Hello, my name is Kyle, IGN: AKissOfLife. You will find that in this Katarina build you can do a lot of burst damage without taking too much damage. This build also allows you to do a little bit of kiting if you are good enough with Katarina's Q ability. The slow from the Rylai's Crystal Scepter and the burst damage from the Hextech Gunblade plus the Rabadon's Deathcap allow you to have easy escape routines and do a lot of damage int he process.

For my runes, I choose Magic Penetration Marks because we all know that you need Magic Pen on most AP Carries. My build doesn't have any items that include Magic Pen so the runes give you that extra damage when you go ganking. The 1.08 health per level Seals are most likely the most important thing to have along with this build. They allow you to do easy harassing early game and also come in handy late game. Like before, they make it a lot easier to gank early/mid game. The Cooldown Glyphs make escaping and kiting way easier for you. If you do not get these CD Runes, you might find yourself having a hard time with you CD's. Katarina's original Cooldowns are not much but if you add the extra from the runes, late game scenarios will become a breeze for you and your allies. The flat 26 Health Quintessences also help you a lot in the early stages of the game. They don't help so much at the end of the game, if you want ability power seals instead of health per level, the flat 26 heath quints. should allow you to change that up a bit to your liking.

The all standard 9/0/21 build does very well on Katarina. Some people believe that give her the extra AD with 21/0/9 work also but I have tried this many times and failed at every single attempt. I do not recommend using Katarina as an AD Carry due to her CD on Bouncing Blade. She tends to take more damage and do way less. The 9/0/21 build, grabbing Greed and Utility Mastery, will help you during early game scenarios more than trying to max your Q with that Cooldown and damage output. Another possibility with Katarina and Masteries is grabbing Cripple instead of Deadliness in the Offence tree. This will give you the choice to be effective with both Exhaust or Ignite. Make sure to always grab Ghost thought due to the 9/0/21 setup I have for you.

Always make sure and get the Doran's Shield first on her. The extra defense plus Mastery bonuses will help you a lot more early game rather than grabbing a Amplifying Tomb or Boots of Speed + HP Pot. You can also harass a lot more when you get your W skill with the Doran's Shield. I always make sure and get a Giant's Belt as my first big item over a Blasting Wand because I get enough Magic Penetration to do a lot with Death Lotus. I find that they do not do a lot of damage with the amount of HP coming from the Giant's Belt, and defense coming from the Doran's Shield. Rylai's Crystal Scepter should ALWAYS be your first item. Not only does this give you a significant HP increase, it also allows your laneing partner to help you more when initiating 2v2 fights. The Rylai's Crystal Scepter is also a very important item for Katarina because it doesn't allow enemies to get out of her Death Lotus so quickly. Rabadon's Deathcap is a very effective item to have on a burst character such as Katarina. This gives you just about all the AP you need to become a carry, including the HP + Slow from the Rylai's Crystal Scepter. It is rare that I get the the items after Banshee's Veil. This item gives me enough HP to run into a team fight, use Death Lotus, and still have enough hp to get away. Also, when Shunpoing in, it takes the initial crowd control spells, or damage from the summoners that notice what it is I am doing. Hextech Gunblade is also another important item due the the AD it put onto your Bouncing Blade. This gives you the kiting ability I was talking about, making it hard for the team to take down your Killing Spree. I don't go with a Majai's Soulstealer because it is not necessary unless you are playing a High Ranked Elo game.

You do not have to go by my skill sequence, I often find people getting Bouncing Blade first for the better harassing that Katarina does so well. You also don't HAVE to have Shunpo first due to the fact that you aren't getting any AP until the Blasting Wand or Amplifying Tomb from the Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Killer Instincts is a very effective skill against both Healers and burst damage AD or AP Champions. If you activate Killer Instincts before Shunpoing in for a Death Lotus, you get a lot more damage output than usual. You also take a lot less damage due to the 30 defense bonus given through Killer Instincts. Try it, you will be blown away at the outcome. I thought it was a waste of time to activate before going in when I first started playing Katarina, but, more experience, I use it and usually get more then 1 kill each Death Lotus. (:

Ghost is a MUST! Ghost makes escaping team fights after each Death Lotus 100% easier. If you Ignite while using Death Lotus you will find that killing the enemy champion is 10x easier. Ignite gives you the little bit of extra damage needed for their health regeneration or heals. This is very effective on Teric's(Best new ultimate!) or Soraka's(she is OP now!!!!(:). Ghost will also help a lot when trying to get back into lane to continue out laneing your enemy. The added Mastery bonus will have a great affect on your Ghost Summoner Spell.

So, for the most part, you should now be a pro Katarina, my build should help you get there... Haha. The items I have chosen and the skilled player you have become should be devastating towards the other team. Just remember that Giant's Belt and your set! You will notice that when you get that item is when you start becoming legendary. My Mastery Tree should pan out perfectly for you summoners that take the time to look at my build. You will find that between the Jungle Buff duration effect and the Ghost summoner spell add-on's, you will be able to have a more effective lane. Katarina also does not need a strong support or a perfectly good laneing partner. If you are good enough you can do 2v1 easily and have the outcome in your favor, feeding yourself to victory. I hope you enjoy my build. please comment below and vote on the right. Thank you summoners! Have fun in the new Dominion Mode and please let me know what you think!