What Karina is bad at
- Falls off against stacked magic defense since most of her damage isn't true damage.
- Dance of Blades' basic-attack block doesn't stop skill damage, so she still dies to burst combos.
- Shadow Assault's reset only triggers on a kill, so a botched engage leaves her without an escape.
- Very low durability; a single hard CC chain from a tank usually ends the fight before she can act.
Every counter below works by pressing one of these.
Hard counters to Karina
Pick one of these and the matchup is decided before the fight starts.
GlooTankHardGloo's Slam, Slam goo immobilizes Karina and Grab, Grab attaches to her once Sticky is full, and his raw HP absorbs the bulk of her non-true-damage combo.
OdetteMageHardOdette's ultimate deals a huge burst of magic damage in a wide circle, threatening to kill Karina before her own combo can secure the reset.
ZhuxinMageHardZhuxin's Lantern Flare channel stacks Soul Snare on Karina from range and can lift her airborne before she ever gets a dash off.
Soft counters
Favourable, but Karina can still play around them.
GrangerMarksmanSoftGranger's Death Sonata burst deletes Karina from range before Shadow Assault's dash can close the distance.
LunoxMageSoftLunox heals herself off every Starlight Pulse and converts damage back into HP with Power of Order's Spell Vamp, so Karina's burst combo rarely finishes her in one rotation.
BrodyMarksmanSoftBrody's Abyss Impact stacks Abyss Marks from range and Torn-Apart Memory detonates all of them at once, wearing Karina down before she can close in with Shadow Assault.
MelissaMarksmanSoftMelissa's Eyes on You! link slows Karina by 60% and Go Away!'s dome physically repels her, so the burst combo she needs in one clean rotation never connects.
JoyAssassinSoftJoy's chained dashes give her more raw mobility than Karina's single-target dash, letting her escape or out-duel Karina before the combo finishes.
PaquitoFighter · AssassinSoftPaquito's juggle combo can catch Karina out of her dash animation, and his own burst combo often outpaces hers in a direct duel.
RubyFighterSoftLet's Dance! gives Ruby a free dash after every skill plus stacking defense and Spell Vamp, letting her slip Karina's burst window and heal back through what does land.
Items to build against Karina
You cannot always change your pick. You can always change your fourth slot.
Do not pick these into Karina
Heroes whose own counter list names Karina — these matchups go the other way. A red dot marks a hard counter.
Why Karina works
Common questions
Who counters Karina in Mobile Legends?
Granger, Lunox, Gloo, Odette, Brody all beat Karina. Gloo is the hardest counter: Gloo's Slam, Slam goo immobilizes Karina and Grab, Grab attaches to her once Sticky is full, and his raw HP absorbs the bulk of her non-true-damage combo.
What items should I build against Karina?
Winter Crown: Negates the burst window right as Shadow Assault's combo lands. Athena's Shield: Its short-window magic damage reduction is built for exactly this kind of burst combo. Tough Boots: Reduces the slow from Dance of Blades and any follow-up crowd control.
What is Karina's biggest weakness?
Falls off against stacked magic defense since most of her damage isn't true damage.