Kog'Maw Build Guide : Kog Maw - Death From Above :: League of Legends Strategy Builds

Author's Preface

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Hello everyone, and welcome to my competitive guide!

As always I just want to point out that this guide will not make you an unstoppable force of power and in no way will automatically make you the best Kog Maw player in the League. However, by following this guide you will certainly become more familiar with Kog' Maw and hopefully will realize his true potential.

Please keep in mind that I did put a lot of effort into making this guide for you, and would kindly ask you for your feedback! If you are going to down vote please at least tell me why in the comments. Thanks!

Introduction

What is there to say about ? Well, besides the fact that I call him broken because of the ridiculous damage he puts out, he is a very good AD Carry to have on your team because of the amount of consistent damage he puts out at long ranges.

Playing AD Kog' Maw allows you to do a number of things:

Provide an INSANE amount of damage to all types of champions on the enemy team.
Harass from exceptional range in your lane with your Bio-Arcane Barrage
Provide excellent ganks
Finish off runners with your Living Artillery

Although koq'maw dominates late game with the massive amounts of damage he puts out with his items and Bio-Arcane Barrage, and the incredible range given to Living Artillery to easily secure kills and harass players, Kog'Maw must do well early game. This can be hard considering he is very squishy, and it is hard to escape from tight situations from him.

Pros and Cons

Pros

+ Amazing Range with his
+ Incredible Damage
+ A crazy good ultimate
+ Can preform wonderful ganks.

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Cons

- Very squishy
- Not a lot of escapability
- Can be hard early game
- Expensive Items

Runes

Precision

Fleet Footwork

Phase Rush

Getting armor pen is a must on so I pick up 9 of these, if you feel you have a lot of armor pen, you can replace them with .

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These are probably the best seals out there for . They help with your durability throughout the whole game, and greatly increase your chances of survival.

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What?! CD reduction?! Yes, people say that a lot when I tell them that. It really is simple though; more CD reduction allows you to use your skills faster during the entire game, it really can save your life.

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Finally Armor Pen quints. Now, once again if you feel you have too much armor pen you can switch these for or .

Take these runes if you are having a hard time dealing with laning. These give a big flat health bonus, and should help you maintain your lane when having health issues.

These give you huge damage bonus which is very helpful for laning and harassing, and can also be helpful throughout the entire game.

You can choose these instead of instead if you would like!

These are viable runes if you think that you don't need the extra armor, from your .

These runes are a definite possibility. If you find that cooldown runes are just not doing anything for you, you can switch to these for more survivability.

Masteries

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+ for the added reduction of armor and magic res to exhaust.

+ For obvious extra AD.

+ Gives a bonus CD reduction.

+ Provides some Magic Pen. This is good because of how much damage you will be doing with , and .

+ I also get this for the increased armor penetration. When getting this perk, you drop , which gives you 10% critical damage. may seem appealing but when you really look at it, it does not do much.

+ A tad bit of extra life steal

+ Armor Pen

+ 6% increased damage to targets under 40% health, a great perk for sucuring
kills ad winning 1v1's.

+ Added Magic resistance for sustainability.

+ Increased Armor for the much needed durability.

+ For increased health regeneration, extremely useful early game.

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Recommended Summoner Spells

is a must on . I have found I cannot live without it. This is because he has no real way of escaping a tight situation. is not always useful and wont instantly help you.

I have been grabbing as my second spell more often now. I have been able to secure more kills with its slow and 's Armor and Magic Resistance reductions. It also is useful for Kog Maw through out the rest of the game for the same reason, opposed to which is useful only in certain situations. So I have found it a much better choice.

Situational Spells

I get Heal primarily if I dont have a healing support and their is a heavy hitter or harasser in the enemy lane. (Remember I only know to do this this for ranked, based on viewing the enemy teams AD Carry) It is also nice to pick up if your support does not have a heal and does not take this.

Due to recent use (and thanks to A Chubby Baby for pointing this out) because of 's range I rarely have been using this. I seem to only take it now if they have somebody with heavy lifesteal, like or .

is not a usual for me but I do take it in rare occasions. With recent experimentation it cannot replace ... ever. Instead it can be taken if you are found dying more than usual because of escaping problems, or if you need it offensively to catch up to a running champion.

is another summoner spell to take if you are having escape problems. While someone might disagree with this choice, I have found that followed by and will save your life while playing Kog'Maw.

Abilities

Upon dying, Kog'Maw starts a chain reaction in his body which causes him to move faster and detonate after 4 seconds; dealing 100 + (25 x lvl) true damage to surrounding enemies.

-- A very...interesting and fun passive. Not always useful but you can land a few kills if you barely lose a fight.

Passive: Increases Attack Speed by 10/15/20/25/30%.

Active: Kog'Maw launches a corrosive projectile which deals 60/110/160/210/260 (+0.7) magic damage and reduces the target's Armor and Magic Resist by 5/10/15/20/25 for 4 seconds.

-- An amazing ability for Kog. in addition to your runes the active ability on this gives him more magic and armor pen, so be sure to always start with this and use it whenever possible in fights. The items passive is also extremely helpful, as it permanently increases your Attack Speed

Kog'Maw's attacks gain 130/150/170/190/210 range and deal additional magic damage equal to 2/3/4/5/6% (+0.01)% of the target's maximum Health (Max: 100 Damage vs Monsters). Lasts 8 seconds

-- The bread and butter of Kog' Maw. It increases your range by an amazing amount, and does damage based on the % of their health.

Kog'Maw launches a peculiar ooze which damages all enemies it passes through and leaves a trail which slows enemies who stand on it.

Kog'Maw launches ooze which deals 60/110/160/210/260 (+0.7) magic damage to enemies it passes through.

-- Nice ability, gives you a good slow. Works really well with good positioning.

Kog'Maw fires artillery from a great distance. After a short delay, the artillery falls dealing 80/120/160 (+ ) (+0.3) magic damage and reveals targets for 4 seconds (deals 150% bonus damage to Champions).

Each subsequent Living Artillery in the next 6 seconds costs 40 additional mana (Max 200).

-- One of my favorite ultimates in the game, and we will get into why later. But it is really nice for securing those run away kills, and sniping turrets.

Laning Partners

There are many support character in the game that you can lane with and a lot of them are good with Kog. But I am going to list some of my favorites and the ones that I think work best.

Janna

Janna is my personal favorite person to lane with Kog Maw. She may not have a dependent heal, but her , shields you and also gives you a nice damage buff. Her and are also really good for setting up kills.

While laning with I grab as a summoner spell, as she does not have a major heal. Try to get her to work with her to shield you every time you try to harass an enemy, even if just a couple of shots because her increases your attack damage by 14 which can make a huge difference. In addition, set up your viod ooze with her , this combo is extremely deadly and a lot of the time you will get a kill or they will burn their if they have it.

Sona

is another one of my favorites. She is consistent with her heals, and her Auras are unmatched. When laning with there is no need to take because she can keep you alive with hers extremely well. Her damage Aura is also a very good addition to your lane, helping with last hits and harassment.

Leona

is a good support partner for Kog Maw, she is good at setting up kills, and can take a hit. Her -> combo is a great way to set up kills with

Soraka

Soraka is not my favorite but she works. She can help you with your mana if you are in a pinch , and her heals are really great. However, her silence is about the only way to set up kills for you. It does damage and silences them, which is useful, but it has no CC.

Taric

Taric is probably my second favorite support with Kog. He has good heals, a great stun, and his Aura is a really nice thing to have. Not only this but his new ultimate gives you a great attack buff.

Lulu

Lulu, is a very good laning partner. She might not have heals, but she has slows and a shield. On top of that her ulti gives you a significant HP bonus. Not to mention she can also output a bit of damage. Grab when laning with and you should have a blast during your lane phase.

Items

:I start with this for the health and damage, making it easier to last hit. It

:I get these for attack speed. I occasionally get Merc treads depending on their team, see Situational items.

is an amazing item on Kog' Maw. And okay so I lied a little bit, we are going to get SOME AP. But Malady does 20 bonus damage per auto attack, and gives you attack speed. This item synergizes with Kog' Maw's future items as well.

: Though some disagree to get this item this late, it is AMAZING for kog' maw. It gives you exceptional attack speed and damage, AND does magic damage based on 4% of their health. This SHREDS tanks and everyone in general. This also synergizes with , as decreases their Mag Resistance.

:Pretty basic, gives you life steal and a lot of damage, I sometimes start this and buy before I buy . This item is a game changer in terms of keeping alive. It can decide whether you live or die in a solo fight and in team fights, BUT you MUST keep it farmed or else you lose its true potential.

: Ok, so now your attacks that have been shredding you enemies to begin with, will have a greater chance to crit for 250% damage.

: A really good item, slows your enemies and provides a lot of health and some damage. This item is incredibly useful on considering he has almost no survivability.

Alternative Items

I can get a second one of these for much more life steal.

: If you don't feel the need for life steal and you think you need more mobility and attack speed grab this. This item increases your attack speed, critical strike chance, and movement speed. A really nice weapon for or any AD carry for that matter.

An amazing item if they have an even more tanky team. Reduces armor like you wouldn't imagine. Replace this with or .

I am adding this to the alternative items list due to request and further testing. Though mainly for a Hybrid build, replacing this with is a possibility but not highly recommended. I do want to note, that you should not replace if they start to build Magic Resistance because your will do significantly less bonus damage.

Situational Items

These are items that I commonly get depending on the set-up and composition of tmy team and the enemy team.

This is one of my favorite items. It is incredibly useful if they have an AP heavy team, but it also does 42 extra magic damage per attack.

These are the only other boots I buy for kog maw, and I buy them when the enemy team has heavy CC.

A great item if you need some more armor penetration.

Gameplay

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Early Game

When we start playing we grab our and put our first point in and head bot. Your goal during the beginning of the game is to last hit minions, while occasionally harassing your enemy. Both of these things are fairly easy to do thanks to your . One you reach 810 gold, pick up , and 1 . Also remind your laning partner to buy wards when they can.

When you get enough money head back and buy your and . With the help of your jungle you should also have a kill or two by now or a couple assists. If not dont worry! You should be fine as long as you are not being pushed too hard and have not fed them to much...

Alternative Beginnings

This is not a bad start for . You can easily move around and catch last hits, while being able to take care of your health with the 's.

Mid Game

By mid game you should have completed or nearly completed your and team fights should have broken out. During team fights - DO NOT INITIATE OR CLUMP UP! You are Kog' Maw, you are not a tank and are fairly squishy. If you plan on doing this you will most likely die. Attack from a distance, I mean you have so you should be fine when sniping them from afar. (Check Tips and Screen shots for more explanation!)

Ganking Lanes

Before I explain this I want to say that you will have a MUCH more successful gank if you have red buff. So ask your jungle if you can take it next respawn.

Ganking as is quite simple, and shouldn't need a very detailed explanation but I will try.

Firstly, you need to know when to gank. You need to know if it is an appropriate situation. Before your gank, observe and ask yourself these few questions:

How much health do I have?
How much health does he/she have?
Am I alone?
Does he have CC / Can he run away?
Is it a tank or durable champion?
Are there any MIA's in the other lanes?

Problem: I have low health and/or low mana, should I proceed to gank him?

Solution: If you have below 40% health I would not recommend engaging a fight. However, if you are not the only person ganking you might consider going in AFTER someone else initiates. If you are low on mana it is usually fine if they are squishy and/or have a low amount of health. However if they have a stun or some type of CC and I would recommend not going in.

When you gank as Kog'Maw you have to make sure to do one thing to help secure the kill. When running in shoot your Void Ooze behind them, NOT ON TOP OF THEM (see tips and screen shots for an example). The first is that when you run in and you try to throw it on top of them, most likely it will end up in front of them based on that they will see you and run back. Not to mention that it will do nowhere near as much damage as if you would slow them and hit them with your Bio-Arcane Barrage.

After casting Void Ooze, if you can cast Caustic Spittle and then proceed to auto attack with your Bio-Arcane Barrage. If they get away barely, always remember that you can snipe them out with your Living Artillery.

Tips and Screenshots

Using my Void Ooze behind them so that they cant run away.

Try to utilize your Living Artillery to it's fullest. Here I am sniping an unsuspecting Swain.

While I run into their jungle for their red buff, I use my ultimate to check the bush to make sure there are not any enemies. You can do this in many places.

Once again, I was on top of my game this time, and you cannot always expect the same results!

Postlude and Thank You's

Thank you very much for reading my guide! I put a considerable amount of effort into making this guide, so I would ask that you would kindly post constructive criticism, and helpful comments instead of the occasional gibberish.

A huge thank you to JHOIJHOI for her How to Make a Guide

Thanks to IceCreamy for their How to use Columns guide.

Another thank you to JHOIJHOI for making the banners and line dividers!

Updates

2/20/12 Guide created!
2/21/12 Updated Summoner spell section. Changed Ignite to situational, and prioritized Exhaust.
3/30/12 Updated situational items
-Added Lulu to the Laning Partners list.
-Updated the runes list and added an option Quintessence choice.

3/31/12 MAJOR OVERHAUL!
- Updated guide to look more user friendly.
- Added opening youtube video.
- Got rid of Lore section.
- Added Pros and Cons
- Updated Masteries and added in the Defensive section.
- Added a Masteries section.
- Updated Rune page layout.
- Split the Summoner spell section into two parts.
- Edited Grammer

4/2/12
- Changed masteries to get Mag Pen
- Re-organized order of chapters.
- Added Last Whisper to situational items
MORE TO COME!

4/21/12
Because of school I have been unable to update this guide in a while.

-updated item build.
-added more detail to the laning partner chapter
-added more info in the INFORMATION chapter
-updated rune and mastery pages appropriately

Kog Maw - Death From Above

Kog Maw - Death From Above

Spells:

Flash

Exhaust

Ability Order

Icathian Surprise (PASSIVE)

Caustic Spittle (Q)

Bio-Arcane Barrage (W)

Void Ooze (E)

Living Artillery (R)

Author's Preface

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Introduction

Pros and Cons

Runes

Runes

Masteries

Recommended Summoner Spells

Situational Spells

Abilities

Laning Partners

Items

Alternative Items

Situational Items

These are items that I commonly get depending on the set-up and composition of tmy team and the enemy team.

Gameplay

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Early Game

Alternative Beginnings

Mid Game

Ganking Lanes

Tips and Screenshots

Postlude and Thank You's

Updates

League of Legends Champions: