Duo
| Style | Fast dive: two champions with charges and resets |
| Difficulty | High To verify |
| Strong at | Levels 3 to 6 and fights away from the tower |
| Weak against | Chained CC and shields To verify |
| Patch tier | Pending |
| Win rate | Pending |
Why it works
- Xin Zhao goes in. His E charges at an enemy, slows and gives him attack speed; his Q knocks an opponent up on the third hit.
- Katarina leaps. Her E teleports her next to the target; her W increases speed.
- Her R unleashes a flurry of blades on the 3 nearest champions.
- Challenge. Xin Zhao's R challenges an enemy he has recently damaged.
Weak points: Chained CC and shields; it depends on coordination between both players. To verify
Powerspikes by level
| Level | What changes | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Xin Zhao's Q and Katarina's E: gank on mid. | Coordinate the play before going in. |
| 6 | Katarina's R and Xin Zhao's R: dive in the fight. | Coordinate the play before going in. |
Combo (mid gank)
- Xin Zhao: E to charge.
- Xin Zhao: Q to knock up on the third hit.
- Katarina: E to appear next to the target.
- Katarina: R for the final damage. To verify
Combo mistakes: doing it when the other isn't ready or without vision of the map.
Level 6 protocol
- Xin Zhao: R to challenge.
- Katarina: R on the three nearest. To verify
Game plan
| Phase | Goal | Key action |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Farm without giving away health. | Vision and communication. |
| 3-5 | First strong trade. | Xin Zhao's Q and Katarina's E: gank on mid. |
| 6+ | Decisive fights. | Katarina's R and Xin Zhao's R: dive in the fight. |
Runes and summoner spells
To verify
| Champion | Main path | Spells |
|---|---|---|
| Katarina | Electrocute or Arcane Comet | Flash + Ignite |
| Xin Zhao | Conqueror or Electrocute | Flash + Smite |
Items, matchups and bans
Pending No patch data. Bans by mechanic (hypotheses to verify): Chained CC and shields. Win-rate-based bans will come with Riot API data. To verify
Critical mistakes to avoid
- Katarina alone without Xin Zhao.
- Spending the E before the control.
- Diving without vision.
How to play against Katarina + Xin Zhao
Withstand the dive with CC and kill Katarina when she goes in. To verify
Frequently asked questions
What does Katarina's R do? It damages the 3 nearest enemy champions.
Methodology and updates
- Data source: abilities from Data Dragon 16.21.1; own analysis, untested.
- Last review: Pending.
