Katarina Build
the Sinister Blade
Decisive in judgment and lethal in combat, Katarina is a Noxian assassin of the highest caliber. Eldest daughter to the legendary General Du Couteau, she made her talents known with swift kills against unsuspecting enemies. Her fiery ambition has driven her to pursue heavily-guarded targets, even at the risk of endangering her allies—but no matter the mission, Katarina will not hesitate to execute her duty amid a whirlwind of serrated daggers.
The most played Katarina Mid build on patch 26.21 runs Electrocute with Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos and Relentless Hunter, plus Coup de Grace and Triumph from the secondary tree. Take Flash and Ignite. Start with Dark Seal and Refillable Potion, then build Lich Bane, Spellslinger's Shoes and Shadowflame, followed by Zhonya's Hourglass, Rabadon's Deathcap and Void Staff. Max Q (Bouncing Blade) first, then E (Shunpo), then W (Preparation). It has a 49.9% win rate and a 6.1% pick rate.
Runes
Primary
Electrocute
Hitting a champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities in 3s deals bonus adaptive damage.
Electrocute
Hitting a champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities within 3s deals bonus adaptive damage. Damage: 70 - 240 (+0.1 bonus AD, +0.05 AP) damage. Cooldown: 20s 'We called them the Thunderlords, for to speak of their lightning was to invite disaster.'
Sudden Impact
Damaging basic attacks and abilities deal bonus true damage to enemy champions after using a dash, leap, blink, teleport, or when leaving stealth.
Sudden Impact
Damaging basic attacks and abilities deal a bonus 20 - 80 True Damage based on level to enemy champions after using a dash, leap, blink, teleport, or when leaving stealth for 4s. Cooldown: 10s
Grisly Mementos
Collect 1 memento on champion takedowns, up to 18 total. Gain 6 Trinket Haste for each collected.
Grisly Mementos
Collect 1 memento on champion takedowns, up to 18 total. Gain 6 Trinket Haste for each collected. In game modes where vision Trinkets do not exist, instead gain 3 Summoner Spell Haste.
Relentless Hunter
Unique takedowns grant permanent out of combat MS.
Relentless Hunter
Gain 8 Move Speed out of combat per Bounty Hunter stack. Bounty Hunter stacks are earned the first time you get a takedown on each enemy champion.
Secondary
Coup de Grace
Deal more damage to low health enemy champions.
Coup de Grace
Deal 8% more damage to champions who have less than 40% health.
Triumph
Takedowns restore 5% of your missing health and grant an additional 20 gold.
Triumph
Takedowns restore 5% of your missing health, 2.5% of your max health, and grant an additional 20 gold. 'The most dangerous game brings the greatest glory.' —Noxian Reckoner
Summoner Spells
Flash
Cooldown 300s
Flash
Cooldown 300s
Teleports you a short distance toward your cursor.
Ignite
Cooldown 180s
Ignite
Cooldown 180s
Deals true damage over time to target enemy champion and reduces healing effects on them for the duration.
Skill Priority
QBouncing Blade
Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7s
Katarina throws a Dagger at the target that then bounces to nearby enemies before ricocheting onto the ground.
EShunpo
Cooldown 12/11/10/9/8s
Katarina blinks to the target, striking it if its an enemy, or striking the nearest enemy otherwise.
WPreparation
Cooldown 15/14/13/12/11s
Katarina gains a burst of Move Speed, tossing a Dagger into the air directly above herself.
Item Build
Full build 16,950gStarting Items
Dark Seal
350g
Dark Seal
- 15 Ability Power
- 50 Health
Glory Takedowns grant Glory, up to 10. 5 Glory is lost on death. Gain 4 Ability Power per Glory.
Refillable Potion
150g
Refillable Potion
Active (2 charges) Restores 100 Health over 12 seconds. Refills upon visiting the shop.
Core Build
1Lich Bane
2,900g100 AP · 6% MS · 10 AH
Spellblade
Lich Bane
2,900g- 100 Ability Power
- 6% Move Speed
- 10 Ability Haste
Spellblade After using an Ability, your next Attack deals bonus magic damage On-Hit.
2Spellslinger's Shoes
1,100g20 Magic Pen · 8% Magic Pen · 45 MS
Spellslinger's Shoes
1,100g- 20 Magic Penetration
- 8% Magic Penetration
- 45 Move Speed
3Shadowflame
3,200g110 AP · 15 Magic Pen
Cinderbloom
Shadowflame
3,200g- 110 Ability Power
- 15 Magic Penetration
Cinderbloom Magic and true damage Critically Strike enemies below 40% Health, dealing 20% increased damage.
4Zhonya's Hourglass
3,250g105 AP · 50 Armor
Time Stop
Zhonya's Hourglass
3,250g- 105 Ability Power
- 50 Armor
Time Stop Enter Stasis for 2.5 seconds.
5Rabadon's Deathcap
3,500g130 AP
Magical Opus
Rabadon's Deathcap
3,500g- 130 Ability Power
Magical Opus Increases your total Ability Power by 30%.
6Void Staff
3,000g95 AP · 40% Magic Pen
Void Staff
3,000g- 95 Ability Power
- 40% Magic Penetration
Increases magic damage
Abilities & Skill Path
Voracity
Whenever an enemy champion dies that Katarina has damaged recently, her remaining ability cooldowns are dramatically reduced. If Katarina picks up a Dagger, she uses it to slash through all nearby enemies, dealing magic damage.
QBouncing Blade
Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7s
Katarina throws a Dagger at the target that then bounces to nearby enemies before ricocheting onto the ground.
WPreparation
Cooldown 15/14/13/12/11s
Katarina gains a burst of Move Speed, tossing a Dagger into the air directly above herself.
EShunpo
Cooldown 12/11/10/9/8s
Katarina blinks to the target, striking it if its an enemy, or striking the nearest enemy otherwise.
RDeath Lotus
Cooldown 75/60/45s
Katarina becomes a flurry of blades, dealing massive magic damage while she channels to the 3 nearest enemy champions.