Katarina Build Guide by Kazega

Introduction

Katarina is a favorite of mine. So much that I main her. She was on the Free to Play roster when i signed up and I picked her first. now 300+ games later I still play her. Which is weird I guess because I haven't seen her much in the League at all. which to me is a surprise. She is mobile with Shunpo, can farm Minion waves well 5 levels to Bouncing blade and even Turret dive effectively thanks to Voracity. I love her play style. It's really aggressive and I can't help but get Cocky whenever I start doing well in a game.

Pros
-Effective in the middle lane
-Great Ganker and Turret Diver
-Triple, quad, and even penta-kills are common

Cons
-Squishy
-Relies on killing and farming early on
-Crowd Control stops Ult
-not much of a duelist

Runes

I use Greater Mark of Magic Penetration for Magic Penetration Greater Seal of Evasion for so added survivability and greater glyph of a force with Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power For some added AP Greater Glyph of Ability Power and Greater Quintessence of Ability Power also work but I like the better benefits of Force in the later game. Instead of Force you can Run Utility Quintessences, namely Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed to help you move around better

Masteries

21-1-8 Works for me because I run Ignite and it allows me to use Havoc. Another option is to run some masteries from the Defense Tree to boost Kat's survivability and allow you to take advantage of Nimbleness. I'm not going to go too far into these. Masteries is a personal Preference and which ones you invest in depends on which Summoner Spells you use

Champion Skills

Summoner Spells

Skill Sequence

Q > E > Q > W > Q > R > Q > W > Q > E > R > E > E > E > W > R > W > W

This is The Skill Sequence I use when I Mid lane. I use it because you need Bouncing Blades at Level 5 as quickly as possible to maximize Harassing and Minion Farming. I Go for Preparation at lvl 8 instead of Shunpo to increase it's protection when Shunpo is used with it. After Bouncing Blade is maxed Spam Shunpo to increase the damage If you are Side Laning with a partner you might want to grab Shunpo first depending on your partner since it will allow you to be more aggressive.

Opening Items

Amplifying Tome with a Health Potion is my preferred Opening it allows you to build Hextech Revolver faster. I buy this instead of Boots of Speed because I like the extra punch to Shunpo and Bouncing Blades


I buy boots second. I noticed a lot of champions opening boots lately so buying this second helps you keep up


Doran's Sheild is another Viable opening since Kat has less than ideal starting health. just make sure to sell it eventually.


Hextech revolver is the core item that will allow you to stay in lane for as long as possible because of it's spell vamp. you need this item ASAP or else you will not be successful in the early to mid game.

Core Items

Hextech Gunblade is the first item you want. You should always build the Revolver half first, It will help you sustainability in Lane with its Spell Vamp. It's active will also help you chase down any runners who escape your Death Lotus


Abyssal Scepter is on of the Items that will get you going. at first glance it is a defensive item but it's passive is what you are going for. Reducing all nearby enemy Champions Magic resist not only helps you're abilities but other AP champs on your team as well.


Adding Magic Penetration is always a good thing it will allow you to kill faster.


Best AP boost in the game. you'd be crazy not to go for it

Situational Items

Mejai's Soulstealer is a great tool if you are doing well early on and helps you stay ahead when they start stacking Magic Resistance


conversely if you aren't doing so well the extra health and benefits should help you get on track. Personally I avoid this item; it brings the wrong mentality with it in almost every boost it brings.


Moonflair Spellblade gives you Tenacity. I don't like this because Tenacity does you little good after Death Lotus gets interrupted but after the fact you can try to escape a little faster than you normally would


Haunting guise adds magic penetration and health. Void Staff is better for magic penetration and like Rylai's the added Health brings the wrong mentality to Kat. It's pretty cheap and if you feel you need a quick health boost and already have Amplifying Tome then go for it. Just make sure to sell it when you can get Void Staff



These Boots are my Go too Boots in most cases since it helps break through Magic resistance.


I buy these on occasion when I lane against Champions with lower magic Resistance and they don't buy Null-Magic Mantle or anything like it. with these I can catch most champions that run with other boots


These can help you move between lanes quickly for ganks. I don't personally like these boots but I have seen people run with these successfully.


These reduce your Cooldowns. Voracity makes these redundant. If you want quicker bursts then go for it.

AD Items
Kat can also be built on Attack Damage Items like Infinity Edge and Frozen Mallet I've never actually taken the time to put one of these items to make this a hybrid build to better complement Hextech Gunblade. If someone tries it tell me how it works out.

Laning and Team Fighting Basics

Kat as a Solo Mid is weird. It works, but it might not look like it works. The main reason it works is because your typical Solo Mid is Ranged and can't too many hits. Kat's Shunpo can do significant damage to a champion if he get's careless and let's you. In most cases you will be pushed back to your turret. this doesn't mean you are doing something wrong. It's natural for this to happen because Champions like Ashe and Malzahar can deal their damage from a safe distance. Kat has to wait a lot longer to throw her Bouncing Blades at minions. So make sure you save them for Last hits early on.

At level 3 you should be able to harass the opposite champion with some good Bouncing Blades hits. Getting pushed back to your Tower is alright. Even if the Tower kills the minions you still get the experience. Your objective is to get to Level 6 as quickly as possible. once you hit level six you will be pretty dominiate in the lane unless you are running against Champions like Malzahar or LeBlanc who can silence you. don't forget to buy Hextech Revolver as soon as possible

Don't sweat dying either. especially if a champ comes from another lane. Don't get me wrong, you should die, but it happens shrug it off and be careful not to let it happen again. Shunpo is get for making quick escapes, as well as closing the gap quickly on a champion.

Ideally you shouldn't be laning for a very long time. most of you Income should be comng from enemy champion kills, so if you force your opposite back then move for a kill to increase your income. make sure to invest in Vision Ward and Health Potion whenever necessary

Kat's role in a team fight is to be the nuke, and either soften up or kill several champions at once. You shouldn't engage in fights as since you are squishy and susceptible to Crowd Control. If you do get CC'd during you Ult more than likely you will die in 2 seconds flat. Make your CC champs target their CC champs first so you can get in and kill everyone.

When it Comes to Farming you shouldn't have to if you are killing like you should. If you aren't Killing like you should then stick to the smaller Jungle Creeps. At higher levels Kat can one shot several minions with Bouncing Blades and Preparation

Tips and Tricks

-You can manually stop Death Lotus if you need to, but you won't be able to use it again until the Cooldown finishes.

- Bouncing Blades Shunpo and Preparation reset after a kill or assist. Death Lotus has too long of a cooldown to be reset by one kill or assist. Make yourself scarce after you use Death Lotus

-Be careful about over exertion. Kat can be a high profile target and attract teh entire team to her in the late game.

- Shunpo works by jumping to the opposite side of the target. If the champion is facing you you will be behind her and vice versa. This can be used to Juke Skill Shot abilities like Enchanted Crystal Arrow and finales funkeln for some hilarious results. it Also Stops Rammus from fleeing with Powerball

FAQ

Q: Why do you say Rylai's Crystal Scepter brings the wrong mentality to Kat?
A: Bear in mind this is my personal opinion. You buy an item for a reason. Abyssal Mask is a Core item not because it boosts your defenses but because it lowers the enemy Champions' defenses allowing for more damage. Crystal Scepter adds Health and a slowing effect to your spells; The mentality I get as a result is "I don't want to die if I get CC'd," and "If I don't Kill them I canat least catch them." This is wrong because you are thinking about what can go wrong instead of focusing on doing something right.

Q: Kat is so OP she needs a nerf
A: Not a question but I'll bite. if Kat was OP then more people would use her. I think Kat has a lot of power right now because there aren't a lot of players who know how to directly counter her early enough to prevent her from getting to that point.
If you are having problems with Kat, remember she does Magic damage, even when Stack AD items

Closing Notes and Version Updates

Kat is a Fun Champion to play if you have the right mindset behind it. It does take some practice to know your limits. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a fist fight only to barely lose out even with Ignite's help.

Anyway Thank you for Reading. Comments and critques are always welcome and I will make sure to update this guide regularly with more FAQs and maybe even a guide against certain champions

Version 1.00 June 6 2011- Initial Posting