Hello! This is my first guide, so any suggestions, and tips would be greatly appreciated. I think Cho'Gath is a great top laner, and if very effective at bullying the enemy top laner, and making sure they don't become a threat. Be sure to read the abilities notes for order.

1) Everything in this guide is situational, and just because I recommend it doesn't mean that you should always do it.

2) I know this guide is pretty wordy, but in my opinion it is manageable, and useful.

3) I will be updating this guide every now and then so look out for updates especially if a buff/nerf/new item comes out that is useful or harmful to Cho'Gath.

MASTERIES:
21/9/0 is your best bet for Cho'Gath. 9/21/0 is really good also, do whatever you like better.

RUNES:
The runes above are basic and effective setup. If you'd rather be more tanky consider getting some different runes, but these ones work great.

Teleport is effective for ganking lanes, and getting back to your lane, but ignite is another useful option. I have found myself in many situations where I just need a little more damage, so ignite is just as great of an option as teleport, it really depends on how you want to play. Always take flash as it works great as a gap closer for your ult, and as an escape.

START:
You should start Doran's Ring if possible, but if the lane you are against has heavy poke then consider getting a flask instead. If you want to go for a quick kill you should start with mana potions because Cho'Gath's abilities eat up mana, especially early game.

RUSH: Rod of Ages is a great item on Cho'Gath. Start by getting Catalyst for the sustain, and extra stats it gives. Unless you really need the speed you should get the full Rod of Ages before you get boots. Rod of Ages is the best item to get first because it provides great sustain, and scaling stats. Getting it first also helps to get the stacks faster.

All the other items are extremely situational and you should examine what would work best. Choose the best items for what you need to benefit your team, and counter the enemies' teams.

Taking a quick point into E can help you farm throughout the game, and give your jungler a better leash. Also when the enemy top laner comes to farm, or poke this will really help you out trade them with your basic attack. I find it very beneficial to let the enemy push, this is explained in the strategy section. Make sure to keep your CS up and harass the enemy laner so you can get your Catalyst.

LEASHING FOR JUNGLER:
If you are providing a leash, and your jungler has bad sustain, you should tank the damage from the camp. This will really help your jungler, and your passive will let you easily regenerate your health back. Cho'Gath isn't very good at fighting early game, so the lost health shouldn't really matter.

LANING:
In the laning phase you generally want to let the enemy push if they are doing it, and only take the last hit on the minions. (Just because you are letting them push doesn't mean that you should let them last hit. Zone them off if you can) This really helps fake out your opponent, making them think that you don't believe you can kill them. Pushing the lane also helps against escaping enemy ganks, and making it easier for your jungler to gank. Once you reach level 6 you should've already poked down your opponent, and you can Q - W - basic attack (optional) - R them for an easy kill. If you can't, however, just keep farming, and poking. If you reach level 6 and your opponent has a lot of HP still, just get your stacks. Play mind games, and experiment a little to find out which mind games work for you, and your lane should be pretty easy.

TEAM FIGHTS:
During team fights mid - late game you should focus on tanking, and peeling for your carries. Use your Q to initiate, and whenever you can, W on people who are reliant on abilities, and ult the squishiest players. Make sure to ult at a good time, if you focus on last hitting the enemy with it, then they might have enough time to kill someone on your team, but if you ult too early they might get scared, and walk away, so be sure to do it when they can't escape. If the goal is to make them back off, then go ahead and ult them. Make sure to be basic attacking with your E constantly to put some damage out.

TOWER DIVING:
Cho'Gath has a lot of HP with this build and his stacks, so always tank the turret shots to protect others. You CAN dive alone easily but I recommend acting like you aren't going to dive, to make the Q easier to land on them.

CARRYING:
Cho'Gath can do lots of damage, and provide lots of tankyness, so it is a great pick in solo queue to carry games with. Use your combos, and make good calls to get fed, and carry.

I don't really know what to call these so I'm just going to list them, and provide a brief explanation.

When you see E that means to basic attack, which uses your E.

1) Q - W - E (as many times as you can)
Very basic poke and can even be used to kill.

2) W - Q - E (as many times as you can)
Useful for silencing opponents who have escapes to make it easier to land the Q just like #1 it is mainly for poking.

3) QWE(any order from above) - R
Kill method, use the Q to make it easier to catch up for the R and make sure to get the last hit with the R to get stacks.

4) E (as many times as you can)
Not exactly a difficult combo, but can be used very early in the game to prevent enemy from farming, or punish them for trying to bully you.

Thanks for reading the guide! I hope it was useful, and I hope you learned something. If you have suggestions please let me know, and stay tuned for updates in the future. If you have any questions, make sure to ask.