W drop → R channel.
3
Chain — Reset Through Team
Pentakill
01
Kill resets ALL abilities.
02
E to next target → Q → dagger → E.
03
Triumph heals on each kill.
Daggers on the ground are your main damage, not R. Pick up EVERY dagger. Q dagger + W dagger = 60% of your burst.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Katarina.
Basic
Dagger Pickup
Daggers on the ground deal massive AoE when you walk over them. ALWAYS pick up daggers.
Intermediate
E Reset
E resets on kills and assists. One kill = E to next target immediately.
Basic
Don't Dive First
Wait for CC to be used. One stun during R = dead Katarina. Patience wins.
Advanced
Q Dagger Position
Q dagger drops BEHIND the first target hit. Position so the dagger lands on the enemy champion.
Intermediate
R On-Hit
R applies on-hit effects like Nashor's Tooth. Each dagger proc = Nashor's damage.
Basic
Roaming
Katarina needs kills. Push wave and roam. Get double kills bot lane.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Katarina struggles against point-and-click CC that interrupts R and tanky teams she can't reset through. She excels against squishy teams with no CC.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Point-and-click stun cancels R. Can't dodge it.
Bait her stun. All-in when it's down.
R suppression cancels your R.
Buy QSS. Or bait his R.
W taunt cancels your R. Too tanky to burst.
Roam instead of fighting Galio.
Wins Against
E blinks through his cage. He's free.
E through cage → dagger → dead.
E dodges her Q. No escape from your all-in.
E dodge Q → full combo → dead.
Squishy, immobile, free kill at 6.
E onto TF → R → dead.