Katarina vs Xerath MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Katarina

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Mid

Xerath

Katarina vs Xerath

Updated May 31, 2026

Overview

Katarina faces a high poke and zone control threat from Xerath, so she must manage dagger setups and cooldown windows carefully.
Avoid giving Xerath a passive lane to freely poke; focus on surviving early poke and punishing cooldowns to enable roams.

Trading pattern

Trade short bursts by placing daggers with Q or W, then use E only when Xerath's Xerath E stun or Xerath Q poke are on cooldown.
Avoid committing if no dagger is positioned or if Xerath's crowd control is available.
Capitalize on missed Xerath E or when Xerath is charging Xerath Q to engage with E and dagger resets.

Danger windows

Xerath's Xerath E stun is the primary threat; respect its cooldown and avoid dagger positions that expose you.
Xerath R channel can punish Katarina if caught in it or if crowd control interrupts Katarina's R.
Avoid jumping in without a clear reset path or when Xerath's poke and crowd control are available.

Early game

Play cautiously before level 3 to avoid Xerath's poke and stun, as Katarina's early agency is low.
Use minion waves and dagger positions to bait Xerath's Xerath E and punish its cooldown.
Avoid extended trades until dagger setup and Xerath's key cooldowns are used.

Power spikes

Katarina's major spikes are level 3 dagger combo, level 6 R all-in, and first burst item completion.
Xerath's major spikes at level 6 and after first mana/AP item require respect and cooldown tracking.
Respect Xerath's power spike from his ultimate for positioning and timing engages.

Win conditions

Survive early poke and punish Xerath's missed Xerath E or Xerath Q charges with dagger resets and E engages.
Use skirmishes and roams after pushing wave to snowball through resets.
Deny Xerath a calm scaling lane by forcing chaotic fights when his crowd control is down and dagger setups threaten damage and escape.