Katarina vs Locke

⚠ Ability data for Locke isn't in the community source (Meraki Analytics) yet — probably very new. This analysis was made without the numeric effect of abilities, using only base stats and item effects; the item order is reasonable but the skill order and duel precision are limited. Meraki data is usually added a few days after release, switching to full math in later patches.

⚔ Matchup Notes

Locke is dangerous with burst damage; don't approach before level 6 without baiting out their abilities.
Locke has healing in their kit (auto-detected): the numeric effect of Grievous Wounds is computed in the situational panel.

🔴 Live In-Game Update

Once the game starts, mark how the enemy is actually building; situational item advice recalculates instantly. For a text-free, big-icon view during the match: 🎮 Game Mode

Items the enemy bought

♟ Counter Move — based on the enemy's real items

The model now computes with the real stats of the enemy items you marked, instead of a generic assumption. The items giving the highest duel gain on your next purchase:

🗡 Core Item Build — for Katarina, against the Locke matchup (patch 16.14.1)

Game style: 🛡 Full Tank ⚖ Balanced ⚔ Full Damage (default for Katarina: ⚖ balanced)

1

Charge up in combat to deal high damage over time, especially against durable enemies

Liandry's Torment

3000 gold

DPS 65 → 101
Advantage 0.54 → 0.99
Efficiency ≥%63

2

Plated Steelcaps

1200 gold

DPS 103 → 103
Advantage 0.78 → 0.88
Efficiency ≥%87

3

Greatly increases defenses, activate to slow nearby enemies

Randuin's Omen

2700 gold

DPS 108 → 108
Advantage 0.52 → 0.83
Efficiency ≥%89

4

Movement builds charges that release chain lightning on basic attack

Statikk Shiv

3000 gold

DPS 113 → 158
Advantage 0.56 → 0.79
Efficiency ≥%101

5

Morellonomicon

2850 gold

DPS 163 → 176
Advantage 0.53 → 0.74
Efficiency ≥%106

6

Unending Despair

2800 gold

DPS 181 → 187
Advantage 0.54 → 0.76
Efficiency ≥%99

🛡 Situational Items vs the Enemy

Morellonomicon 2850 gold

Locke has healing in their kit; Grievous Wounds cuts it by 60%. Your time to kill the enemy 16.4s → 15.1s (duel advantage 1.71 → 2.07).

Zhonya's Hourglass 3250 gold

Locke deals physical damage; armor reduces physical damage by the formula. Your survival time 28.0s → 32.1s (duel advantage 1.71 → 2.07).

Berserker's Greaves BOOTS PICK

All boots were tested in the duel model; this gave the highest advantage (1.71 → 1.83, survival 28.0s → 28.0s).

🎯 Skill Order — computed from DPS gain per rank (reference: 120 AP / 68 AD)

Level-up priority: Q > E > W (R always at 6 / 11 / 16)

1

Q

2

E

3

Q

4

E

5

Q

6

R

7

Q

8

E

9

Q

10

E

11

R

12

E

13

W

14

W

15

W

16

R

17

W

18

W

Q — Bouncing Blade

DPS gain per rank: 11.6 / 4.7 / 5.7 / 7.1 / 9.2 (total 38.3)

W — Preparation

DPS gain per rank: 0.0 / 0.0 / 0.0 / 0.0 / 0.0 (total 0.0)

E — Shunpo

DPS gain per rank: 6.4 / 1.5 / 1.8 / 2.2 / 2.7 (total 14.6)

R — Death Lotus

DPS gain per rank: 0.6 / 0.4 / 0.6 (total 1.6)

📐 Mathematical Proof

All advice is derived from the duel simulation below. Both sides are assumed to have spent equal gold for their level according to their own profile.

Level	Gold	Your DPS	Enemy DPS	Your EHP	Enemy EHP	Kill (s)	Die (s)	Advantage
6	4000	76	102	1721	1894	24.9	16.8	0.67
11	9000	88	196	3020	3247	36.9	15.4	0.42
16	14500	99	332	4491	4788	48.5	13.5	0.28

THE MODEL'S FORMULAS AND ASSUMPTIONS

Stat growth: stat(L) = base + growth×(L-1)×(0.7025 + 0.0175×(L-1)) — Riot's official formula.
Damage multiplier: 100 / (100 + resistance). Penetration stats are subtracted before resistance.
DPS = auto-attack DPS (AD × attack speed × crit multiplier) + ability rotation DPS (base damage + ratio×stat ÷ cooldown) — ability data is read from the current patch.
Duel advantage = your time-to-die ÷ your time-to-kill the enemy. Above 1: you win the duel.
Enemy model: the enemy spends gold equal to yours on stats fitting their own profile (fair duel). Healing counts as +22% effective HP; Grievous Wounds cuts it by 60%.
Item efficiency = stat value ÷ price. Stat values are derived from the table on the right (this patch's basic items); since passive effects aren't included, efficiency is a lower bound.
Range (kite) factor: a melee champion can apply 75% of its DPS to a ranged enemy.
Item selection target: score = min(die, 1.25×kill) ÷ kill + 0.6×(10 ÷ kill). That is: first survive enough to win the duel; defense beyond that is waste, gains come from kill speed.
Ratio matching: attack items must include the stat your ability ratios depend on (an AP champion isn't offered a pure AD/crit item); defensive items are open to everyone, their value set by the duel.
Ability numbers (base damage + ratios, rank by rank) come from the community source Meraki Analytics; Riot doesn't publish these in official data, so this source is used. If unavailable, a generic rotation is assumed (150 base + 0.55×AP + 0.4×AD, 8s cooldown).
If the enemy's real items are marked, the model uses those items' exact stats instead of a generic gold spread.
The RUNE PAGE is chosen entirely by math: the keystone is picked from the archetype pool by duel score (with a small priority to the meta standard); minor runes by a 'duel effect + utility' score per row, and the secondary tree is the one whose best two minor runes sum highest. Rune values are derived from Riot's descriptions; utilities invisible in a duel (ult cooldown/mana) are scored separately.
GAME STYLE (dengeli): 'tank' rewards absolute survival time (defense/EHP items rise), 'damage' rewards kill speed, 'balanced' both. Tank champions default to 'tank'; changeable at the top. Defense type is chosen by the enemy's damage (armor vs AD, magic resist vs AP).
Item passives are partly modeled: max-HP burn (Liandry, Blackfire), damage amplification (Riftmaker, Shadowflame), on-hit magic (Nashor). So items with strong passives are ranked by real effect, not just flat stats. Some items' numbers are template-hidden in Riot's data (like Nashor, Demonic), so that part may be missing.
TEAM MODE: in a live game, item score is computed weighted against the whole enemy team, not one enemy — the lane opponent 40%, the other 4 enemies share the remaining 60% equally. Each enemy is modeled with their real items; the armor/magic-resist decision is set by the team's damage split.

STAT GOLD VALUES (derived from this patch)

Stat	Gold	Source Item
Ability Haste	50.0	Glowing Mote
1% Crit Chance	40.0	Cloak of Agility
1% Life Steal	37.5	default
Lethality	35.0	Serrated Dirk (residual)
Attack Damage	32.5	B. F. Sword
1% Attack Speed	25.0	Dagger
Armor	20.0	Cloth Armor
Magic Resist	18.9	Negatron Cloak
Ability Power	18.5	Needlessly Large Rod
Move Speed	12.0	Boots
Health	2.6	Giant's Belt
Mana	1.0	Sapphire Crystal