In the major Assassin update for LoL, Katarina receives changes to her kit that provide more opportunities for counterplay.
In a forum post, Riot Beluga Whale explained which changes we can expect with Katarina’s update. These changes are intended to make Katarina’s gameplay feel particularly agile and deadly in the future. While this champion already has a unique kit, there are various situations in the game where this kit is meant to be improved.
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Playing tactically with and against Katarina
One of the main goals of the update is to provide both Katarina and her opponents opportunities for tactical “plays” and “counterplays”. It has been frustrating in team fights when Katarina can cast 5 spell rotations as quickly as possible, jumping from one target to another and creating a massive chaos of blades. As with the updates for other assassins, there are plans to incorporate “windows” into the timing of her spells that opponents can exploit.
Her E (Shunpo) & W (Sinister Steel) combo is no longer intended to function as seamlessly as before. In return, Katarina players can expect significantly higher mobility. It should also be easier to participate in or quickly exit a fight.
Laning Phase
The developers are no longer satisfied with Katarina’s current laning phase. It feels like one has to “sneak” through this phase of the game somehow. The laning phase is meant to be deadlier for Katarina and her opponents through the update.
Express skill, don’t “face roll”!
If one wanted to show that they mastered Katarina well, it often led to being called a “facero†oller” in the past. While it is possible to win fights with Katarina just by mindlessly pounding on the keyboard, the Riot developers know that this champion has a steep learning curve. It’s all about striking at the right moment and being familiar with the CC abilities of opposing champions.
In the future, there should be more moments where it’s clearer when a Katarina player has simply “outplayed” their opponent, whether through clever deception or through quick “prediction plays”. Through these changes, Riot hopes to better express skill, reducing the likelihood of insults such as “facero†oller”.
Resets! What about the resets?
When you hear about an “update” for Katarina, probably one of the first words that comes to mind is “resets”. They are a powerful tool when it comes to high-stakes, high-reward battles. These resets are now being overhauled, particularly Shunpo (E) will be affected. Since Katarina can jump to eyes/wards, multiple resets of Shunpo will be extremely powerful.
With the update, it is no longer possible to jump to eyes/wards with Shunpo. This allows the developers to further enhance the ability and add more power to its reset. Although Katarina remains a deadly threat in fights, she must be more cautious about how she escapes from combat. The developers are aware that the “ward jump” is considered “skill expression” for many players. However, with the overhaul of Shunpo in the update, there should be more opportunities to master Katarina.
