REJOICE ALL! Cassiopeia is getting some buffs next patch. Her AP scaling is apparently getting some buffing, as well as her Q's ability to chase. I'll likely update this guide to reflect this once it happens. Also, Zhonyas is becoming much much better for full AP, so it could be a great item on her.

I am the hell goats.

Cassiopeia: The Serpent's Embrace

PROS

1.Great farming abilities.
2.Twin fang can do massive damage very fast on poisoned targets.
3.Great in team fights.
4.Can hold a tower all day.
5.She's a snake.

CONS

1.VERY squishy and you need to build around this.
2.Has some mana issues early game.
3.Becomes the first target because of her team fight ability.
4.Twin fangs doesn't scale well with AP, so twin fangs' damage is a bit worse later. However, it still does OK damage.
5.She's very difficult to get used to. Rotating your skills can be hard to do at first.
6.****ty - Just look at her, she's probably been around.

Items and why I took them:

Cass has early game mana issues; this is a fact. Doran's buff helped with the biggest problem of going dorans. This is good to grab, just watch the spam.


This item is essential for Cass. She has MAJOR squishy issues early and mid game, so the extra health works wonders, and that's why I rush it. Along with that, having a slow on your twin fangs makes running from cass very hard.


You need some magic pen, considering you're using AP abilities.


Because you're a caster, and this is great on all of them.


Great for the extra mana, and some AP.

LAST ITEM: IT'S OPTIONAL, SO HERE'S WHAT I SUGGEST

For AP gain, some defense against pesky AD carries, and the occasional pop of the active.


For when you just keep getting disabled. If their team has a lot of caster DPS, get this instead of Frozen Heart


For extra magic pen.


For the spike you'll get from its active ability. It syncs well with twin fangs.


Summoner Skills:
This really doesn't need to be explained. It's one of the best offensive AND defensive tools in the game. Flash in to set up your ult and nuke them down. Flash over walls to escape. Flash is just a great thing.


Another great skill to make an escape with, or to catch up with a fleeing enemy who isn't slowed.

Other skills that are good to take:

If you hate teleport or you don't feel as if you need clarity, I can really only recommend a couple other skills:



This will help you a lot through early and mid game with your mana issues. Late game you're constantly spamming, and even with Archangel's, you'll likely be hitting half mana pretty quick. I find clarity's a great thing to take.



If another player on your team hasn't taken it, Clairvoyance can always be pretty useful for checking out Baron or Dragon toward mid-late game. In the early game, use it to check up on their jungler.

This causes you not to need a tear as your first item, and lets you spam like no other. A great passive when you keep the stacks up.

A great poison, scales well with AP, and becomes a lot of damage later. It's not worth prioritizing as twin fangs will pretty much be ALL of your damage through the early and mid games even if you do prioritize it.

Another AoE poison that does less damage, but slows enemies. I use this to catch runners before Rylai's, and as a creep farmer. Also, if my ult hits, I throw it under their feet. Otherwise, not something to be real afraid of.

This will be most your damage for the game. It doesn't scale much with AP, but it cools down instantly with decent cooldown reduction and hittinga poisoned target. As such, you can get it out on them REAL fast, especially if you smartcast it when there's noone else to hit. (Shift E)

A GREAT ult, try and get people while they're still looking at you, and if you stun them, drop all poisons below them and start spamming your E. You'll likely win.

Basic Combo:

You want to hit them with your Q or W, then throw out as many twin fangs as possible. Until Rylai's, this is only once, generally, and after it should be about 2.

So basic combo goes:
/ -> -> -> / -> ->

If you have ult, it's best to try and hit them with the stun, then drop Q and E on them before starting your E rotation. Thus:

-> -> -> -> -> -> ....

If R hits from behind, throw a W in front of them, then throw a Q right in front of them too, like:

-> -> -> -> -> -> ...

How to play the gorgon

Item Build Sequence:

Here's what you're getting your first four trips in a good scenario.

Start:

1st trip back:

+
If you're forced to go back early:
if under 860.
if 860+.

2nd trip back:

If you were forced to take amp tome:
+
If you were forced to take blast wand:
+

3rd trip back:

If you were forced to buy anything else:
Just work toward this Rylai's, you've been rushing it.

4th trip back:

Early game:
Ask your team about getting mid lane. Cass does really well with more minions to farm, so you want that lane preferably. Grab your meki's and 2 pots. Here, Spam your Q on minion waves until you hit level 2 and have twin fang. Then, aim for the enemy champs with Q and when you hit, throw E at them. Once you have your W, use a W->Q rotation to farm creep waves. You're an excellent farmer, so get as many kills as you can. If you have an enemy champ with stealth in your lane, you can also use Q to blindly check the most obvious spots that they would be. If you get your speed buff, you know you hit them. Once you have Rylai's your twin fangs will slow, so you'll be able to chase much better.

Mid game:
You should have some survivability items to keep you from being way too squishy at this point. Run around to help teammates gank, but be very wary of ambushes, you're still squishy. If you do have someone chasing you, it's ok to throw a gaze at them and keep running.

Late game:
Your ult and poisons thrown into a team battle is some GREAT support, so you'll likely be targeted after the first couple team fights. Be very careful, as you're still very squishy, despite the 2k health.

UPDATES

• Cleaned up the guide a bit, made it more organized.
• Added icons instead of just writing out the item.