Numbers represent direction on a keyboard numpad. For example, + becomes 236L.
> = Proceed from the previous move to the following move.
▷/land = Indicate that the player must land at that point in the sequence.
, = Link To perform a second action after the first action completely finishes its animation. the previous move into the following move.
->/~ = Cancel To bypass the remaining time or frames in an action by proceeding directly into another action. the previous special into a follow-up special.
Basic combos are simple combos with the fewest requirements and conditions possible.
Work against every, or almost every, character in the game
Can be performed from most positions in the play area
Require few adjustments, and if any are required they are simple
Close-Range
c.XXX > 214L/214M c.XXX > 623M
Katalina can end close combos with either 214L, 214M, or her DP. DP generally does more damage, while Enchanted Lands has better corner carry.
Poke Conversions
f.M/2M/f.H > 214L
Katalina's most common combo. Confirming into Enchanted Lands is a core skill to playing Katalina. At the cost of a slower cooldown, she can do so much easier using 2S.
Hard Knockdowns
Anything > 214H c.XXX > 623H
Spending a cooldown for a hard knockdown is a higher opportunity cost for Katalina than other characters due to how much she relies on Enchanted Lands for knockdowns. It's generally better to save Enchanted Lands' cooldown for the corner as it has higher reward or far f.L confirms where nothing else will work.
Links
2L/c.L > c.M 236H > f.L
Katalina's main damage link. All her lights both link and chain into each other and themselves, but are not listed in the recipe for brevity. It's better to use L chains for pressure as c.M generally ends Katalina's turn.
The H Fireball link, while possible, mostly goes unused as the pushback makes it inconsistent.
Core Combos
Core combos balance potency with consistency. They:
Work against most characters of a selected weight or hurt box type
May require moderate adjustments to account for variables such as screen position, hit count, resources, and opposing character
Are expected to be consistently performable by most intermediate and advanced players who main the character
Crouching Confirms
2L/c.L > 2M 236H > 2M f.H > 214M
Katalina's pressure generally incentivizes opponents to crouch block, making crouch confirms somewhat common. 236H should only be used to extend combos when the opponent is crouching, as 2M > 214L is much more consistent than the equivalent combo from f.L.
Counterhit Confirms
CH 2L/c.L > c.H CH f.L > 2M
Confirming into c.H provides a good boost to damage but is not at all necessary to playing the character. However, f.L > 2M is a common part of her blockstrings and the confirm is also a frame trap, making this incredibly easy to confirm into a special.
Close-Range Low Confirm
2L/c.L > 2L/c.L > f.L > 214H
Katalina relies on her light buttons for pressure as c.M's frame advantage and activation range leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, f.L generally fails to combo into 214L at max range, forcing her to spend a cooldown.
Corner Extensions
... > 214H > 2U ... > 214H > c.MX > Ender ... > 214H > c.M > 236H > 2H > 5U~66 > c.L > Ender 214H is Katalina's sole launcher and unfortunately cripples her ability to score knockdowns from afar while its on cooldown. However, when used in the corner, it gives her a great wallbounce to work with. Depending on how many cooldowns she wants to spend, she can cash out into ludicrous amounts of damage. Ending the 2H > 5U combo with 623L lets Kat setup a safe c.L meaty with a c.M framekill, whereas 623H deals more damage and builds more meter while guaranteeing a traditional safejump.
Enders:
623L (okizeme)
623M (damage)
623H (okizeme/meter gain)
236236H/236236U (closing rounds)
Corner Cooldown Cycling
Anything > 6MH > 623L
Katalina will generally use two cooldowns on most corner combos, 214H and 623H. She can generally keep momentum afterwards using the safe jab setup with 623L, but not having those cooldowns means she can struggle for knockdowns if she gets pushed out of close normal range. 623H can be used at the end of this combo but only if the added damage is needed. Meter cooldown from Rush will heavily nerf the amount of meter she gets from using it.
Specialized Combos
Specialized combos are advanced routes which require more knowledge and awareness, but offer advantages over core routes. They:
Can have any number or combination of requirements and conditions—character, spacing, hit count, resource, or situation specific
Offer some advantage over core routes; be that in damage, corner carry, okizeme, meter gain, etc.
Might not necessarily be harder than core combos, but require more specific circumstances and knowledge to execute
Anti-Air 2H
AA 2H > 5Uw~66 > 6[6] > 2L > f.L AA 2H > delay 214M > 2M > 214L AA 2H > delay 214M > 2M > Rush > 214H > c.HX > 623L
The first combo can allow for a left/right mixup if your dash is fast enough. She can also opt to Roll instead of f.L for a fake crossup.
Counterhit Anti-Air 2HHit them with the Twitter combos.
CH AA 2H > 5U~66 > 2M > 214L/214H
On this combo it doesn't really matter if 5U actually hits or not, just keep in mind if it does hit it will negatively impact the combo limit.
Miscellaneous Rush Uses
Anything > 6MH > 236H Anything > 6MH > 214H > c.H > ...
While her normal ender options generally work off of Rush, 236H deserves special mention as it basically functions as it did in Season 1 of the game. It provides a ton of advantage on hit and allows Kat to dash and push opponents into 214H wallbounce range from pretty much anywhere. Works on every character except Charlotta, Lancelot, Metera, Soriz, Djeeta, Uno/Anre, and Seox.
The second combo provides a sizable damage boost to corner combos, as the added height from the Rush launch gives enough extra juggle time for c.H to connect after 214H instead of the usual c.M.
Corner Combo Meaty OD Ender
... > 214H > c.M > 236H > 2H > 5U~44 > G+M+H
In the 236H > 2H > 5U corner combo extension, instead of going for 5U~66 you can use 5U~44 and immediately activate Overdrive. If timed correctly, the OD activation burst will land on the opponent's first frame out of recovery. OD locks out inputs during this time, so the opponent has no choice but to get hit or block. The OD burst can whiff on this setup if your spacing is off, so learn the spacing well! Don't activate OD if your backstep places you too far away.
Rush Confirm into 623H SafejabFairly easy safejab, but doesn't work on the whole cast
... > 6MH > 623H > 6G > 6G > 1L
Canceling Rush into 623H from round start position puts your opponent in the corner with both 236H and 214H ready for a corner combo. Following the 623H, you can get a safejab by rolling twice as soon as possible, then inputting 1L and holding 1.
Works on all characters except Anre, Cagliostro, Charlotta, Ladiva, Narmaya, and Vaseraga.
Double DPLooks cool and deals good damage? Satisfactory.
... > 214H > 2M > 236H > c.H > delay 623M > c.M > Ender
Lasts long enough to loop cooldowns if started with 2L > 2L > f.L and ended with 623H, however any other aforementioned combo ender will work here. Ending with 623H also gives an easy safejump with c.Lw > 9j.U, but that's only really helpful if meter is needed and Kat isn't in meter cooldown.
Works on all characters except Anre, Cagliostro, Charlotta, Ladiva, Narmaya, and Vaseraga.
CH UOHSemi-practical starter, especially if your conditioning is strong.
CH UOH > c.H > ...
Leads into any of Kat's combos with her highest frontloaded damage.
Far 214H Wallbounce
... > 214H > f.H > 236H > ...
Sometimes 214H will wallbounce later in its hitstun frames, allowing for higher damage extensions. This usually happens right at the edge of the range where it will wallbounce in the first place, requiring precise judgement.
2U Extensions
2U > 236H > c.H/f.H > ... 2U is not a button Kat uses often, but it's always good to know how to squeeze a little more reward out of her hits.
Counterhit 214MYou won't get this counterhit often, so make it count when you do.
CH 214M > c.M/c.H > 214H > c.H > 236H > c.H > Ender
When you land counterhit 214M near the corner, it gains the same wallbounce property as 214H. From there, you just do the default Kat corner combo again. If your opponent is spaced slightly away from the corner, they bounce off of the wall high enough that you can use c.H after 214M instead of c.M for slightly more damage. Either way, having both 214M and 214H in the combo makes it deal massive damage.
Combo Table (outdated)
Combo
Position
Damage
Works on:
Difficulty
Notes
Link
2M > 236M
All, range dependent
1500
All
[1] Very Easy
Poke into Fireball.
2M > 214L
All
1700
All
[1] Very Easy
Knockdown from poke confirm.
2L > 2L > f.L > 236M
All
1680
All
[2] Easy
Low confirm.
2L > 2L > f.L > 214H
All
1960
All
[2] Easy
Knockdown from low confirm.
2L > 2L > f.L/2M > 214L
All
1820/2060
All
[2] Easy
Crouch-hit from low confirm.
2L > 2L > f.L > 214H} wb > c.M > 623M
Corner
3030
All
[2] Easy
Corner wallbounce from low confirm.
c.H > 236H > f.L > 214H
All
3360
All
[2] Easy
Link from fireball.
c.XXX > 236H > 2M > 214L
All
2650, 2950, 3450
All
[2] Easy
Values are for c.LXX, c.MXX, c.HXX. Crouch-hit link from fireball.
c.H > 214H > c.M > 236H > 2H > 5U-66 > c.L > 623H
Corner
5140
All
[2] Easy
Maximized meter dump corner combo.
c.XXX > 214H > c.M > 623M
Near Corner
2940, 3240, 3740
All
[2] Easy
Values are for c.LXX, c.MXX, c.HXX. Adjust number of c.XXX for corner carry.
Light confirm into DP juggle. Sets up a safejump with whiffed c.L > forward jump j.U and loops EX cooldowns. One of the best corner conversions to go for.
DP punish/non-ch 2H conversion. Adjusting the delay of, and choosing whether to choose the L or M version of 214X is crucial. Has potential for huge damage at the cost of only 1 or 2 cooldowns.