Hello, this is my Kog'Maw guide. Kog'Maw's been famous throughout his existence as a late game hypercarry, and even though his kit's been reverted (and for good reason) from his update, this is still true. The key to Kog'Maw is positioning and kiting, because if you get jumped on, it's usually game over unless you can outdamage your assailant (usually not the case due to bursty assassins). While his early game trading and harass with W is pretty good, he usually gets outclassed by other ADCs in the early and mid game. If you farm well, try not to feed, and hit your item spikes, you'll be a monster in the late game.

Pros

+ Late game gigacarry + Lives off on-hit damage, so tank killing is no problem + Bio-Arcane Barrage does % health damage and has good range + Form of self-peel with Void Ooze + Living Artillery useful in fights and for locking down kills + Can destroy anyone who can't burst him late game

Cons

+ Very weak early and mid game compared to other ADCs + Highly dependent on smart positioning and peel from team late + Gets targeted a lot + High risk damage dealer in laning phase

Heal
The most basic summoner spell for ADCs. Can give you the boost you need to survive a teamfight, live through a gank, or save a teammate (or to get in range for one last auto).

Flash
Most basic spell for champions in this game. Unrivaled usefulness. I shouldn't really have to explain it.

Passive: Icathian Surprise
When you die, your body turns into basically a controllable time bomb that explodes after a few seconds. Basically this is a good way to ensure 1v1 trades are "worth" (unless your opponent has high mobility) and to have an impact in fights even after you die.

Q: Caustic Spittle
You fire a wad of spit, pretty much. This deals a little magic damage but also reduces enemy armor and MR for a bit, allowing you to get in good damage when trading. Make sure to kite though!. Also provides passive attack speed with each rank.

W: Bio-Arcane Barrage
Your main source of damage. When Bio-Arcane Barrage is activated, your basic attacks gain range and deal extra on-hit magic damage (percent health). This makes it easier to kill tanks with the percent health damage, and easier to kite effectively with the range (and Phage passive). The first auto of Bio-Arcane Barrage also backs quite a punch early game with Sheen proc.

E: Void Ooze
This is your self-peel. While it may be AP Kog's hallmark, you shouldn't really be using this ability for damage unless you can get a kill with it. In general, save it for disrupting teamfights or when someone's on your tail, as you're pretty immobile without kiting.

R: Living Artillery
You spit really high into the air. The spit then lands on someone. The spit does damage based on missing health (more missing health, more damage). While its range is pretty small at rank 1, it still can be potent for trading, poking, or dueling. However, it really comes online in teamfights, as a way to do consistent, safe damage. Just watch out for the increasing mana costs.

Berserker's Greaves
Standard boots for ADC. I recommend getting them fairly early for earlier movespeed and DPS.

Trinity Force
An all-around item that fits your kit and helps you through the early and mid game. The Sheen proc from Bio-Arcane Barrage does surprising damage, and Phage makes it much easier to kite and position well. Note: in the late game, you COULD sell this for a second attack speed item for more DPS and higher crit chance. Note that you do lose Phage passive with this, making it harder to kite.

Blade of the Ruined King
This helps establish your on-hit damage base. Both the lifesteal and attack speed also make you more well-rounded and capable of fighting.

Runaan's Hurricane
Here's where you start becoming a teamfight monster. By now you have good on-hit damage, which, when added to the attack speed you have as well as the distribution of damage thanks to Runaan's bolts, makes people think twice before walking up to you.

Phantom Dancer
Alternative to Hurricane. Gives overall more attack speed and better dueling/single-target focus at the cost of damage distribution and on-hit.

Infinity Edge
This gives the last major push in your offensive power. Adding some juicy crits to your arsenal never hurts, and this helps to kill priority targets like carries much faster.

Mortal Reminder and Lord Dominik's Regards
You don't really need pen like other ADCs do, since your way of killing tanks is through the percent health on-hit damage from your W. Maybe take a Lord Dominik's if they have someone with an absurd amount of armor, like a Rammus, but then again, you're Kog'Maw, if you auto attack Rammus you'll die just because of his W and Thornmail. If they have heals that are annoying to deal with and none of your teammate will get it, get Mortal Reminder. You shouldn't have to get either of these, though.

Edge of Night
This gives you some insurance in fights, especially if you're going after their mid laner. Remember to charge the shield before you go in.

This is usually a good idea if they have a bursty mage. This way, you can (probably) live through their assault was well as get some bonuses when the shield pops to kill them.


Good lifesteal and damage, but also provides the component of Quicksilver Sash, which can make or break a teamfight, as if you get locked down, there's a high chance of death.


Good damage and the best lifesteal in the game. Take if you think you need sustain.

Sterak's Gage
Take if you have a hard time lasting through fights, although BT would be better.

Guardian Angel
Take if you're your team's only hope of winning.

Great Lulu makes up for all of Kog'Maw's weaknesses. She can protect against his lack of sustain with her E shield, his lack of safe poke with her Q, and low mobility with her W (which also buffs attack speed). Best of all, her ult can help you survive long enough to get your items and hit your power spikes.

Great This is for a passive lane. While Janna probably won't help you win lane, she won't make you lose it either, which is a good deal for an ADC with such a weak early game. If you get harassed or jumped on, she can just shield with Eye of the Storm and disengage with Howling Gale or Monsoon. Her W, Zephyr is also good to help you kite or chase.

Great He's fallen out of the support meta for a bit, but is still very strong thanks to the emergence of Courage of the Colossus . He has 3 forms of hard CC in his Dredge Line, Depth Charge, and Staggering Blow, as well as soft CC with Riptide. All this is designed to preoccupy the enemy damage dealers before they can get to you, and so you can free auto while they're wrapped up in it. Just make sure he goes on the right targets.

Great This one might just help you get some lane kills. Her Q>W combo is pretty potent with Thunderlord's Decree , and the snare from her Q also lets you harass freely. Black Shield in turn protects you from the opposing support's CC, and Soul Shackles can take over a teamfight or gank quickly.

Great Thresh gives both offense and defense, which is pretty good for Kog'Maw. If he lands his Death Sentence, you should get one or two free autos if he doesn't go in (which he shouldn't if both ADCs and supports are full HP). If you get ganked, it's important to draw the enemy focus while Thresh moves towards your tower, so he can use Dark Passage to lantern you to safety. Flay is a great utility move if used correctly, and can both prevent you from dying and get you kills. The Box serves the same purpose, albeit in a different way, and also deals pretty good damage to squishy targets.

Great Alistar's displacement ability, Headbutt, can thwart the likes of an enemy jungler's attempts at assassination. His new passive gives plenty of sustain, and his new E makes him more formidable in close range. Basically, he has a lot more CC now and can let you harass pretty safely due to the Q/W in his back pocket.

Kog'Maw's early game is pretty weak. He has the damage to get kills, but the problem is he needs time to do it, and. being so immobile, usually doesn't get that time. In general, just free farm for the late game and try to get an auto on the enemy ADC if they misposition. Don't be greedy. You actually have pretty easy to land soft CC in Void Ooze, so ganks can be pretty potent if the enemy laners pushed you in. Once you get Sheen, your harass with Bio-Arcane Barrage becomes a lot better, so you can look for more aggressive trades then. Make sure your support has your back though. If the enemy bot lane roams, it's probably wise to follow them with your support, since if you get on a mispositioned target, it'll probably be a few seconds before you can kill them or force a summoner spell (especially if you hit 6). Remember not to cast 6 in succession too much, because of the mana cost.

You can skirmish and teamfight fairly well in the mid game. You still need to stay safe though, as you'll be the most consistent source of damage on your team, so remember to stay behind your backline and aim for the carries. Blade of the Ruined King will help your DPS and sustain (as well as damage onto tanky targets), and Trinity Force will give you kite potential as well as DPS. If you can use an ability like Q for resistance shred , or E for CC, or R for poke, remember to hit someone with the proceeding Sheen proc. When not fighting, you should be grabbing as much farm as you can. Mid probably isn't the best option, because everyone fights over mid farm but no one gets a lot, so split pushing or clearing side lanes is the best idea. Remember to ask your support or jungler to get vision or presence on that side of the map so you can't get ganked.

Remember to stay safe when fighting. Flashing into a 1v2 or 1v3 isn't a good idea, no matter how strong you are. If you prolong teamfights and surprise the enemy team with your DPS and on-hit damage, as well as if your team peels for you well, you should win fights. You can outdamage most AD carries at this point, so if someone tries to duel you, getting off as many autos as possible is the best way to win in order to both damage and heal (with Bloodlust/BORK/Merc or BT if you have them yet), but the only ability other than W you should be using in 1v1s is E for some kite. You're pretty good at taking down towers, but Sheen makes it easier. As for objectives, play safe when taking them. If you can dodge enemy damage or CC, you might be able to fight enemies off objectives, if you're coupled with your top laner or support when defending Dragon/Baron, but in reality, that job should fall to your mid laner, and you should be the main damage source on epic monsters. You push pretty fast, so make use of it and make good rotations.

Thanks for reading! All the chapters recently disappeared on me, so I had to redo the guide. Hope it helps!