Doran's Shield

Doran's Shield is a great starter item on Katarina, since Shunpo can be used to creep as well, being able to take less damage (from creeps as well) to get in an out with more Health regeneration is quite useful. It also helps her survivability slightly for when she goes in to ult enemies.


Mejai's SoulStealer

Mejai's SoulStealer is the heart of this build, since Katarina's passive Voracity can allow you to quickly gain stacks and get away if needed. This can be replaced with Abyssal Scepter or Nashor's Tooth later in the game if you cannot manage to hold high stacks.


Boots of Speed

This is about the average time (if not sooner, but with Mejai's SoulStealer i would recommend boots here) when most people get their beginning boots. Being able to keep up (or away) from the opposition is very key for surviving or killing.


Hextech Revolver

Hextech Revolver seems to be a traditional item on Katarina, since the 40 ability power, and spell vamp help her lane and hurt her enemies much better. If necessary you can jump right into an early Hextech Gunblade, but since it gives you the only AD you'll have all game from an item, i've put it further down the list. If you're getting harassed too hard, you might want to get the Giant's Belt for Rylai'S Crystal Scepter before you continue this.


Sorcerer's Shoes

Depending on who you're fighting, and you and your team's current position and performance you might want to get this after Giant's Belt from Rylai's Crystal Scepter Sorcerer's Shoes are a pretty straightforward AP carry footwear, though Ionian boots of lucidity or even Boots of Swiftness can be better choices. Mercury Treads are also a viable option if the enemy team has quite a bit of CC/Stuns.


Rylai's Crystal Scepter

This item is horrifically cruel to your enemies, especially when you shunpo-ult one of their squishy carries. Even if they manage to stop your ult or survive it, they won't be getting too far away.


Banshee's Veil

If you're doing good then by now you're being focused, and they're probably pissed off too. If they don't have more than 1 Stun though then this item might screw them over really bad when you go in. Especially if they've already wasted their skills on an ally tank champion, the HP and MR are also nice bonuses. This item may have to be bought before Rylai's Crystal Scepter if you seem to be taking too much damage.


Rabadon's Deathcap

Rabadon's Deathcap can be gotten much earlier in this build, especially if you haven't needed to go back in a while and have the money for it. Getting this may take away from your earlier survivability, but it will greatly increase your damage output for the rest of the game, buy early at your own risk.


Hextech Gunblade

Now this item can also be gotten a bit early if more suitable, but i honestly don't see much of a point besides the active in getting this earlier. Hextech Revolver should be all you need until you get into Late game anyways, and with Rylai's Crystal Scepter already slowing them down heavily it seems better to just focus on the more important things and to get this later.

Zhonya's Hourglass

I can't stress enough how effective this item really is. if you're going to get focused and you know it this item can completely screw up an enemy team by itself. While they blew half of their stuff trying to kill you and failed, your team should have successfully done a ton of damage to them, this can also allow you to jump right in and ult afterwards if they switched off you to stun/hurt other allies in the meantime.


Will of the Ancients

This item is more for those heavy AP teams you sometimes get, with Hextech Revolver you also begin to have tons of spellvamp, and a bit of AP on the side.


Void Staff

Void Staff is another really nice item on Katarina, if you go for Mercury's Treads in order to get in and do more damage (enemy team dependant) by staying in longer, Void Staff is a nice replacement for destroying their Magic Resist. If you end up switching off to Abyssal Scepter though and they aren't stacking Magic Resist that much, this is a pretty useless to get.


Randuin's Omen

Randuin's Omen is a plausable Armor Replacement item if you're facing a high AD enemy team, but the price and such on it doesn't seem to really fit anywhere i can think of. The item's effect is also a great combination with Shunpo to force enemies from running away.