Combos · Mid

Katarina combos

the Sinister Blade

3 Katarina combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is Q › E › W › AA. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Katarina combos

Written guide · based on the official ability texts

The basic combo

W AA AA

When: An enemy is within range.

Bouncing Blade throws a dagger, Shunpo teleports you next to the target, Preparation throws a dagger into the air and gives you speed; pick up the daggers to hit nearby enemies.

The channeled ultimate

When: Several enemies are close.

Death Lotus throws knives at the three nearest enemy champions while you channel: position yourself with Shunpo, then cast it.

The reset

When: A damaged champion is about to die.

When a champion you damaged dies, your cooldowns are greatly reduced: recast your abilities to chain into the next one.

Common mistakes

Casting the ultimate and getting interrupted: it is a channel.
Forgetting to pick up the daggers: your passive depends on them.
Using Shunpo with no target or exit.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Bouncing Blade	11/10/9/8/7	—	625
W · Preparation	15/14/13/12/11	—	—
E · Shunpo	12/11/10/9/8	—	725
R · Death Lotus	75/60/45	—	550

Official ability descriptions

PassiveVoracity

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

Katarina throws a Dagger at the target that then bounces to nearby enemies before ricocheting onto the ground.

WPreparation

Katarina gains a burst of Move Speed, tossing a Dagger into the air directly above herself.

EShunpo

Katarina blinks to the target, striking it if its an enemy, or striking the nearest enemy otherwise.

RDeath Lotus

Katarina becomes a flurry of blades, dealing massive magic damage while she channels to the 3 nearest enemy champions.

Skill order

Max order: Q > E > W58.5% · 82 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●			●	●		●		●
W			●											●	●
E		●						●		●		●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 107 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Katarina

Picking up Daggers will significantly reduce Shunpo's cooldown.
Try waiting until the other team is distracted with fighting your team, and use Shunpo to teleport into the fray and unleash a devastating Death Lotus.
Using Shunpo on an allied Champion, Dagger, or minion can be a great escape tactic.

How to play around Katarina's combos

Katarina's abilities deal magic damage, so even if she's building Attack Damage items, get magic resistance to counter her.
Try to save a disable for when Katarina uses her Death Lotus.

Frequently asked questions

What is Katarina's main combo?

The basic combo: Q › E › W › AA. An enemy is within range. Bouncing Blade throws a dagger, Shunpo teleports you next to the target, Preparation throws a dagger into the air and gives you speed; pick up the daggers to hit nearby enemies.

Which ability should I max first on Katarina?

The most-played max order is Q > E > W (82 games, 58.5% win rate).

What is the cooldown of Katarina's ultimate?

Death Lotus has a 75/60/45 second cooldown depending on its rank.

Build, runes and counters: full Katarina guide · every champion's combos · tier list