Taliyah vs Katarina
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 Taliyah: Blackfire Torch, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Void Staff, Banshee's Veil, Cosmic Drive.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Katarina's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
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
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 11s | 15s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 9s | 15s | 12s | 1m15 |
| 9 | 7s | 14s | 12s | 1m15 |
| 11 | 7s | 13s | 12s | 1m |
| 16 | 7s | 11s | 10s | 45s |
| 18 | 7s | 11s | 8s | 45s |
Playing as Taliyah
Tips to maximize your impact
- Throw them into your minefield
Place Unraveled Earth (E), then throw the enemy across the stones with Seismic Shove (W): the stones explode and stun them.
- Pick your volley based on the ground
Cast Threaded Volley (Q) off Worked Ground to throw 5 rocks, or on it for a single boulder that slows, costs less and has a shorter cooldown.
- Cut off their retreat with your wall
Place Weaver's Wall (R) across the enemy's path to cut off their escape or split their team: its range goes from 2500 to 6500 with rank.
- Roam along the walls
To roam, follow the walls of the map: Rock Surfing (passive) increases your move speed when you're near them.
Playing against Katarina
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Other Taliyah matchups
Patch 16.21.1