Talon is a medium lane pressure assassin who wants to push and create roam opportunities against Katarina's low early agency and lane pressure.
Deny Katarina a passive lane by using wave pressure and roam timers to prevent her from setting up dagger resets.
Trading pattern
Land W for poke and passive bleed, then threaten Q follow-up but avoid dashing in recklessly since Talon's E cooldown limits repositioning.
Punish Katarina if she uses Katarina E aggressively without dagger reset paths by counterattacking during her mobility cooldown.
Respect Katarina R channel; avoid committing to all-ins when her ultimate is available and uninterruptible.
Danger windows
Katarina is most dangerous when she has daggers positioned for resets and her R is channeling without crowd control to interrupt.
Avoid extended fights when Katarina's mobility (Katarina E) and resets are available, as she can chain kills.
Be cautious when forced to stay visible in lane, as Katarina can exploit this to engage or reset trades.
Early game
Use level 2 Q plus W to pressure Katarina and force her to play cautiously before she unlocks her dagger combo.
Avoid extended trades before level 6 as Katarina's resets and burst are limited without her ultimate.
Push the wave to limit Katarina's roam potential and keep her under turret farming.
Power spikes
Talon's major spikes are level 2 with Q and W pressure, level 6 with R burst and stealth, and first lethality item completion.
Katarina's spikes include level 3 dagger combo unlock, level 6 ultimate burst, and first burst item, all of which Talon must respect to avoid lethal trades.
Win conditions
Win by pushing the wave to create roam opportunities and use E to move around the map quickly, denying Katarina skirmish chances.
Punish Katarina's dagger setups and cooldowns by engaging when her mobility or ultimate is down.
Use level 6 R stealth burst to pick off Katarina before she can fully commit to fights or resets.
Tip: For Talon vs Katarina, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Mid lane check.
