Katarina vs Swain
Skill matchup
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Swain
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Katarina: Kraken Slayer, Blade of The Ruined King, Terminus, Sorcerer's Shoes, Shadowflame, Lich Bane, Dark Seal, Zhonya's Hourglass.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Swain's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Swain's ravens collect Soul Fragments that heal him and permanently increase his maximum health.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 20s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 5s | 20s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 3s | 19s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 3s | 18s | 12s | 2m |
| 16 | 3s | 16s | 11s | 2m |
| 18 | 3s | 16s | 10s | 2m |
Playing as Katarina
Tips to maximize your impact
- Pick up your daggers
Pick up your daggers in trades and teamfights: Voracity (passive) then hits every nearby enemy, and each dagger picked up lowers the cooldown of Shunpo (E).
- Shunpo to your Q dagger
After Bouncing Blade (Q), blink to its dagger with Shunpo (E): it lands behind your target, and picking it up triggers Voracity (passive).
- Hit everyone before the kills
In teamfights, hit as many champions as you can before they go down: when one of them dies, Voracity (passive) sharply lowers all your cooldowns.
- Death Lotus after their CC
Cast Death Lotus (R) once the enemy CC is used: it's a channel, and a single CC is enough to cancel it.
Playing against Swain
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge Nevermove on its return
Get out of the Nevermove (E) path as it comes back: it only roots on its return to Swain, then he can pull each rooted champion to him.
- Leave the area of his eye
Leave the area as soon as Vision of Empire (W) appears: it strikes and slows 1.5 seconds later, and each champion hit gives him a Soul Fragment.
- Keep your distance during his ult
During Demonic Ascension (R), back off and hit from range if you can: he only drains nearby enemies, and his form ends when he stops draining.
- Cut his healing during his ult
If you have Grievous Wounds, apply it during Demonic Ascension (R): the drain heals him every second, and that healing keeps him alive.
Other Katarina matchups
Patch 16.21.1