Katars are fast, string-heavy weapons that excel in close-range combat. Mastering them requires understanding each move’s utility, combo flow, offstage game, and when to shift from strings to punishes. This guide breaks down the essentials.

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Grounded Kit

Neutral Light (NLight):

• Safest grounded move, good for setting up NLight > Recovery for kills.
• Catches spot dodges and dashing opponents.
• Zone control tool and solid punish option.

Down Light (DLight):

• Main string starter and damage builder.
• Essential for grounded combos like DLight > DAir.
• Effective on stage and at the edge for gimp setups.

Side Light (SLight):

• Slightly riskier anti-air than NLight.
• Core tool for the half-pipe string.
• Good follow-up from NLight.

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Aerial Kit

Neutral Air (Nair):

• The “jack-of-all-trades” move.
• Air approach, string tool, edge setup, anti-air.
• Consistent 11-damage hits; adds up quickly.

Side Air (Sair):

• Best used offstage.
• On stage, niche use (e.g., against Lance).
• Great wall-hitting and gimping tool.

Down Air (DAir):

• Two forms: aerial and grounded.
• Grounded DAirs are essential for DAir > Recovery.
• Beats horizontal options and punishes predictable recovery paths.

Recovery:

• Best vertical KO option.
• Can beat out ground pounds.
• Use when you can get a chase dodge after for safety.

Ground Pound (GP):

• Weakest move in the kit.
• Only use to confirm kills off stage.
• Avoid overcommitting.

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Core Combos and Strings

• DLight > DAir: Core string, sets up into Recovery.
• DLight > Recovery: Kill confirm.
• DLight > NLight: Use to condition opponents into dodging.
• Half-Pipe String (DLight > DAir > DLight…): Hard to execute; requires good controller.
• Nair Extensions: From Nair, you can go into nearly anything – Sair, DLight, Recovery.

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Offstage Play & Edgeguarding

Recognizing Opportunities:

• Watch your opponent’s movement options and weapon.
• Avoid risky offstage play if they can reverse it.

Wall Usage:

• Use the wall to reset options or bait ground pounds.
• Fake touches to punish with Sair or DAir.

Chase Dodges:

• Use chase dodge NAir or DAir to confirm gimps.

Kill Tools Offstage:

• GP to punish dodges into wall.
• NAir to catch high recoveries.
• Sair to finish low-health stocks.

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Conditioning and Reads

Conditioning:

• Example: NLight > DLight teaches opponent to dodge.
• Exploit conditioned dodges for big punishes.

Adaptation Recognition:

• Switch tactics if an opponent stops falling for a read.
• Save high-value habits (e.g., GCs) for clutch moments.

Edge Info Gathering:

• Watch how they react when you walk off-stage.
• Note their jump habits, dodge timings, weapon throws.

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Best Katar Legends

Top Tier:

• Ragnir: Balanced stats, godlike signatures.
• Asuri: Excellent N-Sig and versatile sig kit.

Solid Picks:

• Lucien: Good sigs, low attack but usable.
• Sentinel: Great defense, underrated sig kit.

Mid/Low Tier:

• Ember: Weak defense and awkward sigs.
• Caspian: Underrated, but with niche uses.
• Lin Fei: Awkward kit, better on cannon.
• Queen Nai: Too slow, outdated kit.

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Katars in 2v2

• Weak in team combos due to short strings.
• Teammates can interrupt Katar follow-ups.
• Best team options: Falling Nair, NLight, or quick Sigs.

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Final Thoughts

Katars require speed, precision, and adaptability. You won’t out-damage opponents with a few hits, but you can overwhelm them with pressure and reads. Study edge behavior, practice your combos, and always be thinking one step ahead.