Katarina is a mechanically-intensive assassin who excels at punishing enemy mistakes through her reset-based playstyle. With each kill participation, her abilities reset, making her a devastating force in teamfights when played correctly.

Core Mechanics:

Passive - Voracity

• 15-second cooldown reduction on abilities when scoring takedowns
• Dagger pickup deals AoE magic damage (scales with AD, AP, and level)
• Daggers are placed by Q and W abilities

Key Abilities:

1. Early Game: 3 points in Q (Dancing Blade)
2. Max E (Lightning Step)
3. Complete Q max
4. Max W (Preparation) last

Optimal Skill Order: E > Q > W (Take R at 6, 11, 16)

Core Combos:

• Standard: E > Q > W > AA > Collect W dagger > E to Q dagger > AA > AA > E > AA
• With Ultimate: E > Q > W > R > Collect W dagger > E to Q dagger > AA > AA > E > AA

Build Path (AD On-Hit):

• Focus on AD, attack speed, and on-hit effects
• Adapt build based on enemy composition:
  • vs. Tanks: Prioritize Blade of the Ruined King
  • vs. Squishies: Consider AP build variation

Key Strengths:

• Strong snowball potential
• Excellent at punishing positioning errors
• Versatile build paths
• High mechanical skill ceiling

Key Weaknesses:

• Difficult learning curve
• Vulnerable to CC
• Requires kill participation for resets
• Weak early laning phase

For optimal results, adapt your build and playstyle according to the enemy team composition. While Katarina can be played both AD on-hit and AP, this guide focuses on the AD on-hit variant for maximum sustained damage output.

Success with Katarina comes primarily from mechanical mastery rather than macro play. Focus on perfecting your combos and learning when to enter fights for maximum impact.

Note: This guide specifically covers the AD on-hit build variant. For AP Katarina gameplay, please refer to the separate AP guide.

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