Smolder - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
49.9%
Pick Rate
6.4%

Smoldervs Katarina

CMarksmanMage
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 21, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Smolder vs Katarina is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.7. Katarina wins with a 55.6% win rate (+11.1%) over Smolder based on 9 games. Katarina wins the early laning phase while Smolder scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Smolder vs Katarina matchup.

Smolder Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Smolder performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.

Compare against an opponent
Katarina - 44.4% win rateKatarina(44.4%)
Smolder - 44.4% win rate in this matchup
Smolder
44.4% WR
VS
Katarina vs Smolder matchup - 55.6% win rate
Katarina
55.6% WR

Who Wins the Smolder vs Katarina Matchup?

Katarina wins the Smolder vs Katarina matchup
Winner
Katarina
Matches: 9
44.4%
Win Rate
55.6%
7.4
CS / min
5.8
1,015
DMG / min
851
13,309
Gold / game
11,758
181
Heal / min
222
400
DMG Mitigated / min
637
0.4
CC / min
0.1
25.0%
Early Game WR
75.0%
60.0%
Late Game WR
40.0%

Smolder vs Katarina Matchup Summary

The Smolder vs Katarina matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 9 recent matches analyzed, Katarina wins with a 55.6% win rate compared to Smolder's 44.4%, giving Katarina a 11.1 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Katarina controls the early laning stage, but Smolder outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Katarina needs to press advantages before Smolder reaches their power spikes, while Smolder should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Smolder leads by 0.3s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Katarina has a strong advantage in this matchup. Smolder players should play defensively, prioritize safe farming under tower, and look for opportunities created by jungle pressure or Katarina overextending. Avoid prolonged trades and wait for team fights where positioning and coordination matter more. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Smolder vs Katarina Laning Phase Breakdown

Smolder wins the laning phase against Katarina in League of Legends

Smolder is favored during the laning phase against Katarina, winning 4 out of 5 key stat categories. Smolder holds advantages in farming, damage, gold income and crowd control, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
7.4Smolder
5.8Katarina
Smolder significantly out-farms Katarina by 1.7 CS per minute, accumulating an estimated 25 CS lead by mid game. This substantial farming gap gives Smolder a major gold advantage and earlier item completions. Katarina players should prioritize wave management techniques like freezing near tower and using abilities efficiently to minimize the deficit.
Damage
1,015Smolder
851Katarina
Smolder heavily out-damages Katarina by 164 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Katarina should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Smolder's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
13,309Smolder
11,758Katarina
Smolder generates a commanding 1,551 more gold per game than Katarina. This substantial economic advantage means Smolder consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Katarina should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
0.4Smolder
0.1Katarina
Smolder provides 0.3 seconds more crowd control per minute than Katarina, offering better gank setup potential and slightly more team fight utility. This CC advantage helps Smolder coordinate with their jungler and control the pace of skirmishes.
Sustain
581Smolder
860Katarina
Katarina vastly out-sustains Smolder, healing and mitigating 279 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Katarina can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Smolder is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Smolder, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Smolder Build Against Katarina

Crimson Lucidity is the optimal boots choice against Katarina, providing the mobility and stats Smolder needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Smolder against Katarina are Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin and Rapid Firecannon. This combination gives Smolder an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 100.0% win rate across 1 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Katarina. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Smolder vs Katarina matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Katarina
75.0%
+50.0% advantage
Smolder early game win rateSmolder25.0%
Katarina early game win rateKatarina75.0%
Late Game
Smolder
60.0%
+20.0% advantage
Smolder late game win rateSmolder60.0%
Katarina late game win rateKatarina40.0%

Katarina dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 75.0% win rate — a 50.0 percentage point lead over Smolder. This lopsided early game means Katarina can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Smolder is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 60.0% win rate — 20.0 points above Katarina. Extended games heavily favor Smolder, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Katarina must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Smolder reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Smolder survives the laning phase without falling too far behind, the matchup flips in their favor. Dragon and Rift Herald control are pivotal — the team that secures early objectives can snowball or buy time to scale.

Best Smolder Runes Against Katarina

Precision rune tree - Smolder primary runes vs KatarinaPrecision
Fleet Footwork - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaPresence of Mind - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaLegend: Haste - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaCoup de Grace - best Smolder rune vs Katarina
Sorcery rune tree - Smolder secondary runes vs KatarinaSorcery
Gathering Storm - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaTranscendence - best Smolder rune vs Katarina
100.0% WR

The Precision and Sorcery rune setup gives Smolder the best tools to compete against Katarina in this difficult matchup, compensating for the statistical disadvantages with optimal rune synergies.


Smolder matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.7. The table below shows Smolder's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Smolder matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.7
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
52.62%5347.199214,04656.0%50.5%
47.30%4827.197613,62851.9%43.8%
45.36%4637.295613,71347.0%44.0%
52.44%4506.999314,21556.3%50.3%
50.92%4367.199414,15948.2%52.6%
51.72%3197.31,03614,13342.0%59.1%
52.73%2567.31,09714,38954.8%51.1%
54.63%2277.01,01314,12153.1%55.8%
54.21%2147.21,02113,92651.0%56.8%
47.18%1956.996014,14348.7%46.2%
48.95%1436.998013,30251.4%46.6%
51.47%1367.31,02914,30050.0%52.6%
54.48%1347.195013,66350.9%57.1%
45.31%1287.395513,73150.0%40.6%
51.59%1266.91,01014,09541.8%59.1%
50.85%1186.994113,44143.8%55.7%
50.43%1157.21,04613,86748.1%52.5%
46.30%1087.81,06513,69345.6%46.8%
54.46%1017.31,11215,01062.5%49.2%
55.81%867.298114,56551.4%58.8%
51.95%777.499313,58650.0%54.0%
48.00%757.497613,74650.0%46.3%
50.00%687.089713,08439.3%57.5%
57.35%687.397814,71142.1%63.3%
43.10%587.41,04713,67956.0%33.3%
56.90%587.096814,39865.0%52.6%
56.60%537.199914,08045.8%65.5%
65.38%527.31,09614,85865.0%65.6%
60.42%487.11,06313,56054.5%65.4%
53.33%457.21,30114,84166.7%38.1%
50.00%426.778012,28041.2%56.0%
60.53%387.31,03314,21446.7%69.6%
34.21%387.61,11515,41938.5%32.0%
34.62%267.11,13612,45836.4%33.3%
42.31%267.21,01113,33166.7%29.4%
47.62%217.297215,83060.0%43.8%
52.38%217.595812,39950.0%55.6%
66.67%187.192912,16366.7%66.7%
55.56%187.21,03213,04362.5%50.0%
50.00%187.51,20114,30240.0%53.9%
70.59%177.275510,87655.6%87.5%
52.94%177.01,13316,24250.0%53.9%
43.75%167.585013,4460.0%63.6%
43.75%166.699714,01633.3%50.0%
40.00%157.01,11412,84040.0%40.0%
60.00%156.786513,59820.0%80.0%
46.67%157.994612,89544.4%50.0%
57.14%146.61,28412,60350.0%62.5%
50.00%147.386012,60557.1%42.9%
61.54%137.282813,36580.0%50.0%
23.08%137.498113,84725.0%22.2%
30.77%137.081712,4050.0%50.0%
66.67%127.287513,165100.0%50.0%
66.67%127.01,16110,97066.7%66.7%
66.67%127.188914,47175.0%62.5%
33.33%127.41,36313,52716.7%50.0%
33.33%126.572011,12533.3%33.3%
27.27%116.61,12813,78433.3%25.0%
81.82%118.11,04713,71566.7%100.0%
36.36%117.597711,22525.0%42.9%
72.73%117.31,23715,32475.0%71.4%
50.00%108.294013,85275.0%33.3%
70.00%107.01,08415,758100.0%62.5%
60.00%106.91,31612,80583.3%25.0%
55.56%97.41,17114,08050.0%60.0%
44.44%96.897312,68233.3%50.0%
100.00%97.91,03113,078100.0%100.0%
55.56%96.379610,73133.3%100.0%
44.44%97.41,01513,30925.0%60.0%
75.00%86.81,09311,74683.3%50.0%
50.00%88.41,33211,26540.0%66.7%
25.00%86.985111,51250.0%0.0%
62.50%86.878512,861100.0%50.0%
50.00%86.880410,65333.3%60.0%
57.14%77.298514,265100.0%25.0%
28.57%76.31,00213,829100.0%16.7%
28.57%78.184312,0810.0%40.0%
57.14%77.51,06516,6420.0%66.7%
71.43%77.51,11415,15450.0%100.0%
83.33%67.21,08815,496100.0%75.0%
33.33%67.093714,44050.0%25.0%
66.67%67.01,19412,23175.0%50.0%
33.33%66.357410,4030.0%100.0%
33.33%67.11,02215,0310.0%33.3%
80.00%57.11,16714,48150.0%100.0%
60.00%56.91,06214,583100.0%50.0%
60.00%57.61,40214,3070.0%100.0%
80.00%57.195611,93766.7%100.0%
20.00%57.01,23317,2570.0%20.0%
80.00%57.11,12715,057100.0%66.7%

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Smolder vs Katarina - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Smolder do against Katarina in League of Legends?

Katarina wins the Smolder vs Katarina matchup with a 55.6% win rate compared to Smolder's 44.4%, a 11.1 percentage point difference. This data is based on 9 recent ranked games in patch 26.7.

How does Smolder do against Katarina in the early game?

In the early game, Katarina has the advantage against Smolder with a 75.0% win rate versus 25.0%. Katarina players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Smolder do against Katarina in the late game?

In the late game, Smolder takes over the Smolder vs Katarina matchup with a 60.0% win rate compared to 40.0%. Smolder scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Smolder vs Katarina matchup?

Katarina wins the matchup against Smolder with a 55.6% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.7. The 11.1 percentage point advantage means Katarina is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 9 games analyzed.

What is the best Smolder build against Katarina?

The best Smolder build against Katarina includes Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin, Rapid Firecannon with Crimson Lucidity. This build achieves a 100.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Smolder runes against Katarina?

The best Smolder runes against Katarina use the Precision primary tree with Sorcery secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Smolder vs Katarina matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Smolder counter Katarina?

No, Smolder struggles against Katarina with only a 44.4% win rate. Katarina has the advantage in this matchup. Smolder players should focus on safe farming and avoiding extended trades to minimize Katarina's lead.

How do I play Smolder against Katarina?

When playing Smolder against Katarina, play cautiously and avoid Katarina's power spikes. Focus on safe farming — you outscale Katarina in the late game. Use the matchup-specific build and runes above to optimize your chances.