Katarina throws daggers, jumps to them, spins around, and does crazy AoE damage to her enemies. The only way to really stop Katarina from carrying is to lock her down with stuns, roots, and silences.
Otherwise, she’ll delete all 5 enemy champions in a matter of seconds. That’s how powerful she is.
Although Kata has a unique style, there are tons of League of Legends champions in the same category – mobile AP assassin.
Yes, you won’t get the same set of abilities, but there are many champions similar to Katarina. And if you like playing Kata, I’m sure you’ll love playing them too.
That said, let’s check the top 7 best champions like Katarina in League of Legends.
The Best Champions Like Katarina in LoL
1. Akali
Akali is the first champion that comes to mind when talking about champions like Karina in League.
Not only are they both champions without mana, but they’re also extremely mobile AP assassins able to outplay the entire enemy team.
Unlike Katarina, Akali’s mobility is tied to two spells – E and R.
Akali’s E – Shuriken Flip allows her to dash backward and dodge the opponent’s attack. But she can also reactivate this ability to dash directly to the marked target, no matter where they are.
This mechanic also works with Akali’s invisibility shroud and she can effectively dash into invisibility.
Akali’s ult – Perfect Execution has two parts. With the first cast, Akali dashes through an enemy champion and deals a bit of magic damage.
But with her second cast, Akali lunges herself in a chosen direction, dealing lots of AP damage to all enemies she passes through.
Aside from these super useful tools for an assassin, Akali can also hide in invisibility and deal extra damage with her auto-attacks.
You can go for tank builds if you don’t like to be squishy. And you’ll have tons of fun playing Akali!
Read Also: Akali AD Bruiser Build Guide
2. Ekko
Next on the list is Ekko. Ekko is another mid laner similar to Katarina, both in abilities and playstyle. And if you’re a fan of collectibles and Ekko, you should check out this link.
One of the biggest advantages you have as Ekko is your survivability. This is what Katarina always lacks and it’s also the reason why climbing with Ekko is so easy.
For starters, Ekko’s W – Parallel Convergence gives him a shield and stuns all enemy champions in a chosen area. Katarina has neither of these tools, so Ekko is already a tankier assassin than her.
However, that’s not all!
Ekko’s R – Chronobreak is a ticket-out-of-death card. Once activated, it brings Ekko back to the position in which he was 4 seconds ago, healing him significantly in the process.
This ability makes Ekko one of the most forgiving champions in League of Legends. And it’s super helpful to have Chronobreak in your kit as an assassin, the most high-risk and high-reward playstyle in the game.
Other than survivability, Ekko has scary burst damage. This mainly comes from his passive, which requires him to hit an enemy champion 3 times with abilities or auto-attacks.
Ekko’s Q is great for clearing minions and his dash is on the same button as Katarina’s jump – E. Not to mention that Ekko can be played in the jungle as well as in the mid lane.
So, no reason not to try him!
Read Also: The Best Champions Like Yasuo
3. Talon
If you’re looking to switch things up and play an AD version of Katarina, my first recommendation is Talon.
This champion is an extremely powerful pick in the mid lane, able to roam, win 1v1 fights, and one-shot enemy carries.
One of the things that make Talon such a great assassin is his R – Shadow Assault. Unlike Katarina, Talon disappears into invisibility when he activates his ultimate.
This allows him to position perfectly, launch all of his daggers into one enemy, and do a perfect execution.
Aside from fact that it’s more difficult to CC Talon than Katarina, he also has a point-click dash on his Q. This spell does a lot of damage, especially with a couple of AD lethality items.
In the lane, Talon doesn’t struggle too much against anyone. He has his W – Rake to farm minions from afar, so he doesn’t even need to enter harm’s range.
But what makes Talon a super-effective champion for climbing is his E – Assassin’s Path. This spell allows Talon to hop over all the walls on Summoner’s Rift.
And thanks to it, Talon can reach bot or top in a matter of seconds.
So, Talon’s ganks are one of his biggest strengths. And you better use that to your advantage!
That’s why Talon is one of the best champions like Katarina in LoL!
Read Also: 7 Champions Like Ahri
4. Fizz
Fizz is another AP assassin that you’re definitely going to love if you like playing Katarina. He is one of my personal mains and I can tell you for a fact that this champion never gets boring!
Although Katarina has resets and can fight relentlessly in the late game, Fizz has powerful tools too. His playstyle is more “calculative” whereas Katarina’s playstyle is more chaotic.
Unlike Katarina, Fizz’s ultimate attaches to a single enemy champion and after a few seconds, it deals massive AP damage. Fizz needs to aim this ability properly because it allows him to line up the rest of his abilities.
So, instead of jumping in and slashing everyone, Fizz needs to choose a single opponent to assassinate. He does this by jumping over the enemy champion that has his ultimate and piercing him with a W+Q combo.
Because Fizz’s damage is centered around one target, Fizz has an overall better burst than Katarina.
Don’t get me wrong, Fizz can also deal a lot of AoE damage, but his specialty is assassinating the enemy ADC or mid laner.
Fizz works with mana, but that’s not a big problem most of the time. His recommended items give him everything he needs, so you’re all set.
Read Also: 15 Best Mid Laners for Beginners
5. Zed
Zed is one of the most popular assassins in League of Legends. And he’s often compared to the other champions in this list, especially Katarina.
If you’re used to Katarina’s playstyle, it won’t be difficult for you to play Zed. Of course, Zed is a bit more mechanical champion than Kata, so he’s definitely not an easy-to-play pick.
However, the same complexity that makes Zed a hard champion also makes him powerful and fun!
For example, Zed doesn’t have resets on his mobility. Instead, he can only jump with his W and R abilities but he needs to be careful about when and where he uses them.
However, swapping places with his shadows isn’t the only thing that Zed can do with these two spells. He can also mimic his damaging abilities through them, like throwing shurikens.
It’s not always easy to aim an ability from another point on your screen, so you can expect Zed to be a bit challenging.
Like Fizz, Zed’s ulti can only be used on one enemy champion. You definitely want to mark an ADC, a mid laner, or a squishy support with it.
And once you jump to them, you should do as much damage as possible with the rest of your abilities.
If you do this right, you’ll easily find out why Zed is one of the best champions like Katarina in League of Legends!
Read Also: The Best Champions Like Zed
6. Irelia
If you’re into a chaotic, bursty, and extremely powerful melee playstyle, you should definitely try out Irelia. Just like Katarina, Irelia can 1v5 the enemy team if she isn’t stopped in the early game.
And that makes her such a powerful mid lane champion for climbing in LoL!
One of the biggest similarities between Kata and Irelia is her Q – Bladesurge. This is one of the best-designed abilities in League of Legends.
It’s super useful throughout the game, from level 1 to level 18. And here’s what it does.
With Bladesurge, Irelia dashes to a chosen target, dealing lots of damage in the process. But if the target dies, Bladesurge is reset and Irelia can dash again.
Similarly, if Irelia marks an enemy with E or R, she can use Bladesurge twice on that enemy.
This creates a very dynamic playstyle where you constantly dash and deal damage to all enemies in range.
Irelia is also a tankier champion than Katarina. She has her W – Defiant Dance which allows her to block up to 70% incoming physical damage and 35% magic damage. She has a stun too, which Katarina also lacks.
All in all, Irelia is a great substitute for Katarina in LoL!
7. Master Yi
And finally, I’d recommend you swap Katarina for Master Yi. I know, Yi is not a mid laner and it’s not always easy to play him in that role.
However, if you ever find yourself in the jungle, Master Yi is the best replacement for Katarina.
For starters, Master Yi and Katarina are one of the few champions without any skill shots in their ability kits.
And they’re both able to do crazy damage to all enemy champions while moving around and dodging abilities.
Playing Master Yi is all about timing your Q – Alpha Strike. This button allows Yi to disappear and slash all nearby enemies.
The cooldown of Alpha Strike is lowered when he auto-attacks, so you should keep on right-clicking and using Q to dodge harmful spells.
Aside from great damage, Master Yi has good survivability too. His W – Meditate allows him to heal his HP and reduce the incoming damage.
His build includes a lot of lifesteal too, so you’ll never have a problem in the jungle.
Overall, Yi can be a great fun pick if you want to try something similar to Kata.
That said, these are the 7 best champions like Katarina in League of Legends!
