Talk:Katarina/@comment-151.84.88.33-20130208155506/@comment-24.196.31.55-20130209220725

Not ranked and don't have elo/division, so I'm not saying I'm an expert in anything, only what works best for me. I am assuming an early laning phase with no CDR and rather minimal AP (so, base stats on abilities).

Maxing W before E yields far more damage. Rank 1 of both, you can fit *three* Ws before your E comes back. 120>60 damage. Excellent for collecting your creeps. The movement speed buff, though short, is fantastic for dodge every skillshot by allowing you to dart to the other side of the lane, make sharp and unexpected turns/angles, or even get behind your opponent. It saves your E and flash too, which have significantly longer cooldowns (until you max Shunpo, anyway). If you Q->E->W on an opponent for harass, getting away quicker is essential because your E is now on CD.

As for maxing W before Q, you can use it twice before your Q comes up and thus do a little more than twice the damage while running about your lane. High mobility can translate to survivability against skillshot champs. Now, if you're playing against target-locked champs (Fiddlesticks and Ryze, for example), W may not be your best choice to level first. Q would be more optimal in this situation. Counter your opponent's style. If they're terrible, W all the way :3

Let's talk about teamfights. The typical Kat will sit in the back, throw a Q, maybe W a nearby enemy, and wait for her time to shine. E and R, right? Imagine a competent team that is saving their CC for you, and they have yet to use it. If you Shunpo in, you're not getting out, and you will be shut out with a laugh. So, cross your ult off your list (temporarily, of course. Keep looking for that opportunity!). You save Shunpo for either the go-in-big-or-go-home moment or gtfo moment, meaning that it, too, is crossed off the list. You wouldn't Shunpo in to the middle of them just for the 160(+AP), would you? An effective loss of damage if you've been maxing E first and not Q or W. You can spam those two safely 'til the end of the day to bring your opponents to an "optimal" health level for the final blow (E->R).

Your biggest mentioned concern was that not leveling your Shunpo makes it difficult to escape with the long cooldown. Understandable concern, of course. How do you get away when the jungle ganks? Most of the time, I've found using Shumpo smarter instead of more often can be a good answer. Harass over and over with Q and W and use E to escape a potentially bad situation (jungle gank) or to minimize the return of the trade from your lane opponent (Scenario: Q and W Ahri for good damage, then Shunpo away to dodge her Q, making you "win" the trade). The other time to use it, of course, is to jump in and get that kill. Wait until they're about half before Shunpo-ing in or you may leave yourself in a very bad spot.

Again, this is just how I play. Feel free to disagree! I hope this helped somehow <3