Smolder - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
52.0%
Pick Rate
6.8%

Smoldervs Katarina

AMarksmanMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 5, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Smolder vs Katarina is a moderate matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Katarina wins with a 52.4% win rate (+4.8%) over Smolder based on 21 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.

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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
Smolder - 47.6% win rate in this matchup
Smolder
47.6% WR
VS
Katarina vs Smolder matchup - 52.4% win rate
Katarina
52.4% WR

Who Wins the Smolder vs Katarina Matchup?

Katarina wins the Smolder vs Katarina matchup
Winner
Katarina
Matches: 21
47.6%
Win Rate
52.4%
7.5
CS / min
6.3
875
DMG / min
947
13,701
Gold / game
13,833
207
Heal / min
198
420
DMG Mitigated / min
696
0.3
CC / min
0.1
25.0%
Early Game WR
75.0%
61.5%
Late Game WR
38.5%

Smolder vs Katarina Matchup Summary

The Smolder vs Katarina matchup is a moderate matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 21 recent matches analyzed, Katarina wins with a 52.4% win rate compared to Smolder's 47.6%, giving Katarina a 4.8 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 0.2s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. While Katarina is slightly favored, Smolder can absolutely win this lane through smart trading patterns and wave management. Focus on playing around your cooldowns, conceding CS only when necessary, and capitalizing on Katarina's mistakes. 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

Katarina wins the laning phase against Smolder in League of Legends

Katarina is favored during the laning phase against Smolder, winning 3 out of 5 key stat categories. Katarina holds advantages in damage, gold income and sustain, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
7.5Smolder
6.3Katarina
Smolder significantly out-farms Katarina by 1.2 CS per minute, accumulating an estimated 18 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
875Smolder
947Katarina
Katarina deals 72 more champion damage per minute than Smolder. While noticeable in extended trades, this gap can be offset by Smolder choosing favorable fight windows, such as engaging when Katarina's key abilities are on cooldown or trading immediately after dodging a skillshot.
Economy
13,701Smolder
13,833Katarina
Smolder and Katarina generate nearly equal gold per game, with just a 132 gold difference. Neither champion has a clear economic advantage, so gold leads will depend on individual play quality, kill participation, and objective contributions.
Utility
0.3Smolder
0.1Katarina
Both Smolder and Katarina provide similar amounts of crowd control (0.2s/min difference), meaning neither has a significant advantage in locking down opponents for ganks or team fights. Lane ganks are equally effective for both sides.
Sustain
627Smolder
894Katarina
Katarina vastly out-sustains Smolder, healing and mitigating 267 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

Immortal Path 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 Black Cleaver. This combination gives Smolder an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. 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
61.5%
+23.1% advantage
Smolder late game win rateSmolder61.5%
Katarina late game win rateKatarina38.5%

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 61.5% win rate — 23.1 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

Sorcery rune tree - Smolder primary runes vs KatarinaSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaNimbus Cloak - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaCelerity - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaGathering Storm - best Smolder rune vs Katarina
Inspiration rune tree - Smolder secondary runes vs KatarinaInspiration
Magical Footwear - best Smolder rune vs KatarinaJack Of All Trades - best Smolder rune vs Katarina
80.0% WR

The Sorcery and Inspiration 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 26.11. 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 26.11
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
50.14%1,0636.892013,33746.8%52.2%
52.72%8086.792613,30347.1%56.6%
51.63%8006.691913,14050.3%52.5%
51.07%7936.992813,09550.1%51.8%
53.04%7906.789613,04346.7%57.4%
58.46%4676.997113,27749.7%63.7%
54.19%4066.997513,55443.8%61.1%
52.15%3726.997613,23353.2%51.4%
44.22%3466.686113,19041.2%46.2%
49.54%3256.894213,24046.7%51.6%
43.28%3056.998813,29638.5%46.5%
52.51%2996.795713,38947.5%55.8%
54.01%2876.795213,59050.0%56.9%
58.95%2856.998813,72257.3%60.1%
50.41%2426.994913,27740.6%58.1%
48.28%2326.995213,31848.5%48.1%
55.45%2026.899113,88243.0%63.4%
50.00%1726.992713,56145.1%53.5%
52.41%1667.395213,48152.0%52.8%
53.55%1557.092513,44138.6%62.2%
52.38%1476.91,05414,27043.4%57.5%
51.72%1167.51,03313,70463.8%43.5%
48.18%1106.699413,96630.0%58.6%
53.85%1046.787613,11041.2%60.0%
44.00%1006.889713,55231.4%50.8%
48.35%916.680812,82131.4%58.9%
46.34%826.71,08613,57337.0%50.9%
54.55%776.593113,94440.0%61.5%
51.35%746.882412,87932.0%61.2%
52.94%687.192012,73147.1%58.8%
58.21%677.099413,22250.0%65.7%
45.76%596.796313,45657.9%40.0%
56.14%577.31,05214,70136.8%65.8%
44.19%437.092113,33737.5%48.1%
45.24%427.21,04413,93050.0%42.9%
50.00%426.994513,16733.3%66.7%
48.72%397.01,17613,73042.9%52.0%
51.52%337.389911,85553.3%50.0%
34.38%326.989112,03129.4%40.0%
30.00%307.081311,47727.8%33.3%
62.96%277.386213,67157.1%65.0%
50.00%246.71,00013,57950.0%50.0%
52.17%236.789712,98855.6%50.0%
52.17%237.41,15612,96154.5%50.0%
59.09%226.497913,88642.9%66.7%
47.62%217.587513,70125.0%61.5%
47.37%196.51,06813,14428.6%58.3%
47.06%176.595812,19042.9%50.0%
35.29%177.198713,7430.0%46.1%
41.18%177.392212,00937.5%44.4%
41.18%176.81,04512,86440.0%41.7%
52.94%176.178911,96142.9%60.0%
56.25%166.01,25312,59050.0%60.0%
56.25%167.076011,64544.4%71.4%
56.25%167.01,32415,51650.0%58.3%
75.00%167.11,01614,08583.3%70.0%
40.00%156.386010,18428.6%50.0%
64.29%147.01,11314,21940.0%77.8%
71.43%147.21,40713,64350.0%80.0%
35.71%146.81,02610,58444.4%20.0%
28.57%146.985512,4360.0%50.0%
38.46%136.598213,35416.7%57.1%
53.85%136.596013,44366.7%50.0%
53.85%136.785512,72280.0%37.5%
53.85%136.999512,50642.9%66.7%
38.46%136.71,10012,4620.0%45.5%
27.27%116.995412,10425.0%28.6%
54.55%117.176611,43637.5%100.0%
18.18%116.65969,20716.7%20.0%
45.45%116.674512,14442.9%50.0%
80.00%107.11,06112,83775.0%83.3%
40.00%107.21,04714,46325.0%50.0%
60.00%106.71,18314,65433.3%71.4%
60.00%106.788810,00657.1%66.7%
50.00%107.01,22516,291100.0%37.5%
60.00%106.999314,336100.0%50.0%
55.56%97.194112,26460.0%50.0%
44.44%96.61,00811,04840.0%50.0%
66.67%96.81,08510,49360.0%75.0%
87.50%86.579313,693100.0%83.3%
50.00%86.05767,79860.0%33.3%
12.50%87.463210,31120.0%0.0%
50.00%86.275812,02150.0%50.0%
62.50%88.01,07614,75775.0%50.0%
37.50%87.31,20214,1310.0%50.0%
42.86%77.078811,09033.3%50.0%
42.86%76.392511,98250.0%40.0%
57.14%76.59538,33350.0%66.7%
42.86%75.71,0988,97260.0%0.0%
66.67%66.593911,09433.3%100.0%
33.33%68.083412,04833.3%33.3%
50.00%66.175814,7840.0%60.0%
50.00%66.393711,42933.3%66.7%
50.00%67.073910,87350.0%50.0%
50.00%67.11,20312,44633.3%66.7%
60.00%57.01,0159,37833.3%100.0%
60.00%56.71,22013,04050.0%66.7%
40.00%57.374211,42450.0%0.0%
20.00%55.276511,06333.3%0.0%
40.00%56.377412,8620.0%50.0%
60.00%57.391114,8880.0%60.0%
40.00%56.41,01213,72550.0%33.3%
20.00%57.398014,209100.0%0.0%

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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 52.4% win rate compared to Smolder's 47.6%, a 4.8 percentage point difference. This data is based on 21 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

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 61.5% win rate compared to 38.5%. 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 52.4% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 4.8 percentage point advantage means Katarina is moderately favored in this lane matchup based on 21 games analyzed.

What is the best Smolder build against Katarina?

The best Smolder build against Katarina includes Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin, Black Cleaver with Immortal Path. 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 Sorcery primary tree with Inspiration secondary. This rune setup achieves a 80.0% 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 47.6% 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.