Katarina Pro Builds - How to Play Katarina in Season 14
Katarina – the Sinister Blade – is a great Assassin that is usually played on position Mid. Katarina can also be played in other roles, but we focus on position Mid in this LoL Katarina guide as it fits the current meta in S14 very well.
Katarina has a win rate of 69% and pick rate of 0%. There is a ban rate of 4%. Although a great champion, winning with Katarina is not a given. You need to have the right Katarina build in order to unleash the full potential on patch 14.23. There are many Katarina probuilds out there. We help you to find the right probuild, Katarina players need to win.
Latest Katarina probuilds
Here a quick view on the latest Katarina probuilds on position Mid.
How to play Katarina
We will show you what you need to do, to increase your chances of winning your lane. Katarina is strong, but if you ran into 
Ryze or 
Jayce you might get in trouble. In order to win your lane and against your counter, you need the right spells, items and runes. The following Katarina Mid pro build will help you with that.
Follow our build, pentakills will follow and you will learn how to play Katarina. Since Riot Games regularly releases a new patch, Katarina builds may change from time to time. It is important to keep up to date.
Items for Katarina
Items obviously play a big role in League of Legends. Buying the right item can make the difference between winning and losing as Katarina. The order of items is also very important. Especially in early game, it is imperative to make the right decision on what to buy. You need to know the right starter item and starter trinket. But you also need to know what your final items will be. Your opponent like 
Smolder or 
Syndra can also influence your buying decisions.
Since Katarina is a powerful Assassin you should start with 
Dark Seal and 
Refillable Potion. Your starter trinket should be 
Stealth Ward. You will find those in the shop under: Tools > Vision & Trinkets. Your optimal final boots are 
Sorcerer's Shoes. So make sure to buy accordingly. A good buy order for your items is:
Lich Bane
Shadowflame
Zhonya's Hourglass
Katarina abilities and summoner spells
Pro Gamers in LoL also gain advantage by their choice of spells and the order they use their abilities on Katarina. You also shouldn’t leave this to chance.
During champion select you have the possibility to choose two spells for Katarina. The choice of summoner spells can’t be underestimated. They can play a big role in team-fights. Countless team-fights have been decided by a well-used flash. Statistics have proven that the best choice is 
Flash and 
Teleport.
You can also gain an advantage in early game by using Katarina abilities in a certain order. Each phase of the game differs. Some abilities might be good in late game, but less in early game. Start the game with 
Bouncing Blade. Then you should continue with 
Shunpo, followed by 
Preparation. An order for abilities of Katarina up to level 10:
| Level | Key | Champion Spell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R | Bouncing Blade |
| 2 | R | Shunpo |
| 3 | R | Preparation |
| 4 | R | Bouncing Blade |
| 5 | R | Bouncing Blade |
| 6 | R |  Death Lotus |
| 7 | R | Bouncing Blade |
| 8 | R | Shunpo |
| 9 | R | Bouncing Blade |
| 10 | R | Shunpo |
Most effective Katarina runes selection
For an effective Katarina build, you also need to select the appropriate runes. Ideally, you make an extra rune page for Katarina. You have to choose a primary and a secondary path from five rune paths for the Sinister Blade: Precision, Domination, Sorcery, Resolve and Inspiration.
In the primary path you can choose a keystone rune and three lesser runes. The secondary path only consists of two lesser runes. There are also the three so-called shard slots. The best rune paths for Katarina are for primary 
Domination and for secondary 
Precision. As the keystone rune on Katarina most pros pick 
Electrocute.
For your primary path – Domination – choose these runes on Katarina:
- Electrocute
Sudden Impact
Eyeball Collection
Relentless Hunter
For your secondary path – Precision – choose these runes on Katarina:
Triumph
Cut Down
Champions that counter Katarina
As mentioned before, it is always necessary to react to opponents of Katarina. There are champions that counter Katarina. These champions have advantages that can be dangerous for you. Ryze for instance is strong against Katarina and has a win rate of 55%. Another dangerous counter is Jayce.
When your opponent counter picks Katarina in champion select, you need to be aware. In this case, adjust your items and game to the situation.
Chosen of the Wolf Katarina is one of the 18 available skins for Katarina.
Conclusion
Many people are looking for Katarina pro builds, that players often used to win. By following our probuilds, you can turn Katarina into a beast. Especially if you also follow our Katarina guide. When you have your runes placed like we told you, Katarina will reach its full potential. Buying the items we listed will also increase your chances. Start with the abilities in the correct order to gain an advantage in early game.
When you build Katarina in League of Legends correctly, you will have a very capable champion. But as always you need to practice, especially when and how to use Death Lotus. League of Legends is a dynamic game that changes with every patch. Keep following the patch notes and keep adjusting your LoL Katarina build.
Also, keep reacting to the game itself. Do you play mid, top or bot? Who is support or jungle? Overall, a good game is the sum of the right decisions. Over time, you your skills with Katarina will grow. Once you mastered Katarina – the Sinister Blade – you will rule the rift.
