Katarina vs Qiyana MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Katarina

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Mid

Qiyana

Katarina vs Qiyana

Updated May 31, 2026

Overview

Katarina has low early agency and lane pressure; focus on surviving and punishing Qiyana's cooldowns rather than forcing early fights.
Deny Qiyana safe element setups near terrain to reduce her burst threat and limit her all-in windows.

Trading pattern

Trade around dagger setups with Q and W, using E only when Qiyana's mobility or crowd control is down.
Punish Qiyana's E if she uses it without lethal threat or escape path by jumping in for burst.
Avoid trading when Qiyana has the correct element for her Q poke or is near terrain for R impact.

Danger windows

Qiyana is most dangerous when she has the correct element and fights near terrain or river for R stun.
Avoid engaging when Qiyana's R is available and you lack dagger resets or cooldowns.
Be cautious if Qiyana has E dash ready and your dagger is poorly positioned, as she can punish your engage.

Early game

Avoid committing early trades before level 3 when Qiyana unlocks her element setup and dash burst.
Use dagger placement and wait for Qiyana to waste Qiyana E or Qiyana R before engaging short trades.
Preserve health to enable roams or skirmishes once wave state allows.

Power spikes

Katarina's level 3 unlocks Q-W-E dagger setup for her first real burst trade.
Katarina's level 6 R adds major all-in threat if Qiyana's crowd control or mobility is on cooldown.
Respect Qiyana's level 3 element setup and level 6 Qiyana R for terrain-based burst and stun.

Win conditions

Survive early lane without losing too much health and punish Qiyana's missed cooldowns with dagger trades.
Use skirmishes and river fights to find dagger reset windows and chain kills.
Deny Qiyana terrain access and element setups to reduce her all-in threat and enable safer roams.