Katarina, The Sinister Blade is now available in Wild Rift with exciting new skins

2021 has already made a massive breakthrough in the MOBA world with League of Legends' handheld version, Wild Rift.

Not only is the game going through its first official ranked season this year, but it is also gearing up for a professional esports scene.

Now, Wild Rift has welcomed fan-favorite mid-lane assassin, Katarina, to its champion roster.

KATARINA FINALLY ON WILDRIFT OMGFJFIDD pic.twitter.com/BcVueEomO3

— mnl48 gelo (@pamiliarized) March 4, 2021

Katarina is one of League of Legends' highest skill-cap champions, whose default kit remains almost unchanged in Wild Rift. Having said that, Riot did make some changes to her abilities to suit the smaller Rift size present in the mobile game.

Katarina's fantasy comes from weaving her R (Death Lotus) in and out of fights using Shunpo. However, in the playtests, it was becoming very easy to cancel her ultimate accidentally.

With an improvised animation, Katarina in Wild Rift will now slowly move and reposition while ulting. The game's design director, Mark Yetter, stated in this regard:

"It ended up feeling really awesome on twin-stick controls".

No going back. From March 4 to March 10, complete Katarina’s Challenge to earn rewards and unlock the Sinister Blade herself. pic.twitter.com/aHNnF4KopG

— League of Legends: Wild Rift (@wildrift) March 4, 2021

Players will have the opportunity to earn Katarina for free by completing a series of challenges available for the next seven days. She can also be purchased from the in-game store.

---

Katarina’s abilities in League of Legends: Wild Rift

Katarina in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

The Sinister Blade, Katarina, is one of the most versatile champions in the game. She is a mid-laner, considering her inbuilt ability kit. However, with her splendid adaptive skill-set, Katarina has the potential to outclass many top laners and bot laners. She is effective in the support role too.

The good news for the Katarina one-tricks is that her skills have barely changed in Wild Rift. Players can play her the way they did in League of Legends.

Passive: Voracity

Katarina's Voracity in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

Katarina's passive allows her to reduce the cooldowns of her possessed abilities dramatically. Voracity comes into action whenever an enemy champion that Katarina has damaged recently dies.

Once Katarina picks up her ricocheted dagger, she uses it to slash through all nearby enemies, dealing magic damage.

Skill 1: Bouncing Blade - Q

Katarina's Bouncing Blade in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

Katarina throws a dagger at the target with her Q. The blade then bounces to nearby enemies before ricocheting onto the ground.

Skill 2: Preparation - W

Katarina's Preparation in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

With her W, Katarina tosses her Dagger into the air and gains a burst of movement speed.

Skill 3: Shunpo - E

Katarina's Shunpo in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

Katarina blinks and teleports herself towards the target and damages it if it is an enemy champion. If not, she strikes the nearest enemy.

Skill 4: Death Lotus - R

Katarina's Death Lotus in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

Katarina, in her ult, becomes a whirl of blades that deals massive magic damage while channeling towards the three closest enemies. While Katarina is on her R, her movement speed slows down.

---

Two additional Katarina Wild Rift skins

#1 - Death Sworn Katarina

Death Sworn Katarina in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

The official description of the Death Sworn Katarina skin reads:

"To fully swear oneself to Death's service, a mortal must be prepared to sacrifice the living. A skilled assassin in life, Katarina pledged her sinister blades willingly and was granted spectral abilities allowing her to pass in and out of the underworld with ease."

#2 - Bilgewater Katarina

Bilgewater Katarina in Wild Rift (Image via Riot Games)

The official description of the Bilgewater Katarina skin reads:

"To outsiders, the politics of Bilgewater seem a mean mess of villainous scum and dishonorable thieves. But woven throughout are complex loyalties, solemn codes of honor, and a very specific (if bloody) way of doing things. Cutting through it all is Katarina, a master of the blade. She silences the right tongues at all the right moments… for the right price."

The Death Sworn and Bilgewater skin options for Katarina are now available in the Wild Rift shop alongside the champion. Players can purchase these skins using Wild Cores.

Careful, these skins are sharp.🔪 Katarina👿 Death Sworn Katarina🍊 Bilgewater Katarina pic.twitter.com/ETGobWpwIU

— League of Legends: Wild Rift (@wildrift) March 4, 2021

League of Legends PC players will be familiar with the skins, but it will be a new experience for those who have started their rifting journey with Wild Rift.