Build the first dagger and wave window

0:00–~14:00, especially level 3, the first crash, and each recall window

From spawn until the first recalls, decide whether the lane lets you contest the wave or asks you to farm for a later window. If the enemy steps toward a last hit and your Q-created dagger can be reached without crossing their full wave, threaten the pickup and leave before the return trade. If the enemy has the stronger early state, preserve health and E for escape. Crash before a recall or roam; when ahead, use priority to move first, and when behind, take XP and deny the enemy a free push.

Lane

Lane for dagger access, not random trades

If the first waves are contestable and your Q can pressure the enemy without costing health, use Q to shape a dagger landing near the path they need for a last hit, then threaten the pickup rather than blinking immediately. If the enemy has a stronger early all-in or your wave is large on their side, take safe CS and preserve E for a retreat; Katarina's lane becomes more valuable when she reaches a reset window, not when she trades health for every minion.

With Katarina

• Play around Katarina's entry, not ahead of it. If you can start with reliable crowd control or damage an enemy without scattering the formation, hold the target in place long enough for her to reach a dagger or champion. If she is not yet in range, avoid spending every tool on a target she cannot access; create a clear first takedown instead of forcing her to enter alone.
• Protect the first reset target. If Katarina has damaged an enemy and that target is low, peel away the enemy's nearest disengage or keep the target inside her reach so Voracity can matter. If she enters without a reset opportunity, do not follow her into an isolated death; continue the fight around the space she has threatened and wait for her next angle.
• For objectives, help her arrive on a crashed mid wave and give her a safe route through the entrance. If the enemy starts the fight with everyone healthy, let your engage or poke create the opening before Katarina commits. If your team wins the first takedown, turn the cooldown reduction into the objective or structures rather than chasing beyond the useful reset chain.