League Classic matchup
Amumu vs Katarina
The lane, from both sides
Amumu’s side
- Strong against Katarinafrom the AP Tank build (Jungle)
Death LotusDeath LotusRKatarina throws daggers at up to three nearby enemy Champions, dealing magic damage and applying Grievous Wounds. is a channel, and Katarina has to 
ShunpoShunpoEActive: Katarina blinks to the target unit and gains 15% damage reduction for 1.5 seconds. If the target is an enemy, she deals them magic damage. into the middle of a team to cast it, which is where 
Curse of the Sad MummyCurse of the Sad MummyRActive: Amumu entangles nearby enemies in bandages, dealing magic damage and rooting them for 2 seconds. is waiting. 
DespairDespairWToggle: Amumu cries a continuous pool of tears, dealing magic damage every second to nearby enemies. Despair is toggled off automatically if Amumu becomes unable to pay its mana cost. ticks through the whole reset window.
Katarina’s side
- Weak against Amumufrom the AP Assassin build (Mid)
Amumu's CC is a similar hard counter on paper, but Katarina's burst speed often lets her win the trade before the CC lands.
The lane in detail
AmumuKatarinaAmumu ahead once the bandage lands
Everything Katarina casts is free. Amumu pays 80 mana to reach her at all.
Keep 
Bandage TossBandage TossQAmumu tosses a sticky bandage at a target, stunning and damaging the target while he pulls himself to them. available for Death LotusDeath LotusRKatarina throws daggers at up to three nearby enemy Champions, dealing magic damage and applying Grievous Wounds.: its stun interrupts the channel. Curse of the Sad MummyCurse of the Sad MummyRActive: Amumu entangles nearby enemies in bandages, dealing magic damage and rooting them for 2 seconds. roots Katarina in place, but a root alone does not stop her casting.
Who has the lane, level by level
4–56–10- 1–3Even: A jungle route and a lane, apart
- 4–5Amumu: A 1100 unit gank on a 125 range mid
- 6–10Amumu: The channel needs the ground he covers
- 11–18Even: Voracity refunds 15 seconds a takedown
- 6Curse of the Sad MummyLevel 6: 550 units and a 2 second root, once every 150 seconds
- 6Death LotusLevel 6: 400 across 2.5 seconds, free, and back in 60
- 9Bandage TossLevel 9: Down to 8 seconds and up to 320 damage, from the same 1100 units
- 11Death LotusLevel 11: Rank 2 puts 575 into the same 2.5 seconds
- 13ShunpoLevel 13: Every 6 seconds now, on a champion with no bar to spend
The numbers, head to head
AmumuKatarinaCost of the opener
Only one of the two has a bar to spend at all.
The way in, at rank 1
His is a skillshot that drags him along. Hers lands on any unit, minions included.
Both openers at rank 5
Identical cooldowns by level 9. Only the bandage carries a stun.
How often each ultimate comes back
Death LotusDeath LotusRKatarina throws daggers at up to three nearby enemy Champions, dealing magic damage and applying Grievous Wounds. comes back twice before the root does once.
One basic attack of setup
31.25 · 1.25 a levelNothing he throws is physical, and the first attack takes 15 off a bar that starts at 31.25.
Reach, from above
Amumu
Katarina
Rings are ranges in game units, both radars on one scale. Abilities wear their icon, the basic attack wears the champion’s own face; the dashed ring wearing the opponent’s face is their longest reach.
The item race
Amumu
2000gWraith Touch restores health from spell damage during a gank; the mana regeneration helps keep Despair active.
2650gThe channel wants her close, and 40 a second is the rent for standing there.
2900gDespair is an aura over time, so Frost Crystal slows 15% through it rather than 35%.
2560gDeath Lotus is magic damage over 2.5 seconds, and 45 magic resist is what cuts it while the aura works on her.
Katarina
3100gPercentage health damage is the reply to a Sunfire Cape and a Warmog's Armor.
1100gThe bar she has to get through starts at 31.25 and grows 1.25 a level, and 15 comes off the top.
3300gNothing in her kit costs mana, so the gold all goes into the multiplier instead.
3260gActivate before Bandage Toss connects to deny the stun; stasis cannot be triggered after that stun has landed.
Play it as Amumu
- 1Approach from the side Katarina would retreat toward, reducing how far ShunpoShunpoEActive: Katarina blinks to the target unit and gains 15% damage reduction for 1.5 seconds. If the target is an enemy, she deals them magic damage. can take her from your team.
- 2Land one basic attack first, because
Cursed TouchCursed TouchPassiveInnate: Amumu's basic attacks reduce the target's magic resistance by 15–35 for 4 seconds. takes 15 to 35 magic resist off her for 4 seconds. - 3Leave DespairDespairWToggle: Amumu cries a continuous pool of tears, dealing magic damage every second to nearby enemies. Despair is toggled off automatically if Amumu becomes unable to pay its mana cost. running through her resets: 8 mana a second, and 1.5% of her maximum health with it.
Play it as Katarina
- 1Leave an allied unit within ShunpoShunpoEActive: Katarina blinks to the target unit and gains 15% damage reduction for 1.5 seconds. If the target is an enemy, she deals them magic damage. reach as an escape target before committing to the fight.
- 2Begin Death LotusDeath LotusRKatarina throws daggers at up to three nearby enemy Champions, dealing magic damage and applying Grievous Wounds. after the toss is spent, because a stun ends the channel and a root does not.
- 3Chase the assist when the kill has gone to someone else; 15 seconds comes off every cooldown either way.
The catch
Amumu's matchup note favors the teamfight, where allies can attack a rooted Katarina. Her note warns that a quick kill can arrive before his control. Bandage TossBandage TossQAmumu tosses a sticky bandage at a target, stunning and damaging the target while he pulls himself to them. is the channel interrupt; the ultimate's root alone is not. A takedown then refunds 15 seconds from her cooldowns.
The kits at a glance
Amumu
Full abilities- Cursed Touch
- Bandage Toss
- Despair
- Tantrum
- Curse of the Sad Mummy
Katarina
Full abilities- Voracity
- Bouncing Blades
- Sinister Steel
- Shunpo
- Death Lotus
Base stats, side by side
| Stat | Amumu | Katarina |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 556 (+84) | 505 (+80) |
| HP regen | 1.66 (+0.17) | 1.5 (+0.11) |
| Mana | 260 (+40) | – |
| Attack damage | 50.8 (+3.8) | 56.2 (+3.2) |
| Armor | 25.3 (+3.3) | 24.5 (+3.5) |
| Magic resist | 31.25 (+1.25) | 31.25 (+1.25) |
| Attack speed | 0.638 (+2.18) | 0.658 (+2.74) |
| Move speed | 335 | 345 |
| Attack range | 125 | 125 |
Level-1 values with per-level growth in parentheses, read from the Classic client and re-checked against it on every update.
More matchups
Lee Sin
Master Yi
Nunu & Willump
Shaco
Tryndamere
Anivia
Brand
Cho'Gath
Dr. Mundo
Garen
Gragas
Heimerdinger
Jarvan IV
Karthus
KassadinThe full kits, builds and every other matchup: Amumu · Katarina