Ah Katarina, the champion we all love to hate and hate to love.
Be it the 20/0 Katarina on the enemy team that’s jumping all over the Rift and making pentakills left and right, or the 0/20 Katarina on your team who keeps ulting next to a Liona, she always makes an impression.
She’s also one of Riot’s favorites when it comes to skins, and we’re going to look at the best cosmetics this nimble assassin can have, taking into account both effects and price.
14. Red Card Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: June 24th, 2010 Price: 975 RP
Red Card Katarina is by far my least favorite Katarina skin. It is just a bit too wacky for my taste.
It has the exact same animations as the base skin, with only the shirt being different.
And the shirt just doesn’t work with her character.
She looks like she just dropped her kids off at a little-league game and stumbled upon the battlefield by accident. In comparison, the base skin makes her look like a proper assassin.
Even though it’s a Legacy skin, Red Card gets a time-out down here at the bottom of the list.
13. High Command Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: February 22nd, 2011 Price: 750 RP
This skin definitely has one of the better splash arts, with Katarina looking like a badass commander ready to go to war. But the in-game model leaves a lot to be desired.
She honestly looks like a punk more so than a commander, which isn’t a bad thing, but it does seem a bit odd.
It’s also one of the cheaper skins, so it isn’t much of an investment to get it.
However I don’t see it as a huge improvement when compared to the base skin.
Plus, if you really want to get a nice Katarina skin without breaking the bank, I suggest my next pick…
12. Mercenary Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: November 20th, 2009 Price: 520 RP
I’m sure that this skin holds a special place in a lot of OG Katarina fans’ hearts, since it was the go-to in the old RP days.
Although it doesn’t do more than a Chroma these days, I still think it is pretty dope.
The green jacket is a lot more noticeable than the clothing in the previous two picks. And making her hair white was a really nice touch.
It stays true to the theme of being this badass assassin, only now you look slightly more eye-catching.
Maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking, but this skin is among the best if you’re looking at the low-end skins.
11. Warring Kingdoms Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: February 10th, 2015 Price: 975 RP
This is our first skin that actually changes Katarina’s animations, although it is very subtle.
With this skin, the main draw are her daggers.
They just look amazing – and the rose petal effect that comes up with your Q and your R is very subtle and very nice.
The character design itself is pretty well done, all the colors match well, but it doesn’t really feel like a complete overhaul.
It’s just slightly better than the base model with some really nice daggers and nice new visual effects.
10. Sandstorm Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: January 2nd, 2012 Price: 975 RP
Although this skin has the worst splash art of the bunch, its actual design is pretty dope.
It goes for that Eastern look – and I think it does it justice.
We can see that her daggers now have little indents, making them perfect for tearing through flesh and bone, and that her head is covered in a white cloth – like a true desert exploring adventurer.
Thematically it’s certainly a very interesting skin, too.
So even though it doesn’t change any of the animations, I think it’s worth a purchase if you like a more Eastern look.
9. Bilgewater Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: August 29th, 2010 Price: 975 RP
Yar har fiddle dee, do what you want ‘cause a pirate is free!
That pretty much sums up this skin.
The splash art is pretty decent, with the smoke making it seem like it’s in the midst of battle, and the in-game model delivers on all of its promises.
The blades are pretty much the same, which was somewhat of a let-down… but the character model itself is extremely cool.
You get the whole package, right down to the eye-patch and captain hat. So if you feel like drinking some rum and smashing your head on the keyboard while getting a pentakill, it could be a wise investment.
8. Kitty Cat Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: October 19th, 2010 Price: 975 RP
Why is such an old and basic skin this far up?
Because the meme must never die!
Although it breaks every rule I’ve said so far in terms of immersion and staying true to the character, it’s just funny enough to be worth the 975 price-tag.
I mean, this skin is exactly what it says it is: giving Katarina a white getup, complete with cat ears and a tail.
It’s a wasted opportunity not to call her Katari-nyan, but I guess the world isn’t ready for such a character yet.
7. Slay Belle Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: December 14th, 2012 Price: 975 RP
Although this skin might seem like another meme skin, it has more to offer than the Kitty Cat.
Namely, it does chance some of your animations slightly.
Your ult range is now covered with Christmas lights, so the tilted ADCs can really feel the Christmas joy, and your backing animation has you cut down a candy cane to show off your superior strength.
But probably the most hilarious part is the fact that you now jingle.
Whenever you’re spamming your emotes, you’ll hear a distinct little Christmas bell, which on its own is worth the 975 price-tag.
6. High Noon Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: May 12th, 2022 Price: 1350 RP
People had a lot of opinions when this skin came out. So, let’s start off with the positives.
It’s a High Noon skin – so you automatically get a pretty badass aesthetic. The blades are of course the selling point, as they’re literally on fire.
I also like her new hair with this skin. It makes her look like a spawn of some demonic fox or something, and my ninja way will always approve such choices.
Her Q is very easy to track (with it glowing red and all), and it definitely feels rather hefty in terms of impact – which is always a good thing.
Now let’s look at some of the more controversial aspects.
The splash art (although cool) makes her head look somewhat disjointed. And I’d be lying If I said this was the first time Riot did some neck bending.
Secondly, a lot of people feel like the ult completely missed the mark. Being how you still throw out daggers instead of shooting a gun (which would be more in-tune with the High Noon theme).
And then that led to the inevitable comparison of “this is just Samira but without a gun”.
Overall, I think High Noon Katarina is rather decent. However, with the flaws that I mentioned, as well as some underwhelming sound effects, I don’t see how it can land any higher on this list.
5. Death Sworn Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: October 25th, 2017 Price: 1350 RP
Now we’re getting into the real hard-hitters.
AKA skins that overhaul pretty much everything.
Death Sworn Katarina is my least favorite of the bunch, simply because it changes the least.
Don’t get me wrong, the skin is pretty cool. But it can’t compare to the rest in terms of quality.
It makes the character give off strong Gwen vibes, which can be a plus or a huge minus, and all of her abilities look pretty much the same but just with a really nice new coat of blue paint.
It’s worth a purchase if you don’t want a complete overhaul that changes every aspect of the character… but if you’re looking for something more flashy, the other skins below should have you covered.
4. Battle Academia Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: May 15th, 2019 Price: 1350 RP
If you love your anime and if Genshin Impact is your second home, this skin is easily at the number one spot for you.
However, I do have a single gripe with it…
The character model is really nice, though, giving Katarina eye-catching pink hair and a school uniform. Sticking to that theme, she even reads a book while in the home-guard animation.
But her Q animation just seems a bit dull.
It is, of course, all personal preference. But her Q just doesn’t do it for me. And that’s kind of important considering it’s your bread and butter ability.
Everything else is extremely well made here – but this skin will have to stay a little ways from the top in this list.
3. Battle Queen Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: December 10th, 2020 Price: 1820 RP
And now we have the newest and most expensive skin on the line-up, Battle Queen Katarina.
Look, if you just want to change the base model as much as humanly possible, this is the skin for you.
It adds so many animations that the Skin Spotlight is sixteen minutes long and the list of new voice lines is pretty extensive as well.
However, I’ve found that you won’t really feel the change all that much in an actual game.
The changing flashing colors all blend in after the third or fourth game, but your wallet is probably still hurting at that point.
It’s an extremely well-made skin. But I think that the following do just as a good job at imagining the character as this one – all without relying on 50 new animations and such a high price-tag.
2. Blood Moon Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: February 20th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP
The Blood Moon skin-line is among my favorites in the entire game, as I think this line does the best job and properly reimagining a character without going overboard.
Blood Moon Katarina is just visually amazing, with white hair and horns sticking out her head.
The detail to the daggers is pretty note-worthy too, and the splash art should be hung in some sort of museum.
The new animations are on the subtle side – but still fit the theme really well.
There’s only one skin that I think does more while having the same price-tag, and even then, the two are pretty interchangeable in my eyes…
1. Project Katarina
Credit: Riot Games
Released: August 1st, 2016 Price: 1350 RP
The Project skin-line is another safe bet when it comes to skins in general.
If Cyberpunk hasn’t mentally scarred you for life, this skin is a no-brainer.
It fits the futuristic theme perfectly, adding a bunch of new sound effects and even making your voice lines seem more robotic.
I have also found that the skin makes Katarina a bit easier to play, as the sound cues are a lot clearer than in most skins.
So yeah, if you want a new Katarina skin and don’t feel like going completely bankrupt, check out Project Katarina.
Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
