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Spells:
Flash
Ignite
Ability Order
Voracity (PASSIVE)
Katarina Passive Ability
Introduction
I attempted to simplify, but the optimal build for Katarina changes from game to game. I always run at least two different rune and mastery loadouts to use depending on the team makeups, with item builds varying immensely.
Note: this guide is a partially updated repost of my older 2k guide.
I took a 4 month break from LoL and now my internet is too laggy to play ranked, so I can't properly update the guide.
Hard laning counters (I cannot lane against them as Kat):
Kassadin,
LeBlanc,
Tristana,
Xin Zhao.
Soft laning counters (they always out CS me):
Sion,
Malphite,
Blitzcrank,
Fiddlesticks,
Annie,
Zilean.
Champions to be scared of in team fights:
Kassadin,
Blitzcrank,
Alistar.




Soft laning counters (they always out CS me):






Champions to be scared of in team fights:



9 / 0 /21 is what I currently use.
The experience gain makes it so I can push a lane a bit right before leveling, and be one level up on my opponent for one creep wave.
Also, the CDR on summoner spells makes them more reliable for escaping ganks or getting kills.
9 /21 / 0 works as well, although I find it fades off late game.
The primary reason so many people use defensive masteries is for the extra survivability during the laning phase.
The experience gain makes it so I can push a lane a bit right before leveling, and be one level up on my opponent for one creep wave.
Also, the CDR on summoner spells makes them more reliable for escaping ganks or getting kills.
9 /21 / 0 works as well, although I find it fades off late game.
The primary reason so many people use defensive masteries is for the extra survivability during the laning phase.
Marks - 9 x
Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
Seals - 9 x
Greater Seal of Armor (optionally Greater Seal of Vitality)
Glyphs - 9 x
Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction
Note: use
Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction if you're running defence masteries.
Or for laning against AP champions:
Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
Quints - 3 x
Greater Quintessence of Ability Power
Optionally:
Greater Quintessence of Health (especially in 3v3) or
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed

Seals - 9 x

Glyphs - 9 x

Note: use

Or for laning against AP champions:

Quints - 3 x

Optionally:


Q
Bouncing Blade
Main farming/harassing tool. I max it first.
At high ranks, there's no need to target the opposing champion while laning. I just cs with Q and it will usually hit the champion from a safe range.
W
Preparation
I put one point in it at 3 or 4, depending on whether or not i want the healing debuff. In team fights I often use it with shunpo first, and early ignite if I need a healing debuff.
E
Shunpo
Powerful survival and chasing ability in team fights. Can use on wards or combine with flash for some pretty epic escapes/chases.
R
Death Lotus
Main damage ability in most team fights, but easily countered. Don't use it too early.
It's easier to get positioning for Death Lotus with more survivability gear, at the tradeoff of reduced damage. Team compositions also affect it.
Here are some tips:
- Wait until the nearest CCer is CCd
-
Death Lotus can be used through walls
- If the enemy is focusing you, use E
defensively and save ult
- Ult when a teammate is low hp and being focused, as cc spells typically deal damage (i.e. Sion's
Cryptic Gaze or Singe's
Fling)
- Most CCers use their abilities early in a fight as part of their spell combos, so typically you only have to watch out for one or two people once the fight is initiated
-
Death Lotus is a ranged spell, so there's no reason to be standing next to an
Udyr or a
Blitzcrank while using it

Main farming/harassing tool. I max it first.
At high ranks, there's no need to target the opposing champion while laning. I just cs with Q and it will usually hit the champion from a safe range.
W

I put one point in it at 3 or 4, depending on whether or not i want the healing debuff. In team fights I often use it with shunpo first, and early ignite if I need a healing debuff.
E

Powerful survival and chasing ability in team fights. Can use on wards or combine with flash for some pretty epic escapes/chases.
R

Main damage ability in most team fights, but easily countered. Don't use it too early.
It's easier to get positioning for Death Lotus with more survivability gear, at the tradeoff of reduced damage. Team compositions also affect it.
Here are some tips:
- Wait until the nearest CCer is CCd
-

- If the enemy is focusing you, use E

- Ult when a teammate is low hp and being focused, as cc spells typically deal damage (i.e. Sion's


- Most CCers use their abilities early in a fight as part of their spell combos, so typically you only have to watch out for one or two people once the fight is initiated
-



Against a physical damage champion (i.e.
Renekton,
Garen,
Pantheon,
Ezreal, etc.) start with
Cloth Armor and 5 x
Health Potion.
Against a level 6+
Fiddlesticks, don't be predictable about when you move near creeps or he'll
Crowstorm from the bushes.
Against a level 6+
Morgana, leave a ward in the middle of the lane so you can
Shunpo out of her ultimate
when there aren't creeps around (the same tactic works against anyone with a strong initiation, like
Garen or
Blitzcrank.)
Against a healing champion like
Nidalee or
Vladimir, keep a healing debuff
active as much as possible. Break
Garen's passive
with Q.
Use
Death Lotus to harass; it has a short CD.
Most champions can kill Kat 1v1 if they haven't first been harassed low with
Bouncing Blade.
If an opponent gets low enough to recall, wait for cooldowns before using
Flash -->
Shunpo to tower dive.
When taking top solo from the northeast spawn, place your river ward next to the ridge, allowing you to
Shunpo to it after turret diving to avoid a gank.






Against a level 6+


Against a level 6+





Against a healing champion like





Use

Most champions can kill Kat 1v1 if they haven't first been harassed low with

If an opponent gets low enough to recall, wait for cooldowns before using


When taking top solo from the northeast spawn, place your river ward next to the ridge, allowing you to

I normally start with
Boots + 3 x
Health Potions.
If you aren't going to read the approaching text, just build:
If my lane is evenly matched:
Giant's Belt -->
Rylai's Crystal Scepter.
Or:
Ionian Boots of Lucidity --> any part of
Rylai's Crystal Scepter.
Sorcerer's Shoes are good if my laning opponent has low mr and I don't need survivability, but if it's possible to save enough gold, a
Giant's Belt is better.
Once I feel I'm farmed enough to stay alive in a team fight, I'll start work on a
Hextech Gunblade, unless my team has a lot of CC and a healer, in which case
Rabadon's Deathcap is better.
The game should be decided before I can get another item.
If I'm crushing my lane:
I typically go
Bilgewater Cutlass -->
Hextech Gunblade.
For team fights I sometimes rush
Ionian Boots of Lucidity.
Depending on the amount of gold I have when I buy, whether or not my opponent is stacking MR, and how much I need survivability, I might first buy Sorcerer's Shoes or a
Haunting Guise.
If my opponent uses one type of damage, I might get a
Chain Vest or a
Negatron Cloak, respectively (especially if expected ganks use the same type of damage.)
I'll eventually want to build a
Rylai's Crystal Scepter and a
Rabadon's Deathcap.
If I'm getting crushed, then my buys depend on my team comp:
With a high CC team, I stack damage and only fight when my team is laying down CC:
Ionian Boots of Lucidity (for the
Shunpo CDR to stay alive) and
Rabadon's Deathcap
With a low cc team, I stack tank gear to stay alive in fights until I'm strong enough to build AP and acquire a slow:
Giant's Belt,
Chain Vest and/or
Negatron Cloak, and then I finish a
Rylai's Crystal Scepter as soon as possible.
Tip: if you're losing, only itemize for team fights, because the easiest way to get back in the game is to group and gank or perfectly initiate a 5v5; therefore,
Sorcerer's Shoes and
Hextech Gunblade are poor buys.


If you aren't going to read the approaching text, just build:




If my lane is evenly matched:


Or:




Once I feel I'm farmed enough to stay alive in a team fight, I'll start work on a


The game should be decided before I can get another item.
If I'm crushing my lane:
I typically go


For team fights I sometimes rush

Depending on the amount of gold I have when I buy, whether or not my opponent is stacking MR, and how much I need survivability, I might first buy Sorcerer's Shoes or a

If my opponent uses one type of damage, I might get a


I'll eventually want to build a


If I'm getting crushed, then my buys depend on my team comp:
With a high CC team, I stack damage and only fight when my team is laying down CC:



With a low cc team, I stack tank gear to stay alive in fights until I'm strong enough to build AP and acquire a slow:




Tip: if you're losing, only itemize for team fights, because the easiest way to get back in the game is to group and gank or perfectly initiate a 5v5; therefore,



Building a Gunblade:
If I'm winning the lane (i.e. Gunblade is my first item) and don't have enough gold to straight buy a






If I'm a high enough level to have









Update: this guide was written when the metagame was dominated by bruisers, against whom




















Boots:

Golem buff +




Update:




An

Firstly, a shorter CD on
Shunpo will keep me alive in a team fight long enough for someone to die to proc my passive. Often I have to save
Shunpo to use defensively (i.e. to dodge Kogmaw's ultimate
.)
Secondly - and this is huge - CDR allows me to ult before someone dies, and then ult again after only two enemy champions have died instead of three.
The Math:
Rank 3
Death Lotus has a 50 second cooldown that starts upon casting the 3 second channel, leaving 47 seconds until it can be used again. Two procs of voracity bring that to 17 seconds. 17 divided by 50 = 34% CDR needed to negate the cooldown if two enemies die during the channel. Flat CDR Runes + 9/0/21 Masteries + blue elixir = 25% CDR, which means that if two enemies die, only 4.5 seconds remain after channeling before I can ult again (and that's only 250 gold spent on CDR).
Rank 2
Death Lotus has a 55 second cooldown, so either
Ionian Boots of Lucidity or Golem Buff is needed to ult twice in one fight.



Secondly - and this is huge - CDR allows me to ult before someone dies, and then ult again after only two enemy champions have died instead of three.
The Math:
Rank 3

Rank 2


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