Katarina Build Guide by wRAthoFVuLK

Really needing Giant's belt at mid game cause if u haven't u'll probably be feeding instead of get feeded

Love this build and Guide.. i change some of it up.. but other then that.. this is very ideal.
1st game i went 17-3

Double Will of the Ancients? If you run a duo AP comp, and let's say your top laner is Swain, Mordekaiser, Kennen or whatever like that, you should mention that it is definitly better to get Will of the Ancients, because you both will get the aura and this makes you both basically immortal.

And nothing about Rylai's Crystal Scepter exists in this guide. Because you have 0 HP items in your build, it seems to be very viable to use your Shunpo passive and overlife at least 1 second.

Offtank jungle Yi and Sion (build only)
Mana God Singed (build only)

Very good and detailed guide! <3

Hey Wrath! I adore your guide so much, it helped me so much as I was learning to play Katarina! :D I hope you don't mind me making a few small suggestions to help improve your build. First off, Hextech Revolver isn't really necessary, you get the same regeneration from 1-2 HP Pots as you would about 10-20 minutes in lane spamming away. It just kinda slows down your massive hard hitting items. The Gunblade was awesome on Katarina if I recall correctly, but now her AD ratios were hit hard, and the slow is not as vital now that her ult channel time was reduced. I guess thats the same reason you got rid of they Rylais :P Rushing the Hat and getting a single defensive item for mid-late game (namely Abyssal Scepter and Zhonya's Hourglass) I find really helps Kat reach that insane carry potential that she has. Again love your guide :D

@Pigs,

some nerfs and buffs.

@gus,

yea, if you don't know how to position...you need other items, Rylai doesn't take priority, you don't utilize the slow really, if you feel you need the extra HP though feel free to get it.

@Nick,

You could, Gunblade is still better. You will still get the aura from the other person that has it, no need for you to get it too just because he has it when you could get gunblade...

As for Rylai's, I do mention it, see what I wrote above and also look at the Rylai section lol


@Queath,

You obviously haven't used revolver if you think 2 health pots (300 health) will heal you as much as 20 minutes with a revolver, LOL. Revolver is totally necessarily early...it's cheap, gives you terrific sustain, and gives you really good AP too...You still want a slow with your gunblade active, and just because her AD ratios were nerfed doesn't mean AD is bad on her; it still gives her more damage, and that isn't the main reason to get a gunblade...read the gunblade section ;o

Very nice guide but I have to disagree with your AP vs AD vs Hybrid - comment. I'm playing with a Trinity-Force-spec and I'm pleased that it works better than expected because IMO the early and mid-game is much more better with an AD orientated spec. So here's some food for thought by me - just suggestions! :)

I hope I didn't skip it but you forgot that Sinister Steel has a very low cooldown and is an instant-damage spell - Bouncing Blades has an 8 seconds CD (only maxed!) and has to be activated. That means that you're able to deal much more damage than you've implied with an AD-spec. I don't say if AD or AP Kata is better overall - probably AP-Kata is (because of better late-game damage). But you should be very glad if you reach late-game with AP-Kata because the endurance of her is low in early-game - which is good because her late-game is insane. There are much more champs countering an AP-Kata in early-game.

Another point I have to disagree is your point of the missing mobility/utility of an AD/Hybrid-Katarina. First of all you are very fast because of Sinister Steel which should be mentioned in this context. Aditionally you have the slow effect of the Gunblade which helps a lot to save your allies or yourself.

+1 :)

Really nice guide, helpful (because detailed). Good job, and thanks ;)

I made 27/3/8 on second/third game.

Uh Opeth, I get gunblade...and I mention that SS gives you MS..........It's not like SS doesn't give you MS with AP or something lol

Getting countered has nothing to do with how you build -- Kat gets countered by most range with CC early on -- your skillset is the same whether you get AP or AD.

You are a carry -- you want to spec for late game; your mid and early potential is still very strong. Half of what Tforce gives you is useless on Kat, it is one of the most expensive items, the proc is **** damage, and you need AP to really deal all of your damage, and it gives you like 20. Even straight AD items are more effective than that.

Please re read that section, you may have missed something. Your Sinister Steel will only deal SLIGHTLY more damage with AD, and then you COMPLETELY waste two of your spells which deal considerable damage; keep in mind your BB is your ranged harass and farming tool, your W puts you in harms way, especially early game.

Thanks to TRUeLM, Plastictree, Scrax, Xiaowiriamu, foggy12, JahGFX, jhoijhoi, msrobinson, JEFFY40HANDS, Nyoike, MissMaw, and me :) for the sigs!

Okay, this post is a bit long but I want to clarify that this is just a fun-discussion about this one point. I don't criticize your build! I'm just still unconvinced of your statement about AD-Katarina and want to share my impressions.


- You didn't mention in this context that you won't get the maximum MS of SS early when you max it second.

- That means I can counter champs in early-game which can't be countered by AP-Kata after using summoner-spells. (f.e. gankers or "hookers")

- If you lose a game before late-game begins you're whole intention to rule late-game was useless. The early- and mid-potential of AP-Kata isn't strong against specific setups. AD-Katarina with TF and maxed SS (which gives better farm-potential, sustain and escape-abilities) can handle better with a bad early-game (just MY experiences) because she can farm better than AP-Katarina in early/mid-game.
- TF is expensive and not straight AD but the Sheen effect synergises good with Katarina if the other items are high-AD - (no crit, aspeed, whatever items) and Kata has a spell which allows her to use Sheen on CD (+ passive).

Really - It bears repeating, if you max SS first you farm like a corn harvester - best farming spec I've ever seen. This is the biggest of a few advantages of this spec - just try it...for fun.

- Like I said, SS is a better farming tool than BB because you can farm fast from early on (I've never met a Kata who could farm better than me in a mirror match).

- W and E aren't wasted - we still have AP items and Magic-Pen (yup, I go for it). The whole TF-build is about farming like an idiot to get faster and safer all items you need to deal good damage. AP-Kata can't be that fast if she isn't fed.