Ahri

Start: Boots of Speed, 4 Health Potions, Warding Totem.

To be honest, this is a skill matchup more than anything. Staying behind your minions is optimal to avoid her E (Charm), however it is not necessary because of your W's movement speed upon hitting champions and your E. Try and get her to use her E but not to hit you, and then immediately harass her when it is on cooldown. It is next to impossible to do the diving trick on Ahri, especially post-level 6 due to her Q (Orb of Deception) movement speed while the orb is traveling and her Ultimate (R - Spirit Rush)'s three dashes. But if you feel confident, go for it.

Akali

Start: Doran's Shield, 1 Health Potion, Warding Totem.

Personally, this matchup isn't much to speak of. But I know for a fact that for less experienced Katarina players, or ones who are having a bad day, this matchup can feel impossible. But it isn't. In her W (Twilight Shroud), you cannot reveal her from the stealth. However, your W and Ultimate abilities can still harm her in it, leaving you to get a potential kill or full ultimate channel off, leaving her to have to run out. Either way she is usually dead. But if she is smart and only uses her shroud for juking or the slow, it will be harder. Trading post-6 with her Ultimate (R - Shadow Dance) having enough charges seems to be a futile effort to win. However, there is a way. First, *try* to e when she dashes to you to reduce the damage by 15%. Then immediately start channeling your ultimate; she can't cancel it as she has no hard crowd control. This will also apply Grievous Wounds, reducing her spell vamp from her core item, Hextech Gunblade, and her passive (Twin Disciplines) by 50%. Once the channel is done, just use your harassing combo (Q>E>W) and finish her off.

Make sure you don't let her ever get those double Q (Mark of the Assassin) procs off on you; she will win every trade.

Anivia

Start: Amplifying Tome, 1 Health Potion, Warding Totem.

I would say this is an okay matchup because you can E through her W (Crystallize) wall, and your W's champion movement speed can counter her slows to an extent. But at the same time, she has two ways to cancel your ultimate's channel, her Q (Flash Frost) and her W. Plus, her E (Frostbite) does double damage when you are slowed by her, and it does so much I consider her to be a lane bully to you. E whenever she E's you to reduce the damage by 15% and only try to go in after she's burned her Q, her W, or both. Also, please don't forget about her Guardian Angel-like passive (Rebirth) which will not give you a reset with your passive. Also, it is very hard to dive her with it on, so make sure it is on cooldown before you try it, if at all.

Annie

Start: Amplifying Tome, 1 Health Potion, Warding Totem.


She is next to impossible to win against for a couple of reasons. One, she has a stun every 4 spell casts that lasts an extremely long time on her passive (Pyromania), long-ranged harass on her Q that has high damage and a low cooldown, a shield that gives her bonus armor and magic resist and gives her ultimate (R - Summon: Tibbers) bonus movement speed when the shield is active and the effects of the shield as well, and an extremely high damage ultimate that can burst you down before you can do anything.

But that doesn't mean you can't win. You can always Q her and she can't Q (Disintegrate)
back because your Q has higher range than hers. This is the reason why we take Amplifying Tome as our start: so we can force her out of getting gold, experience, and being that one-shot terror of doom everyone in solo queue despises. Also, she has no mobility, so keep the minions in the middle of the lane and ask your jungler to camp you. Should be fish food for you. But if you don't do these things... be ready to feel the pain.

Azir

Start: Boots of Speed, 4 Health Potions, Warding Totem.

This guy was a lot harder before, but now he's received some heavy nerfs and he's more tolerable. But he's still always gonna have two ways to cancel your ultimate; his E (Shifting Sands) and his ultimate (R - Emperor's Divide). His high range poke will definitely get annoying, but your Boots of Speed should help you out quite a bit. I can't tell you to bait out his E really, because any Azir above Bronze V will know to save it as it is so versatile. Just try and delay your ultimate as long as possible if you can, and slowly whittle down his health with the harass combo (Q>E>W).

Brand