A magic finisher assassin who hunts weakened enemies and snowballs through teamfights by repeatedly resetting her skills after securing kills.
Assassin
JungleJungleTier CDifficulty
Medium
2/ 5
Easy
Very easy to pick up, with a straightforward and forgiving kit.
Medium
Easy to learn, but needs some practice with timing or positioning.
Hard
Needs consistent mechanics, decision-making, and matchup knowledge.
Very Hard
Mechanically demanding and takes considerable practice to play well.
Extreme
Exceptionally difficult to control and requires extensive dedicated practice.
Official Skills tab
Karina's third consecutive attack on the same enemy deals extra True Damage equal to 100 plus 5 (+2.5% Total Magic Power) % of their lost HP (up to 2000 True Damage against creeps).
If the target is an enemy hero, the cooldowns of Karina's non-Ultimate skills are reduced by 1.5s.
Gameplay guide
Karina is a jungle magic assassin who triggers lost-HP true damage on every third consecutive attack against the same target. Dance of Blades blocks all basic attacks while active, Dance of Death supplies low-cooldown area damage, and Shadow Assault resets when its marked target dies, allowing Karina to chain through a weakened team.
Clear safely and avoid fighting durable fighters or tanks before the first damage spike. Use Dance of Blades for movement and protection, but do not end it early when an opposing marksman is still firing into the state. Contest a gank only when the target is isolated or already missing enough health for a reliable finish.
Approach from an unseen angle and prioritize a mage, marksman, assassin, or any genuinely low target. Track three-hit passive progress on the same hero. Mark a killable target with Shadow Assault so the death refreshes the skill, and use the Shadowform recast to reposition rather than forgetting it exists.
Wait behind the initial engage until key control is used and health bars have fallen. A low tank can sometimes be a better reset target than a full-health protected carry because Shadow Combo scales with missing HP, but do not dive merely to chase a reset that allies cannot support.
Choose the first target by reset safety, not only lowest HP; a kill inside five enemies may provide no usable second cast.
Use Hero Lock or the lowest-HP targeting option before diving so the enhanced Basic Attack and Shadow Assault land on the intended hero.
Dance of Death can hit concealed or camouflaged enemies around Karina, so cast it when their position is known even if they cannot be directly targeted.
Use the movement state to approach, consume it with the guaranteed critical attack and slow, add area damage, then mark and finish with the ultimate. Against heavy basic attacks, delay the enhanced attack to keep blocking longer.
Use the ultimate's range when the target is escaping, then add close damage and passive hits. Recast toward the Shadowform to dodge, leave, or cross through enemies; remember that casting the ultimate ends Dance of Blades.
