Katarina strategy

Neutral is when both players can act freely. It makes up most of the game, so learning how to play it is critical. There's no point mastering all the combos and setups if you can't use them in an actual game.

This page contains a brief overview of this character's key neutral tools followed by advice for putting them together.

Basic Gameplan

Katarina excels at using small pokes to annoy and frustrate an opponent into pressing buttons. She capitalizes on this using her above-average movement to bait whiffs and punish them, and to generate counterhits. She gets rewarded for these with above-average combo damage. Most of her tools put her in frame-ambiguous situations (-3 to +3) where neither player has too many of their options restricted, especially related to movement. This requires her to read opponent tendencies well to capitalize on them.

Katarina's gameplan can be abstractly described as follows (best viewed on desktop) -

                                                        ┌──────────────────┐
                                                        │                  │
                                                    ┌──►|  Use movement to ├──────────────┐
                                                    │   │   create whiffs  │              │
                                                    │   │                  │              │
┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────┐     |   └──────────────────┘   ┌──────────▼───────────┐
│                 │     │                     │ Yes │                          │                      │
│  Poke opponent  ├────►│  Opponent mashing?  ├─────┤                          │     Get massive      │
│                 │     │                     │     │                          │    combo damage!     │
└───────▲─────────┘     └────────┬────────────┘     |   ┌──────────────────┐   │                      │
        │                        │                  │   │                  │   └───────────▲──────────┘
        │                        │                  │   │     Fish for     │               │
        └────────────────────────┘                  └──►|    counterhits   ├───────────────┘
                  No                                    │                  │
                                                        └──────────────────┘

Pokes

Katarina wants to use her poking tools to chip away at opponent health and pressure opponents into retaliating. Her key poking tools are:

1

basic i10 high jab which is +1 on block. Use it to keep up pressure and watch for opponent responses

1,1

basic jab string which has extensions to discourage opponents from taking their turn, even though it is minus on block (see Mental Frame Advantage). Use it to keep up poke pressure

1,1,2

high-extension to 1,1 which gives a whopping +7 on block, but can be ducked and launched. On block, d/f+4 is a common frame trap, but good opponents will simply backdash or sidestep if you try these flowcharts. The best option is to dash in and continue pressure

1,1,1

mid-extension to 1,1. Use it to discourage opponents from ducking 1,1,2

d/f+1

basic i13 mid-poke to prevent opponents from using big moves, and catching them ducking or using high-crushes. It is -2 on block, so a magic 4 will trade with retaliatory d/f+1s and CH-launch anything slower

d/f+1,1

high extension to d/f+1 to discourage opponents from pressing or stepping after d/f+1 on block. It is technically duckable, but is fairly quick so most players won't be able to if used sparingly

d+3

i16 standing low poke which is neutral on hit and -12 on block. Use it to chip away at opponents who are stand-guarding too much

d+4

basic i12 low which has amazing range for a move of its type, high-crushes and is minus on hit. Use it to chip away at your opponent. Also useful to enter FC for mixups (although you enter at minus frames, so be careful). Try playing around with the range you use it at to bait whiffs with a backdash.

1,4

high-low string which gives +1 on hit. Serves as a good round ender. The second hit can be low-parried even on hit, so don't get predictable.

Counterhits

Katarina wants to use her CH tools to catch an opponent disrespecting her frames. Use them after a plus on block move like a jab after keeping up pressure and forcing an opponent to stay still for a while. She can also fish for CHs using them if she has a read on her opponent's timing. Her main counterhit tools are:

4

standard i11 magic 4 which is -12 on block but has extensions so is typically not punished unless overused. Requires a tricky pickup with f,F+2 or f,F+4 for a full combo.

4,4

extension to magic 4 which allows for an easier pickup into a full combo. Can be sidestepped right, but this is tricky to do

d/f+4

standard i15 mid CH launcher. It is a knee, so it is unparriable by generic reversals.

d+2

long-range, somewhat slow (i20) CH launcher which is unsafe at -10, but can be used to transition into HAR with plus frames on block, which will evade the punish. Use it if you have a read on an opponent approaching you, or to switch up your timing on fishing for CHs.

b+4

long-range (i17) CH launcher which is very unsafe at -15, but has follow-ups (b+4,1+2 and b+4,3+4) which will catch opponents if they attempt to punish. It also has some pushback at tip range, which makes punish attempts whiff. Use it if you have a read on an opponent approaching you. b+4,1+2 gives +1 on block but is a duckable high, while b+4,3+4 risks a -12 WS punish (which isn't too bad, depending on the match-up). Use the latter at first if you want to discourage opponents from punishing b+4, then CH-fish with raw b+4.

Whiff Punishers

Katarina wants to use her above-average sidesteps and backdashes to cause opponent retaliation (from her poke pressure) to whiff and capitalize on these with some great long-range whiff punishers. Her main whiff punishment tools are:

1,1

use for small whiffs when in range, typically after jab or d/f+1 whiffs from a sidestep

2,2

use for medium whiffs, typically after a backdash. Be careful because this is -12 on block if you misjudge the timing, and a high-high, so the opponent might duck after whiffing.

3,3,3,3,3

an i14 mid string which can be hit-confirmed. Use it for whiffs out of sidesteps or backdashes. It is safe (-9) if you can hit-confirm and stop after 2 hits. If you stop after 3 hits (which is easier to do), you still only eat an i10 punish. This can lead to another ambiguous situation if you transition to HAR to evade the punish. This string can also be used as a poke, and it tends to clip steppers.

u/f+4,4

generic hopkick. Kat's hopkick has above-average range, so make use of it.

u/f+3

a big somersault which leads to great damage but is -15 on block. Use it only for the biggest whiffs.

f,F+2,4

this has great range due to the f,F input, so use it for long-range whiff-punishes. Beware of opponents ducking and launching the second hit if this gets blocked.

b+4,1+2 > u/b+4

alternative i17 mid whiff punisher for when hopkick might not reach. The second hit can be ducked and launched, so be careful

Dealing with stepping

Katarina's key poking tools all have a common weakness - they can be easily stepped to the right (or are lows). An opponent who knows how and where to step Katarina's tools can be difficult to deal with, and greatly limit her moveset. Kat has limited and low-reward tools to deal with stepping. Use these when you think an opponent might step. However, using fundamental, movement-based techniques like dash-realignment and timing delays to catch stepping is a must. Kat's best tools to deal with stepping opponents are:

b+1,2

a safe i14 mid-mid string which tracks SSR. It has good range. Kat moves forward with this move, so it can be a good gap-closer, but at -8, you completely give up your turn on block. It is +5 on hit which allows for good mix-up options.

d/f+2

a safe i17 mid poke which tracks SSR. It is slow for a poke but has better range, as well as the threat of extensions. Use it at range 1 or beyond.

d+3

previously mentioned as a poke, also tracks both sides

d+4

previously mentioned as a poke, also tracks both sides

f,F+4

a slow homing move with decent range. It is -13 but has pushback which makes it mostly unpunishable except at the wall. Use it to discourage stepping at range 1.5, but beware of whiffing since it recovers very slowly.

Breaking Turtles

Katarina's poking arsenal lacks an effective tool to encourage opponents to duck. d+3 and d+4 (12 and 7 dmg respectively) do not do much damage, nor do they give Kat plus frames to continue her pressure. Her bigger lows (d/f+3+4, d/b+3, d/b+4) are slow and very risky, and therefore inadvisable. Her best tools for this situation are her full-crouch (FC) mixup and Harrier mixup, the former of which can also be entered from Harrier. If an opponent is turtling or they've been sufficiently conditioned to respect your frames, you can enforce these mixups to get more damage.

FC Mixups

Katarina has a medium-risk, medium-reward FC mixup. Kat needs to stay at range 1-1.5 for it to be a threat, so ensure the opponent is sufficiently respecting you so that you can crouch in their face. Katarina's tools to use for her full-crouch mixup are:

ws4

i11 mid from crouch. Use it to test opponent responses from FC. If it catches them, you get +8 to continue pressure (and can try more rewarding mids from FC). If it gets blocked, you are only left at -3, allowing you to move freely. This makes it a very useful tool

ws3,3,3,3,3

similar to the standing version, use this to catch ducking opponents. Gives more damage than ws4, but needs to be hit-confirmed for safety

FC d/f+4

a chunky i17 low which is -16 on block. It is unseeable but risky, and the best option to use to encourage opponents to duck. This can be abused on characters who don't get a full launch if they block it (e.g. Steve, Marduk)

ws2

standard i15 launcher from FC. It is -13 on block, so use it only when you have a read on the opponent ducking

Harrier Mixups

Katarina has decent options for mixing up opponents from HAR if they respect it. HAR mixups are somewhat dependent on how much the opponent knows the Katarina match-up, since the tools can be easily neutralized if they know how to. The risk/reward goes increasingly against Katarina the more your opponent knows the matchup.

Katarina can enter Harrier from a number of strings, and this affects the usefulness of her options from it. These are explained in more detail in the Harrier section. This section will just detail Katarina's tools to mix-up from Harrier, which are:

HAR cancel

a basic HAR cancel into FC (or even another HAR cancel) can be great to test opponent responses to HAR. If they jab or d/f+1, use HAR 1 next time. If they duck jab, use HAR u/f+3 or HAR d/f+3 next time (or repeat the string without entering Harrier and low parry). If they SSR, use HAR d/f+2,3 or enter full crouch and use FC d/f+4 or ws4

HAR 1

use if you expect the opponent to retaliate; gives a 50 dmg mini-combo on CH, but can be ducked and launched, or stepped right

HAR 4

use if you expect the opponent to duck; gives a wall-bounce

HAR u/f+3

use if you expect the opponent to use a duck jab or low; it low crushes and launches on CH

HAR d/f+3

use as a low mix-up option from HAR; also low crushes and has a similar animation to HAR u/f+3

Panic Moves

Katarina doesn't have too many defensive options such as reversals or good backswing blows. Some moves which can serve as decent panic moves in a pinch are:

4

standard magic 4 which you can mash if your opponent is pressuring you. If their pressure happens to have holes in it, you might score a CH

b+3

i12 mid get-off-me move which gives a unique animation on CH creating space between Kat and her opponent. This also doubles as decent keep-out tool

b+3+4

Kat's backswing blow which high-crushes and has decent tracking to both sides. Use when an opponent is pressuring with highs. Despite being punishable at -14, it creates enough space on block that most characters cannot reliably punish it.

b+2

Kat's second backswing blow which launches. It doesn't create a lot of space before becoming active, so use it with care

f+3+4

standard mid power crush; punishable (-13) but can help you get out of pressure

Keep-out

Katarina is not designed to play keep-out and doesn't as such have great tools for this playstyle. Apart from fundamental jabs and d/f+1s, most tools you could use for keep-out need to be timed well, otherwise they could be baited and whiff-punished. Kat's best tools for playing keep-out are:

b+3

a mid-range mid poke with decent recovery, that pushes opponents back on CH

b+4

a mid-range CH launcher that can catch opponents rushing in

d+1

a mid-range mid poke with poor recovery that knocks down on CH

d/f+3+4

a long-range evasive low which is normally on the seeable side (i25) but can work for keep-out when the opponent is focused on getting in

Wall Game

Characters take advantage of having their opponent at the wall to use their restricted movement in order to land more rewarding mixups, or score a wall splat or wall bounce, allowing for a mini-combo for high damage.

Katarina's best wall splatting tools are 3,4, b+1,F > HAR 1, b+1,1 and d/f+2 extensions. f,F+4 is slow, and becomes punishable at the wall (-13) by all characters. These tools either are unsafe (-10, b+1,1, d/f+2,2) or have duckable highs (3,4, d/f+2,4, b+1,F > HAR 1). While players will usually refrain from ducking at the wall, a knowledgeable player might be able to exploit these weaknesses. Use only the first hit of the string to test their reactions and inform your next move. Use d/f+2 and b+1,F to catch stepping instead of f,F+4.

An opponent could simply stand block and work their way out of the wall. Here, you will need to use lows. Katarina only gains one buff to her lows at the wall, and that is d/b+3 can now be followed up with u/b+4. You should still use this sparingly (as it is somewhat reactable at 24f) and use d+3 and FC d/f+4 instead. Use 3,4 as the mid mixup from FC to score a wall splat.

Katarina has only one wall bounce tool in HAR 4. You can fish for wall bounces by mixing HAR 4 with HAR 1 to discourage ducking.

Okizeme

Post u/b+4

After u/b+4, the opponent is FDFA. This situation occurs after many of Katarina's moves on counterhit. See the Minicombos section for a full list.

Katarina options

HAR d/f+3

hits grounded; beats stand blocking; can be floated with iws4 (ws4 > d+2,F,DB > ws4 > d+2,F > HAR d/f+2,3 S! > dash > d+2,F > HAR 4)

HAR u/f+3

hits grounded or crouching for an u/b+4 follow-up (which loops the situation again); safe on block; can be floated with iws4

HAR 1

lands as CH on iws4, giving a f,F+3 > u/b+4 follow-up (which loops the situation again); can be ducked and launched, but impossible to whiff punish from grounded since FDFA moves are too slow

HAR 4

must be done immediately; safe on block; can be punished for a float with FDFT.3 (Katarina moves to the other side of the defender)

Defender options

Techroll

can be done in any direction

backroll

D/B

iws4

done by holding D/B to recover crouching and then doing ws4 as fast as possible

grounded

staying grounded and punishing a whiffed option with FDFT.3 (Katarina moves to the other side after whiffing HAR 4)

sideroll right

this allows the defender to escape everything, although Katarina doesn't suffer any punish either. Not included in the mixup analysis since we haven't figured out a way for Kat to beat this

Mixup:Kat-ub4-oki.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Katarina post-ub+4 oki mixup in the mirror on infinite stage.

	Techroll	DB	iws4	OTG	OTG.1
HAR.df+3	20	-15	-53	16	0
HAR.uf+3	0	38	-53	34	0
HAR.1	0	-72	52	0	0
HAR.4	0	27	32	-47	0
dash d+3+4	0	0	0	22	22

Nash equilibrium with payoff 2.7

HAR.df+3

0.14

HAR.1

0.03

HAR.4

0.26

dash d+3+4

0.58

Techroll

0.6

DB

0.1

iws4

0.18

OTG

0.12

Payoff for dominated options

HAR.uf+3

-1.96

OTG.1

-12.67

Practical analysis

Most common defender options in this situation are techroll or backroll. Use HAR d/f+3 until the defender starts using d/b (common option among intermediate players, iws4 not typically used). Mix in HAR u/f+3 now. Advanced players might use iws4, so mix in HAR 1.

Post HAR 4 ender

Katarina gets this situation after ending her combos with HAR 4. The opponent is FUFT.

Katarina options

HAR d/f+3

hits grounded and techroll to either side; -12 on block if defender ducks

HAR u/f+3

hits grounded or if defender ducks, and gives u/b+4 follow-up; safe on block

HAR cancel

HAR dash into cancel to bait a wake-up attack or spring kick, and launch with u/f+4,4

Defender options

techroll

if the opponent techrolls or quickstands into standing guard

D/B

if the opponent techrolls or quickstands into crouching guard; since Katarina has below average ws i11 punishment (15 dmg), an above-average value of 25 dmg has been assumed for analysis

wakeup attack

if the opponent uses FUFT.3 or FUFT.4; defender should ideally never do this

spring kick

if the opponent uses FUFT.3+4

grounded

if the opponent stays grounded

kip-up

always gets beaten by Katarina's options, so not included in the analysis

Mixup:Kat-har4-oki.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Katarina post-HAR.4 ender oki in the mirror on an infinite stage

	Techroll	DB	FUFT.3_4	FUFT.3+4	OTG
HAR.df+3	20	-15	42	-20	16
HAR.uf+3	0	38	76	-16	34
HAR.D	0	0	72	72	0

Nash equilibrium with payoff 7.46

HAR.df+3

0.37

HAR.uf+3

0.34

HAR.D

0.28

Techroll

0.66

DB

0.24

FUFT.3+4

0.1

Payoff for dominated options

FUFT.3_4

-62.19

OTG

-17.65

Post-1+3 throw

Techroll

b+4, u/b+4

stays on the ground

d+3+4

Post 2+4 throw

forward roll

u/b+4, d+3