MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Varus vs Katarina
How often does Varus beat Katarina in ADC?
Varus into Katarina in ADC: 40% observed win rate across 120 ranked games.
Global ranked sample: games from every region and every rank pooled together, not one server's stats. Data runs through patch 26.12; curves updated 2026-08-07.
By 15 minutes the median game has Varus behind by 126 gold.
Varus at 15:00
- Gold: -126
- CS: +14
- XP: +26
Typical gap to Katarina, from 119 games that reached 15:00.
Does Varus counter Katarina?
The count says no. Katarina holds 60% of 120 ranked ADC games here. The lane is still winnable. Varus wins it back from the spots below, so learn which ones swing it before you lock in Varus against Katarina, and play for those first.
Beating Katarina: the Varus game plan
A gold lead at 10:00 puts Varus at 48% across 67 games. Flip the lead and Varus falls to 30% across 53.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 48% | 67 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 30% | 53 |
| First blood | 49% | 51 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 58% | 45 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 43% | 95 |
Someone usually dies here around 3:24 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 7:19. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Varus's ADC build, with receipts
The most-finished Varus core is Statikk Shiv, Guinsoo's Rageblade, Terminus: 52.3% across 4,612 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Blade + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Youmuu's Ghostblade (10,588 games).
Skill plan: Varus players max Q first and take E at level 1.