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Thoughts on Katarina (played since the game released.)

Liracy·11/12/2016, 7:47:32 AM·2 votes·1,228 views

Hey guys, I haven't posted much in these new forums but this Kat rework has me here to share my thoughts and perhaps get some of your own. I've been playing the game since about a month after its release date, I was even playing Katarina in the original Garen Champion Spotlight. (When phreak claims his judgement rips apart master Yi when I am casually using death lotus right beside him, kek.)

I was pretty vocal both positively and negatively about Katarina's older remakes, but one thing was always apparent. I had fun playing her. The killer instincts into sinister steel was the first remake I was terrified of- but within two games I was still in love with the champion. She was still fast paced in your face amazing amounts of fun.

This rework however, is the very first time I felt like i was no longer playing Katarina. I had hopes and fears for the rework and after playing it I am a bit let down, please. Before you flame me into the ground hear me out. Yes. Her skill cap is higher. Incredibly so. She is harder to play, but the effort does not feel rewarded. She feels clunky. (I can rarely tell what my shunpo is hitting with the new indicator, and shunpo not being fully reset on dagger pickups slows her gameplay down to a snail's pace.)

I've had some good games, and I've had some bad games.. what I haven't had is fun. Being shoved into turret and flailing to last hit- two shots and an auto attack from kat won't get a melee minion and you can no longer set up casters with your w so those are a struggle as well- to having a majority of your budgeted damage easily avoidable really really feels bad. You're putting yourself on the line for damage that might not even land. You're going in and risking a jungler gank or worse and it's rarely worth it to do so.

The lack of ward hopping makes your roaming incredibly unsafe. The range and speed at which your daggers fall makes your damage not only telegraphed but way to slow / avoidable. My biggest hopes for this rework is that Katarina would have some of her lane problems alleiveiated at the cost of some kill potential.. when in reality- I find both trading and cs'ing to be near impossible against some matchups.

Look at some of the other assassin reworks? Lb always struggled with lane clear. They addressed this while giving her more map pressure and clever ways to use her clone.

Talon had mana and sustain issues, both were addressed with his rework. He is overall a stronger laner and roamer at this point. Not to mention how viable his jungling is now.

Kat? She got more damage at the cost of her guaranteed damage. She got more mobility at the cost of old mobility (wards) They took a bad lane and they made it worse.

Tldr; I don't have fun with the new Katarina, she isn't the same champion at all. Buff her lane phase. Make cs'ing reasonable (even if it's as simple as a base ad boost.) She is harder to play, make playing her correctly more rewarding.

@Riot @Phreak

11 Comments

Requiemsfire11/12/2016, 7:54:09 AM1 votes

Talon is a much weaker laner and a stronger roamer*

Liracy11/12/2016, 8:03:50 AM1 votes

._.

Banana Nations11/12/2016, 8:23:13 AM1 votes

Hi, I've only been maining kat since around early season 5. I have climbed a little bit with Katarina peaking d2 when I started at d5 but one thing was always apparent, sometimes there were no plays to be made, nothing to do, no way to win. There was no way to deal with it. I was skeptical about kata getting a rework but near the end of season six I was starting to not play her nearly as much cause generally i just wasnt having fun because half the time you just couldnt lane. With the new rework her laning phase feels much more rewarding when played well but much more risky since ward hops are gone. The fact she now has power spikes pre lvl 6 feels amazing in my opinino with the lvl 2 and lvl 3 all in potential.While her roaming is weaker I think it was a good trade for her laning power as with the case of a champion like Taliyah both can't exist in a healthy manner. Also she gained the potential to do more damage but also to have it be inconsistent really gives those high highs and low lows. Personally I love the katarina rework and many other high elo katarina mains i've spoken to (3 like it 1 doesn't) Overall i think she will be in a better spot overall but at the beginning of the rework her power being shaky is expected and it should even out by the time ranked is reset. I'd say keep in open mind or swap your main

Leathyl11/12/2016, 9:46:33 AM1 votes

I agree with this post 100%. I'm mastery 7 on Katarina and I've been maining her for years. Doesn't feel like the same glass cannon champion anymore. Used to be high skill, high reward. Now she just lacks any utility whatsoever.

NorisDesu11/14/2016, 1:54:08 AM1 votes

I feel u man, this is exacly what I think about this rework. As I said to my friend new kat is actually pretty cool but as new champion. Fact that they just taken away old kat infuriates me ^^ Is she that hard though? Dunno, I managed to make 30kills in first game i've played her and i'm not trying to brag, just sayin, i died a lot too. What i want to say she is too inconsistent, random flashes, dashes can completely deny your damage and u can't do shit about it. And that is partially reason why i had so many kills, i couldn't close the game even with tons of gold rotting on me. In my opinion melee assassin should have some guaranteed damage or at least more control over it (like q or w as skillshot). Peace!