Cho'Gath Build Guide by dodo9898

Introduction

This is my first guide, so I hope that you all enjoy it!

ADAPTable? Waht?

ADAPTable is a theme I'm using for this guide. Cho'Gath is an extremely versatile champion, there are many ways to play him. ADAPTable stands for Attack Damage Ability Power Tank. The 'able' is just my little pun .
(adaptable... ADAPTable... heh.. he... I'll just show myself out.)

As stated above, Cho'gath is a versatile champion, able to be played in a number of ways. But no matter which role he plays, he can almost always be the tank due to Feast. With this guide, I'll show you five different ways to build him:

- Ability Power Tank (most popular)
- Attack Damage (not seen often)
- Pure Tank (commonly used)
- On-Hit
- Attack Damage Ability Power Tank (ADAPTCho, the star of this build.)

jklol I made ADAPTCho for the ***** 'n giggles.

Irresistible Item Build

I'm still a bit new to Mobafire guide making, so if anyone could tell me why Rod of Ages has been replaced with a Cloth Armor from Frozen Heart it would be most appreciated.

Start of the Game



~475 Gold
+15 Ability Power
+80 Health
+5 Mana Regen

No matter which champion you're playing, a Doran's item start is always a good choice. In this case, Doran's Ring will help Cho'Gath tremendously early game, adding extra Ability Power to his Vorpal Spikes (easier farming), along with extra damage to Rupture and Feral Scream which allows for more effective harass. Although Cho'Gath's passive already helps him regen health and mana, the added health and mana from Doran's Ring is just fantastic.

Total Item Cost: 475


First recall

Recommended Gold: 1700



~350 Gold
+50 Movement Speed (Enhanced Movement 1)

Boots are essential on all champions ;D



~400 Gold
+200 Mana


~860 Gold
+40 Ability Power

The next item you're striving for is Rod of Ages, which will be covered below. For now, however, you're going to want to grab the Sapphire Crystal first. Why? You should've built up enough Feast stacks (will be covered in another section) to account for a missing Ruby Crystal, the mana from the Sapphire Crystal should also help you harass easier.

If you have enough money for a Blasting Wand, get it. Otherwise, nab a Sight Ward, a Health Potion or two, and get your *** back into lane.

Total Item Cost: 1610-1700


Second Recall

Recommended Gold: 1500-1800



~925 Gold (You should have enough money for a Catalyst the Protector without needing a Ruby Crystal
+290 Health
+325 Mana
Unique Passive: Upon leveling up, restores 250 health and 200 mana over 8
seconds.

The added 125 mana means another Rupture or Feral Scream. The health is going to be appreciated, and the passive works wonders while you're in lane.




If you're 200 gold short of a Rod of Ages, you can either sell your Doran's Ring to buy it, or buy boots. If it's a standard neither team winning game, Sorcerer's Shoes or Ionian Boots of Lucidity are pretty safe options to use. If the other team is cc (crowd control) / slow heavy, Mercury's Treads are a good option. If your lane is doing well but your other two lanes are failing, Boots of Swiftness or Boots of Mobility are good if you need to constantly leave your lane to go help others.

Sorcerer's Shoes grant Enhanced Movement 2 (+70 Movement Speed) along with +20 Magic Penetration (your offensive Ability Power based attacks ignore 20 Magic Resistance on your opponent)

Mercury's Treads grant Enhanced Movement 2 (+70 Movement Speed) along with +25 Magic Resistance and +35 Tenacity (Tenacity reduces the time of stuns, slows, and general crowd control abilities)

Ionian Boots of Lucidity grant Enhanced Movement 2 (+70 Movement Speed) along with a unique +15% cooldown reduction

Boots of Swiftness grant Enhanced Movement 3 (+90 Movement Speed)

Boots of Mobility grant Enhanced Movement 5 (+120 Movement Speed) when out of battle. While engaged in battle, they grant Enhanced Movement 2 (+70 Movement Speed)

OR


~1775 Gold ( Blasting Wand and Sapphire Crystal reduce the cost)
+60 Ability Power
+450 Health
+525 Mana
Unique Passive: Same as Catalyst the Protector
Unique Passive: Your champion gains 18 health, 20 mana, and 2 ability power
every minute. Bonuses cap at +180 Health, +200 Mana, and +20 Ability Power.

You hopefully have enough money to grab a straight Rod of Ages, if not, Catalyst the Protector will help you even more with sustain.

Why Rod of Ages?

Rod of Ages gives Cho'Gath so many benefits and stats that he needs. Assuming Rod of Ages is at maximum stats, it gives:

+630 Health
+725 Mana
+80 Ability Power

The health synergizes well with Feast stacks, adding to his tankiness. The extra mana lets Cho'Gath use his abilities a bit more freely, and the Catalyst the Protector passive along with Cho'Gath's passive ensures that he is almost never out of mana once he has Rod of Ages. The 80 Ability Power is also the first 'stepping stone', so to speak, of AP Cho'Gath.

Total Item Cost: 1775


Third recall

Recommended Gold: 1500-2000



~1600 Gold
+80 Ability Power

Not much to say about this item. This is to start building towards Rabadon's Deathcap, and you should be dealing a lot more damage after you get it.

Grab some more Sight Wards and Health Potions.


Total Item Cost: 1600-1750


Fourth Recall

Recommended Gold: 2000-2500

At this stage, I should warn that you should have a substantially larger amount of kill/assists when you recall at this point (sorry for the terrible wording).



~2,000 Gold ( Needlessly Large Rod decreases the cost)
+140 Ability Power
Unique Passive: +30% Ability Power

This is every AP champion's dream. A purple hat that makes them feel like a man when they put it on.

Jokes aside, the passive on Rabadon's Deathcap is just amazing. Every Ability Power item's Ability Power is now increased by 30%.


~700 Gold
+45 armor


~300 Gold
+18 armor


~400 Gold
+24 Magic Resistance

You've built Damage and MoveFast Shoes of some sort, so now it's time to start using erm, building protection. Depending on how much money you have left, build a Chain Vest and Cloth Armor if you're afraid of Attack Damage, or Null-Magic Mantle and Cloth Armor if you're afraid of Attack Damage and Magic Damage.


Total Item Cost: 2000-3000 (your most expensive recall thus far)


Fifth Recall

Recommended Gold: 1200-2500


~1200 Gold ( Chain Vest, Cloth Armor, and Null-Magic Mantle reduce the cost)
+68 Armor
+38 Magic Resistance
Unique Passive: Revives your champion upon death, restoring 750 health and 375 mana. 5 minute cooldown.

Everybody loves the Guardian Angel <: It keeps Nibbles, I mean Cho'Gath alive for longer then brings him back to life after he dies.

Look at your position now. Is your team doing well? Are they getting raped by Magic Damage? Are they getting raped by Attack Damage? Are you getting raped by Attack Damage? Are you dominating the game? Is your team dominating the game?

Whatever the case, your options right now include:


~1525 Gold
+45 Armor
+425 Mana
Unique Passive: 15% Cooldown Reduction

Get Glacial Shroud if you/your team is afraid of Attack Damage. You can build it into a Frozen Heart later, which will destroy their AD carry (or carries).


~740 Gold
+48 Magic Resistance

~860 Gold
+40 Ability Power

Either of these is going to build towards an Abyssal Scepter. If you're afraid of Magic Damage, grab Negatron Cloak. Otherwise, grab a Blasting Wand for more damage.


Total Item Cost: 1200-2200

Sixth Recall

Recommended Gold: 2000


~1250 Gold ( Glacial Shroud reduces the cost)
+99 Armor
+500 Mana
Unique Passive: +20% Cooldown Ceduction
Unique Passive: Nearby enemies suffer −20% Attack speed. (1000 range)

The Cooldown Reduction along with the Mana from Rod of Ages and Frozen Heart means that you should have unlimited mana. Enemy Attack Damage carries will be severely crippled by the passive. Very beneficial to the whole team.

OR


~1790 or 1910 (depending on whether you got Blasting Wand or Negatron Cloak)
+70 Ability Power
+57 Magic Resistance
Unique Passive: Nearby enemy champions suffer −20 Magic Resistance. (1000 range)

Ooh, more Ability Power and Magic Resistance. Makes you more tanky as well as dishing out more damage. Also helps other Ability Power based damage dealers on your team with the -20 Magic Resistance Aura. More beneficial towards yourself as opposed to the entire team.

Never have more than one person on your team with Abyssal Scepter.

Succulent Summoner Spells

Delectable


- Good for early skirmishes
- Tremendous help with ganks
- Can help you land a Rupture


- Good for early skirmishes
- Deals true damage
- Grants 5 AP and 5 AD when on cooldown


- Good for escaping
- Can secure a kill
- Can steal Baron/Dragon/Buffs with Flash/ Feast

- Can save towers
- Can backdoor towers
- Get back to lane faster


- Early Heal baits
- Can save an ally
- Can save you


- Revive
- Always
- Viable <3



- You
- Aren't
- Soraka


- I just
- Said you
- Aren't Soraka

[nextcol]
- Who do you
- Think you are
- Soraka?

Substantial Skill Explanation

Carnivore
Whenever Cho'Gath kills a unit, he recovers 32 + (2 x level) health and 3.25 + (0.25 x level) mana.

This is what pisses off many people who lane against Cho'Gath. He can stay in lane and take a lot of poke and harass just by killing minions. Very useful.



Rupture
Cho'Gath stomps the ground, causing the target area to quake with the animation being visible to both teams. After 0.65 seconds, spikes emerge at the location. Enemy units in the area immediately take magic damage and are knocked up for 1 second, and when they land are slowed by 60% for another 3 seconds.
Cost: 90 mana
Cooldown: 9 seconds
Range: 950
Radius: 175
Magic Damage: 80 / 135 / 190 / 245 / 305 (+1.0 per ability power)

This is Cho'Gath's most useful skill. The damage it does is insane, with a 1:1 AP scaling ratio. The knockup is three seconds, allowing for easy ganks and great harass.



Feral Scream
(Active): Cho'Gath screams in a cone in front of him, dealing magic damage to all enemies in the cone, and silencing them for a few seconds.
Cooldown: 13 seconds
Range: 700
Cone Width: ~60º
Cost: 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mana
Magic Damage: 75 / 125 / 175 / 225 / 275 (+0.7 per ability power)

Cho'Gath's followup skill to Rupture. A simple Rupture > Feral Scream harass combo followed by an auto attack or two deals a ton of damage. However, the cone width and length isn't very high.



Whenever Cho'gath performs a basic attack, he will launch spikes which deal magic damage to all enemies in a line in front of him.
No cost
Range: 500
Magic Damage: 20 / 35 / 50 / 65 / 80 (+0.3 per ability power)

There isn't very much to say about this ability. At level 5, it allows for easy harassment, just by hitting a minion in front of your lane opponent(s). AP scaling ratio isn't terribly high, but at level 18, it deals a substantial amount of extra damage.

Skill leveling for AP Cho'Gath is R>Q>W>E

Rupture planning

Rupture is a fairly difficult spell to hit with. The delay between cast time and actual knock up is ~1 second. There is also an indicator circle, allowing most smart opponents to easily dodge it. Because there is always the threat of getting hit by Rupture and the damage of your laning partner, most opponents will stay away from minions so that they can easily dodge Rupture. Them standing away from minions, though, allows your laning partner to easily harass them, forcing them back to their minions and straight into another Rupture.

Tl;DR: Place Rupture in the middle of enemy minions for maximized harass and damage.

When chasing opponents, Rupture can easily pin down your target and allow for your team to catch up and finish them off. Always aim a little bit ahead of your target. If your target is at the edge of your cast range, don't try and land a Rupture because it won't hit.

TL;DR: Place Rupture in front of targets when chasing.


This is fairly self-explanatory. Place Rupture behind you followed by Feral Scream and flash over a wall to get away quickly.

TL;DR: Read it, it's short.

Ganks

When used against you:

Early game, use a rupture or exhaust (if extremely necessary). Make sure that you're almost always close to an ally or turret to help finish them off after the Rupture.

Mid game, you shouldn't be having to run with your tail behind your legs to a turret/ally. Just slow them down a bit, then wait. If they start running and don't have very fast movement speed, you're free to rupture, feral scream, and feast the **** out of them. If they run after you, then run like hell and don't look back.

Late game, you want to be dominating the lane. The whole team will most likely prioritize you as a main target. If they catch you and stun you, you're not going to get away for sure. Just let loose with a rupture around you then Feral Scream. Target the squishiest and use ignite on them if you can. If you manage to finish off atleast two of them, just hold them off until your team comes to save you. if the remaining keep giving chase, and your team is nowhere near, then make a 'last stand' and spam ruptures and feral screams galore. Use your feast when they're low health.


When you're using it:

Early game, if you're playing in high elo and ganks are usual in early game (levels 1-5), then I'm sorry because I have no solution. If your team really really REALLY needs a gank, make sure you get to level 6 first because of Feast. Feast does true damage (ignore armor and magic resistance), so left click your target and keep an eye on their health, and throw a Feast out. Always always ALWAYS keep an eye on your own health. You should NOT be turret-diving at this stage. I can tell you now, turret diving doesn't help anyone. Sure, you might be optimistic and scream "/all TOTALLY WORTH IT!" but it wasn't worth it at all. All you did was give the other team a free kill.

Mid game, you should be able to gank fairly well now due to the fact that your AP, health, and summoner spells will be there to aid you. If you chase someone down, keep an eye on the turret. If your minions are there to tank the turret for you, chase after them. Tag them with exhaust if you can. If you're at the first turret and they run past to the second turret, or second turret to third turret, so on and so forth, don't chase. Even if you use an Exhaust+Rupture+Ignite+Feast ability, it's still possibly that they can get away then turn around and kill you.

Late game, you should be able to tank roughly 8 turret hits. If you stumble into a team fight and they're all grouped together, then just whack them with a rupture+feral scream and just start auto-attacking and using your summoner spells wisely. If they're spread out, prioritize who is at the highest danger level in your team at the moment. Chase down whoever is chasing them, land a rupture, and your teammate and you can finish them off then hightail it back to the turret.

Farming

Now, this section is also pretty obvious, but these are just some extra tips that can help you easily farm more gold and get that amazing AP Tank.

Early game:

When you encounter a new wave of minions, target the lead and hit that one, making sure to face it head on so that you can hit all the minions behind it. After two or three hits, back off and continuously move around in a circle so that you won't auto-attack. Why? Well, you only get gold if you last hit minions (these are just tips for the new people. If you're level 30 already, go away). When you see a minion get pretty low (you can left-click lower health minions just to make sure), hit it and then keep circling.


Mid game:

When you encounter a new wave of minions, the first thing you want to do is let them group a bit around your own wave of minions. Then, hit them with a Rupture and just keep auto-attacking. Your AP should be around 100 at this time, so you don't need to worry about that circling stuff.


Late game:

When you encounter a new wave of minions, just hit them with Rupture and Feral Scream and they should be dead. If they aren't, hit them with one or two auto attacks, and they should all be dead depending on how many there were to begin with.

Jungling....?

Well, I say absolutely no to Jungle Cho'Gath. Why? Well, sure Vorpal Spikes are a dream for most junglers, but Cho'Gath just isn't built for jungling. If you're new to jungling, I definitely recommend someone that's listed as jungler, or someone who is adept at jungling. Use Fiddlesticks, Warwick, Shaco, any of those. If you're a pro at jungling, I encourage you to try it out. I myself have tried jungling a few times, but it never works for me.

(For the new people!)

If you ever intend to jungle with someone, always make sure to get Smite.

(For the even newer people!)

What's jungling, you ask? Well, jungling is a form of gameplay where you don't push one lane. Rather, you go around killing the monsters in the jungle, inbetween lanes. Don't know what the monsters in the jungle are? They're the golden skulls on your minimap. Don't know what the minimap is? Then why the hell are you playing?

Summary

I will most definitely be refining this guide, with help (hopefully) from you. Remember, I'm only level 20, so don't give me a bunch of a random **** about how bad it is. I want to learn from those who are above me, and get tips so that I can play better. If you want to add me in game, then too bad. I don't friend strangers, unfortunately.

Remember, this build will not always work. It works most of the time, but it is sure as hell not foolproof. If it doesn't work for you, and fails drastically, tell me what your k/d/a ratio was and your overall contribution to the team, other useful information you can remember. I'll try my best to help you ;)

Ta-ta for now,
Dodo

UPDATES

7-10-12

After more than 5 months, I am returning to this build to polish it up and make it look less like ****.

- Added ADAPTable theme
- Finished Builds for AP Tank, AD, and Pure Tank
- Polished out ideas for On-Hit Cho'Gath and ADAPTCho
- Polished up Summoner Spells, Rupture Planning, and Build Explanation.