Katarina vs Taliyah
Favorable matchup
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Taliyah
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Katarina: Dark Seal, Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Sorcerer's Shoes, Zhonya's Hourglass, Rabadon's Deathcap, Kraken Slayer, Terminus.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Taliyah's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Taliyah gains Move Speed near walls.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 14s | 14s | – |
| 6 | 5s | 14s | 14s | 3m |
| 9 | 3s | 12.5s | 14s | 3m |
| 11 | 3s | 11s | 14s | 2m30 |
| 16 | 3s | 8s | 14s | 2m |
| 18 | 3s | 8s | 14s | 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 Taliyah
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Don't cross her minefield
When Unraveled Earth (E) is on the ground, don't cross it with a dash or get thrown through it by Seismic Shove (W): the stones explode under you and stun you.
- Engage after Seismic Shove
If you can engage, go in after Seismic Shove (W): without it, she has nothing left to push you back, and no dash to escape.
- Knock her off her wall
If you have CC, save it for Taliyah while she surfs on Weaver's Wall (R): once immobilized, she stops surfing immediately.
Other Katarina matchups
Patch 16.21.1