Smolder vs Katarina

Smolder
vs
38.7%

over 222 games

Katarina

Hard matchup

Countered by stasisHeavy AP damageHigh burstDive threat

You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.

Build vs Katarina

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Smolder: Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Rapid Firecannon, Infinity Edge, B. F. Sword, Hubris.

Starting items

Doran's Blade
Health Potion

Core build

Essence Reaver
1
Black Cleaver
2
Spear of Shojin
3

Standard

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
4CDR
Rapid Firecannon
5

Summoner spells

FlashTeleport50%
FlashBarrier29%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Rapid Firecannon
Infinity Edge
B. F. Sword
Hubris
Endless Hunger
Lord Dominik's Regards
Guardian Angel
Maw of Malmortius
Mortal Reminder
Trinity Force
Muramana
Kaenic Rookern
Executioner's Calling
Immortal Shieldbow
Serrated Dirk
51.7% WR29 games
SorcerySorcery
Deathfire TouchDeathfire Touch
Nimbus CloakNimbus Cloak
CelerityCelerity
Gathering StormGathering Storm
InspirationInspiration
Magical FootwearMagical Footwear
Jack Of All TradesJack Of All Trades
Adaptive ForceMove SpeedHealth Scaling

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 Smolder

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Last-hit minions with your fireball

    Last-hit minions with Super Scorcher Breath (Q): each kill with the spell gives you a Dragon Practice (passive) stack, which empowers your basic spells.

  2. Poke with your sneeze

    Poke with Achooo! (W): the sneeze slows, explodes on champions hit, and each champion hit gives you a Dragon Practice stack.

  3. Aim for the final tier

    Build enough stacks for the final tier of Super Scorcher Breath (Q): it burns its target, and kills a champion who drops below a health threshold.

  4. Take flight to escape

    Escape or reposition with Flap, Flap, Flap (E): you fly over obstacles, bombarding the enemy with the lowest health.

  5. Call your mom from far away

    Cast MMOOOMMMM! (R) to finish or slow from far away: the center of the breath hits harder and slows, and if it hits you, your mom heals you.

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