Locke vs Katarina

Locke
vs
Not enough games
Katarina
Countered by stasisHeavy AP damageHigh burstDive threat

You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.

Build vs Katarina

The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup

Recommended items for Locke: Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Void Staff, Banshee's Veil, Stormsurge.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup
Health Potion

Core build

Lich Bane
1
Shadowflame
2
Zhonya's Hourglass
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Rabadon's Deathcap
5

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Rabadon's Deathcap
Void Staff
Banshee's Veil
Stormsurge

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Katarina's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Voracity (P)

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.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
311s15s12s–
69s15s12s1m15
97s14s12s1m15
117s13s12s1m
167s11s10s45s
187s11s8s45s

Playing as Locke

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Nails first, then Pursuit

    Cast Ritual Nails (Q) before Ashen Pursuit (E): your hits consume the nails stuck in the target, and each extra nail adds damage.

  2. Finish them with autos

    Finish off wounded targets with autos: Silver Stake (passive) adds magic damage that grows with their missing health.

  3. Activate W as the trade starts

    Activate Soul Ignition (W) at the start of a trade: it costs you health, but at the end, you heal back part of the last damage taken, plus more based on your missing health.

  4. Save E for a kill or a gank

    Save Ashen Pursuit (E) for a sure kill or to escape a gank: it's your only instant movement, it has a 10-second cooldown, and only a takedown resets it.

  5. Save Purgatory to finish

    Save Purgatory (R) to finish: it seals marked enemies below a health threshold, and when you pick up the artifact, each sealed champion raises that threshold for good.

Playing against Katarina

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Stay away from her daggers

    Stay away from her daggers on the ground: when she picks one up, Voracity (passive) hits every nearby enemy, and Shunpo (E) lets her blink to it.

  2. Trade after her Shunpo

    Trade right after Shunpo (E): it's her only blink, and it has a 12 to 8 second cooldown, less if she picks up a dagger.

  3. Save your CC for her Lotus

    If you have CC, save it for Death Lotus (R): it's a channel, and interrupting it stops its damage.

  4. Don't count on your healing

    Don't count on your healing during Death Lotus (R): each knife applies Grievous Wounds, which reduces healing received.

Patch 16.21.1