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Choose Champion Build:
Spells:
Flash
Teleport
Ability Order
Carnivore (PASSIVE)
Cho'Gath Passive Ability
Prologue
"Good day summoner, I have been expecting you. I had foreseen long ago that you would come to me for help and you are fortunate: I, Cho'Gath The Terror of the Void, will come to your aid. Hopefully you are not prejudiced by my appearance, most summoners think of me as a tank whose simple task is to soak damage and nothing else. Well, I have had it with this nonsense, you summoners must know that I am a powerful creature of magic. Therefore may I invite you, summoner, to shed a different light, not daylight of course hahaha, on me and unleash my true power!"
Cho'Gath's personal opening speech is always charming is it not? He insisted, so I could not refuse. Anyway, welcome to my guide about Cho'Gath, The Terror of the Void. I wrote this guide because Cho'Gath is one of the most fun, strong and badass champions to play on the fields of justice, at least in my opinion. Also, I want to make people aware of the other, even darker, side of Cho'Gath: AP Cho'Gath! I created this build a long time ago, in the time when Cho'Gath was only build as a full-tank. Nowadays we see more mage-offtank builds which are nice but still very tanky. Hence, I wrote a guide about how to build and how to play a successful mage Cho'Gath. You might find yourself a bit sceptical about this but he was once designed to be a mage and I want to show you that. This guide is to show you guys that thinking outside the box is not so bad and yields very interesting results. Also, the latest main update of my guide includes a powerful build for offtank Cho'Gath in case you are not really convinced of full-AP Cho'Gath. One final remark before you start reading the actual guide: I am not trying to claim that this is the best way to play and build Cho'Gath nor that this is a better way than tank Cho'Gath.
Yours Sincerely,
GrandmasterD
+ Insane farmer, can easily get 200-300 minion kills in a regular match. + Deals a substantial amount of damage for a tank and is quite tanky for a mage. + Two area of effect crowd control spells. + Deals high amounts of true damage. + Great pusher. + Very sustainable, both in lane and in the jungle. + His size scares the living hell out off everyone! _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ |
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- Cho'Gath's early game is not really strong, he has mana problems and is quite squishy. - His spells have high cooldowns. - Hard to master, especially good Rupture placement. - His ultimate has other purposes than sole damage dealing which means it can be on cooldown in a major fight. - He can be countered quite effectively with damage based on maximum health. (e.g. Bio-Arcane Barrage, Null Zone, Madred's Bloodrazor, Deathfire Grasp, etc.) - He is prone to kiting because he is a melee champion. |
+ Great burst damage. + One of the few mages who is actually capable of jungling, moreover he is good at it. + Fairly tanky mage due to Feast. + Deals over a 1000 true damage to champions! - Very high cooldowns on his non-ultimate spells unlike a lot of other mages. - Vorpal Spikes require him to be in close range of enemies which is not ideal for a mage. |
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+ One of the most tanky champions in the game because of his very own Warmog's Armor. + Highest damage dealer among the tanks. + Not a tank that can be ignored because of his crowd control. + Feast still does a lot of damage. - His great AP ratios are completely wasted. - Vorpal Spikes is almost completely useless in teamfights. |
Flash The well-known get out of jail freecard. Flash can be considered (I know I do) as the best summoner spell in the game. Everyone gets into a sticky situation sometimes and this is your way to get out quickly. Additionally, a proper Flash + Feast or Flash + Feral Scream combo could earn you some nice gold. Ghost Well, Ghost is a nice spell I suppose but I do not like it nearly as much as Flash. Ghost simply does not get you out of the sticky situations the same way as Flash but still, it has some nice traits. Ghost allows you to travel the map very quickly, also it helps hitting Rupture when chasing an enemy champion. Personally, I would not take Ghost on Cho'Gath but perhaps when you are new to this guy and maybe a little new to this game you could pick both of them. Ignite A very common spell on mages, just to do that final tick of damage to kill an enemy. However, I rarely pick this spell on Cho'Gath as you will find yourself rarely using the spell. Feast is all the true damage you will ever need so I would not pick it, but I guess it works great in countering amazingly sustained laners such as Warwick or Vladimir. As an offtank it can be used late-game to shut down healers but usually one Ignite in a team will do. |
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Teleport Absolutely my second favorite spell when I take the top lane solo. Teleport allows you to recall whenever you want to but also it allows for great map control. This spell simply allows you to leave the top lane for a while to gank or to get some items and by the time your enemy is even near your tower you can simple teleport back and solve all the problems. Additionally, Teleport allows you to quickly join teamfights in mid or at the Dragon in order to give your team a clear advantage! Exhaust I have seen people take this spell on Cho'Gath and I can understand why. However, I do not consider this spell extremely useful on a mage since it is all about burst. Nevertheless, Exhaust can still be very useful as a defensive spell versus those nasty tanky physical champions and if your carry is such a fan of Ignite you might consider it. On offtank Cho'Gath this spell becomes more useful as it can be used to shut down the enemy carry but I personally feel that it is not your task to do that with Exhaust. Promote The good old Promote is back! When I play Dominion I usually take this spell as my second spell, just to give the minions an extra push. Minions are really great at capturing points so getting some minions to capture them is not a bad idea. Promote does it all for you, this spell is capable of rallying so much minions in your lane that capturing the enemy point does not even require your assistance anymore. Promote is a nice asset to my strategy with Cho'Gath on Dominion but it is not a must-have. |
Smite
Definitely a must-have when jungling, otherwise just leave it be. Smite is really great for last-hitting the buffs, Baron Nashor and Dragon which can be used to secure them and to steal them, of course. The spell also serves its purpose well for pushing the lanes (e.g. by using Smite on the cannon minion) and combined with Feast it provides you all the true damage you will ever need!
When it comes to mage Cho'Gath there are two main skill sequences I would use. The first sequence maxes out Rupture first and is my preferred sequence. Rupture simply does the most damage and has the lowest mana cost. Additionally, it allows you to farm very effectively from a long distance and it has the lowest cooldown. Nevertheless, Feral Scream deals great damage too and is somewhat more consistent as it is easier to hit, but it costs more mana and deals less damage.
Masteries
Well, new masteries, new opportunities. Let me guide you through my mastery choices on Cho'Gath. First, get four points in Mental Force as it is really the only useful mastery we can choose in the offence tree we can start with. Contintue by taking four points in Sorcery and one point in Arcane Knowledge . This gives us some cooldown reduction and extra damage. Next, take three points in Havoc , four points in Blast and four points in Archmage . All of these amazing masteries give Cho'Gath extra damage output. The final point in the offence tree is spent in Executioner . This gives Cho'Gath some amazing extra damage, I mean, 6% damage increase on Feast!
Now we move to the utility tree and take a point in Summoner's Insight , two points in Good Hands and one point in Improved Recall . Summoner's Insight improves both Flash and Teleport so that is, of course, an amazing mastery to get. Good Hands is simply way better than Expanded Mind , since Expanded Mind is not going to do anything about Cho'Gath's early-game mana problems and after Rod of Ages it becomes redundant. Improved Recall is just a personal preference, feel free to change this point into something else. Continue by taking four points in Swiftness so Cho'Gath will be par with most other top laners when it comes to movement speed. The final point is spent in Runic Affinity but again this is a personal preference. Cho'Gath will probably do not get a lot of buffs in the game but when he does, it is nice to extend their duration.
Runes
Runes
Greater Mark of Insight Probably not the only viable marks on Cho'Gath but in my opinion the best for him. Magic penetration is very hard to come by so it is always nice to have some. These marks are pretty standard on mages so I take them on Cho'Gath. Honestly, I have nothing to add to this, these marks just rock! Greater Glyph of Force These glyphs give Cho'Gath some extra damage during the entire game. These glyphs are far better than the Greater Glyph of Ability Power because the turning point is at level five. If you do not want or have these glyphs, I would suggest the Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction as a viable replacement. One could also get more tankiness and get the Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist instead. |
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Greater Seal of Resilience Since the Greater Seal of Magic Resist are sub-par and the Greater Seal of Vitality are a bit overkill we take some early game armour. Since Cho'Gath will often meet opponents who deal a lot of physical damage, armour is certainly not a bad choice. Especially since Cho'Gath's base armour is pretty low. Thanks to PsiGuard for this idea. Greater Quintessence of Potency This is standard for a reason on mages. Combined they give a whopping fifteen ability power which is truly a lot for early game. Honestly, I would never replace them for anything else but there are some suitable replacements out there. The replacements I would consider are the Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration for some extra mid- and late-game damage or the Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed to get that extra chasing power. |
Core Build
Item Sequence
Rod of Ages This item is absolutely great, it gives a ton of health, mana and ability power. Rod of Ages solves all mana problems on Cho'Gath and makes him a real threat already. Additionally, Rod of Ages still has the Catalyst The Protector effect which means that it also restores health and mana on levelling up which gives you, of course, great lane sustainability. Rabadon's Deathcap Am I really explaining why someone should go buy Rabadon's Deathcap on a mage? Apparantly I am. This item gives, without additional ability power, 182 ability power! After the purchase of this item, everyone will recognise your power and cower in fear and if they do not... make them clear that they should! |
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Sorcerer's Shoes For some reason Cho'Gath needs shoes to move faster so let us head over to the store and get Cho'Gath some fine gentlemen's shoes. Unfortunately, the stylish ones are all sold out so we have to with something slightly less stylish. I prefer Sorcerer's Shoes over Mercury's Treads as these boots really boost Cho'Gath's (early) game damage. Deathfire Grasp Cho'Gath suffers from high cooldowns so getting some cooldown reduction is certainly not a bad idea. For this I take Deathfire Grasp because it gives ability power, cooldown reduction and mana regeneration. The same, however, goes for Morello's Evil Tome as well and that item gives more cooldown reduction, more ability power and is cheaper so why not take that instead? This is a good question but I go for Deathfire Grasp because its active adds something extra to Cho'Gath's burst damage which will still have a high cooldown. |
This skill sequence is slightly odd, but there is good reason for it. Rupture is brought to rank 3 as soon as possible as it allows us to farm the caster minions with just one Rupture. After that, we let Feral Scream catch up in order to lower the cooldown and to increase the duration of the silence. Rupture is maxed right after Feral Scream. Feast is still taken whenever available (i.e. level 6, 11 and 16) and Vorpal Spikes is maxed last. This sequence allows Cho'Gath to farm effectively but he has more crowd control available when it is necessary.
Masteries
Same explanation as in the Mage Cho'Gath chapter, so if you want the full explanation go to the mastery section in the Mage Cho'Gath chapter. Below I have listed each mastery with a short explanation why I take it.
- Mental Force - Extra ability power and lack of other useful masteries in this tier.
- Sorcery - Some nice cooldown reduction and again, no other useful masteries here.
- Arcane Knowledge - 10% spell penetration, really nice especially since it even works great late-game.
- Havoc - 1.5% damage increase, not bad. Works also with Feast.
- Blast - More ability power!
- Archmage - Even more ability power. Becomes better the more ability power you get.
- Executioner - Feast them all!
- Summoner's Insight - Improves both Flash and Teleport.
- Good Hands - Expanded Mind is useless and reduced death timers is great for late-game.
- Improved Recall - Personal preference, feel free to change.
- Swiftness - To match up with other solo top champions in movement speed, also it helps hitting Rupture when chasing.
- Runic Affinity - Again personal preference. When I get a buff, I like it if it lasts longer but feel free to change this.
Runes
Runes
Greater Mark of Insight Cho'Gath features three spells that do magic damage so these marks are pretty much the best ones to take. Your early-game damage is boosted substantially and there are really no other marks that are nearly as good on a solo top Cho'Gath. Greater Glyph Of Shielding Cho'Gath does not receive magic resist per level by himself so it is a great choice to take these ones. The Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist certainly beat the Greater Glyph of Magic Resist because Cho'Gath starts (as most other champions) with thirty magic resist. This is relatively high compared to the armour you start with. Therefore it is better to gain some magic resist while the magic damage of the enemy team is increasing as well. Replacements for these glyphs would be: Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power for some extra damage or the Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction to be able to spam your abilities more often. |
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Greater Seal of Resilience Pretty much the same story as with the mage build. Cho'Gath starts with a low amount of armour and top is usually the place to meet physical damage champions so getting some early game tankiness is not a bad idea. I used to get Greater Seal Of Vitality but that is quite overkill since Cho'Gath already has a lot of health. You could also go with the Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration or the Greater Seal Of Replenishment if you find yourself having mana problems. ______________________ Greater Quintessence of Fortitude Pretty powerful as they add a huge amount of tankiness early game. They are pretty much must-have if you are not going to start with a Doran's Ring. However if you do not own these runes or you do not like them, there are some suitable replacements. The replacements I would consider are the Greater Quintessence of Ability Power for some extra damage or the Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed to become better at chasing. |
Core Build
Item Sequence
Mercury's Treads A crowd controlled Cho'Gath is a useless Cho'Gath. Hence, pick up the good ol' Mercury's Treads if they have them in your size of course. Mercury's Treads simply rock on an offtank such as Cho'Gath, other people might just consider replacing them with Ninja Tabi but those boots are not nearly as good. Perhaps if the enemy team has no crowd control you might want to take other boots but it that is the case you probably have a certain victory anyway. Abyssal Scepter Magic resist and ability power! Offence and defence! It should be clear that this item is made for an offtank like Cho'Gath. Additionally, the item reduces the magic resist of all nearby enemy champions with 20 so it also supports your entire team! However, some ap carries usually buy this item and if they do you should not buy this because the aura does not stack (i.e. enemy champions will not have their magic resist reduced by 40). |
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Frozen Heart One of the most powerful tank items around, at least I think so. It offers a great amount of armour, mana and cooldown reduction. If all these things do not convince you, it also lowers the attack speed of all nearby champions by 20%. This means you can already weaken the enemy ad carry by simply being there! Recapping, Frozen Heart solves Cho'Gath's mana problems, gives a massive amount of armour and allows Cho'Gath to practically spam his abilities. Even though Rabadon's Deathcap is a real mage item, it gives a ton of ability power and immediately makes Cho'Gath a real threat on the field of justice. On offtank Cho'Gath however, this item should not be a main priority but rather a luxury item as this item offers no tankiness whatsoever. |
This skill sequence is optimal for jungling, it takes an extra point in Vorpal Spikes just to jungle a little bit better and after that we simply max Rupture as usual. Jungle Cho'Gath is absolutely badass to play however it requires far more skill than when laning as Rupture must hit! No exceptions!
Masteries
Same masteries as with Mage and Offtank Cho'Gath. This gives Cho'Gath some great damage output and it allows him to jungle easily. I am not going to explain the masteries once more because I assume you have read at least either the Mage or Offtank chapter. I will discuss possible changes to the Mage/Offtank masteries you could make if you would like that.
- Butcher - Extra damage to minions, not bad.
- Alacrity - More Vorpal Spikes - more damage!
- Hardiness - Armour, never a bad choice when jungling.
- Tough Skin - Reduced damage and clears the way for Bladed Armor .
- Bladed Armor - Made for jungling, really.
Runes
Runes
Greater Mark of Alacrity When jungling Cho'Gath these marks are definitely a must in order to have a safe and stable jungle. Besides these marks really add a lot of extra damage since Vorpal Spikes are applied on-hit. You could replace these for Greater Mark of Magic Penetration but that does not benefit your jungle at all and the damage it adds is not really worth a more risky and slower jungle. Greater Glyph Of Force When jungling, I still stick to the Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power as they give me a lot of additional damage during the game. You could also, of course, use the Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist when going (off)tank on Cho'Gath. The choice of the glyphs are completely optional actually, but I would go for one of the two mentioned previously. |
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Greater Seal of Resilience Absolutely a must-have when jungling! I am not going to start a discussion on this, the Greater Seal of Armor are just necessary to avoid taking too much, even fatal, damage in the jungle. Also, Cho'Gath is pretty vulnerable to physical harm early-game so why not counter this with a little bit of extra armour. When jungling, there are no real suitable replacements. Greater Quintessence of Potency This differs a whole lot from PsiGuard's original jungle setup but I feel that these quints fit (AP) Cho'Gath a lot better than Greater Quintessence Of Desolation even though those would speed up the jungle even more. The Greater Quintessence of Health also work but they slow your jungle down significantly. |
Jungle Route
Cho'Gath uses a straightforward level 5 jungle route. He cannot take on the standard blue buff route with these masteries, runes and items. You might think "Well, I have seen lots of Cho'Gath players do that, why is it not possible?". This is a very good question, the answer is simple: I use a Doran's Ring or a Regrowth Pendant as a starting item opposed to the regularly taken Cloth Armor. Anyway, let us get started already!
The Wolves
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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Simply start at the wolves, it is no challenge to take these little bastards down and you will not be needing any help doing so. Just use standard attacks and make sure you kill the big brown wolf first. Also, do not use Smite here! |
The Wraiths
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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Continue with the wraiths by using Smite on the blue wraith. Then you can easily finish off the others with your Rupture and standard attacks. |
The Golems
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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Before we recall we take down these two guys. Try to position yourself in such a way that you will damage both of them with your Vorpal Spikes. When you have finished them off, it is time to head back home. |
The Ancient Golem
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Initial Spawn: 1:55 Respawn Time: 5:00 |
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After you have picked up your precious Health Potions it is time for the real deal! The Ancient Golem is pretty easy to take down, simply activate a Health Potion as soon as you engage it and keep using your Rupture and standard attacks. Finish the big guy off with Smite and move on to your last challenge. |
The Wolves
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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Clear the wolves again, however now you will be able to use Rupture to clear this even faster! |
The Wraiths
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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A Rupture + Feral Scream combo and two standard attacks should clear this camp. |
The Lizard Elder
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Initial Spawn: 1:55 Respawn Time: 5:00 |
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Simply use the same strategy as with The Ancient Golem and you will be fine. The Lizard Elder will go down very easily if you use all of your spells correctly. Keep in mind that Rupture deals way more damage than Feral Scream so sometimes its better to wait for Rupture to come off cooldown. |
The Golems
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Initial Spawn: 1:40 Respawn Time: 1:40 |
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Take these guys down again to hit level five and be only one level away from devouring your enemies! This time it should go a lot easier and you do not need to recall this time, you can gank some lanes now! |
This should give you all the information you need to jungle Cho'Gath successfully. However, keep in mind that Cho'Gath is capable of doing great level 2 ganks with his Rupture. For example, you could take a minute of your precious time to do a gank in mid after you have completed the Wraiths. I want to finish this chapter with a video that shows Cho'Gath's jungle route.
On Dominion, I max Rupture first for the same reasons as with mage Cho'Gath: Lower cooldown, lower mana cost and deals more damage. Feral Scream is maxed second and Vorpal Spikes last. If you are playing (off)tank Cho'Gath you might consider the skill sequence in the cheat sheet corresponding to offtank Cho'Gath.
Masteries
Simply use the masteries from the Mage/Offtank chapters. The only change I made is to get rid of Improved Recall as it is of little use on The Crystal Scar and improving Good Hands is not such a bad idea since dieing is not uncommon when playing Dominion.
Runes
Runes
Greater Mark of Insight Yes, the same applies to Dominion. I do not really think I have to tell you three times about this. Magic penetration marks are just the best marks to take on Cho'Gath, period! Greater Glyph of Force Levelling goes pretty fast on Dominion, so why shouldn't we exploit that fact? Moreover, on Dominion I like to recall as little as possible so getting some ability power over time is really convenient. Possible replacements I like to get are the Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction or the Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist. |
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Greater Seal of Resilience Also on Dominion I like to go with the Greater Seal of Armor as it grants some extra tankiness. On Dominion, you could also consider the Greater Seal Of Defense as we will level up faster and it is very hard to keep up six stacks of Feast since dying is not really uncommon on The Crystal Scar. Besides, most opponents will be dealing physical damage. Greater Quintessence of Potency Even on Dominion I still stick with the flat ability power quintessences because it takes very long before the Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power kick in and some extra early game damage is always nice. They could be replaced by the Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration but I do not use that myself. |
Dominion
First of all, convince your team that you will be able to handle the bottom point (i.e. The Quarry or The Boneyard) all by yourself. Simply capture the point and start pushing the lane with your Promote. Minions are truly underrated in Dominion but they are a vital part of this strategy. Keep the minion flow up, being a constant threat for the enemy team.
If you have the chance, capture the opposite point and try to hold it, however if you have to give it up do so. Your task is to make sure that the enemy has to send at least one of their team members to your position, however usually you will be able to keep two of them busy. Cho'Gath's pushing power makes sure that he is capable of making sure that his minions will capture the point eventually.
It should be clear to you that Cho'Gath is a more static character on Dominion than most, but this strategy takes that fact and turns it into a huge advantage. You will be a constant threat to the other team and because you are a mage who deals a lot of damage they cannot simply send someone to take you down!
Below I have included a video that shows this strategy in action!
The first build is pretty clear and straightforward. This build provides Cho'Gath with all the ability power he can possibly need but it also keeps him quite tanky, especially if combined with Feast. However, because I am not building any mana regeneration items early-game, this build does requires proper mana management.
The second build is for the players who are just beginning in playing Cho'Gath. It provides early game mana regeneration through Fiendish Codex, hence I would also start the game with a Meki Pendant and two Health Potions. Additionally, Morello's Evil Tome provides more cooldown reduction so it is not as punishing if you would miss a Rupture. The Rylai's Crystal Scepter slow on Feral Scream and Vorpal Spikes can help you to place a better Rupture and it is a great item with a lot of ability power. This is just a more convenient build when you just have started playing (mage) Cho'Gath.
The third build is a mage-offtank build and is completely new. I have noticed that a lot of you guys were really sceptical about full-ap Cho'Gath or simply do not like it. For all of you guys, I have created an offtank build! This build focusses on tankiness at first and adds some damage to it later on! The build is really great to use for both beginners and pros. Additionally, it is suitable for jungling.
The fourth build is also an offtank build but it is focussed more on damage dealing rather than tanking. Even though Tear of the Goddess/ Archangel's Staff is not stacked very quickly it is still viable on Cho'Gath. This build gets ability power from mana which allows you to build much more tanky than usual. This build is sometimes necessary because your team might get too squishy.
Feel free to use this builds, however if you want to tweak these builds or create your very own. In the next sections I will discuss viable items on Cho'Gath just to give you something to go on.
Sapphire Crystal When laning, it is important to get that early Catalyst The Protector so start off with a Sapphire Crystal. Additionally, it leaves room for two Health Potions and it largely solves Cho'Gaths early mana problems. However, as PsiGuard has pointed out, it makes you pretty vulnerable early-game and smart players will take advantage of this. If you take this item to start with, be more cautious early-game. |
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Health Potion Potions simply rock early game, restoring 200 health is amazing and they are extremely cheap (I am Dutch, we like cheap stuff). Even though Cho'Gath's sustainability with Carnivore is amazing, I often find that it is not enough to keep you alive in the early levels when an enemy champion is harassing you. |
OR
Doran's Ring
When jungling, I usually start off with a Doran's Ring as it gives me ability power, health and mana regeneration. These are all things Cho'Gath loves! I also take this as it fits perfectly into a real mage build and starting off with a Sapphire Crystal or Ruby Crystal is less offensive and does not give you any sustainability.
OR
Regrowth Pendant This item gives great sustainability both in the jungle as well as in the lane. When I take this item, I build it as soon as possible into a Philosopher's Stone as that item will give you all the health regeneration and mana regeneration you can possibly need. |
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Health Potion You still have money left to buy a Health Potion, so just buy it! As pointed out earlier, these things rock! You might not even need them in the jungle but it is always nice to have as backup if you got ganked and are on lower health than expected. |
Zhonya's Hourglass The only item that provides armour and ability power so in order to stay a little bit tanky against those nasty physical types you might just want a Zhonya's Hourglass. The active, despite what most people think, is very useful on Cho'Gath. When focussed, it gives you a free two seconds to let your spells come from cooldown and to make sure that those annoying champions such as Talon will not be bothering you any longer. Rylai's Crystal Scepter Although not a very common item on Cho'Gath, it is a really nice item to have. The health and ability power are certainly not bad to have and the passive is very good. The passive allows you to slow enemies with your Feral Scream but moreover, with your Vorpal Spikes! No one will ever get away from you now! |
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Abyssal Scepter Next to Lich Bane, the only item that provides magic resist ánd ability power so it is not a bad choice, especially not if the enemy mage is doing well. Additionally, it provides quite a chunk of ability power and has a wonderful passive. Cho'Gath will always be in the middle of the fray so the passive of this item will probably affect every enemy team member. Abyssal Mask is also often a better choice than Void Staff unless the enemy team is really magic resist heavy. Will of the Ancients One of the few items that gives eighty ability power which is a lot. Also, it is really cheap and provides you ánd your team with spell vamp which is a really great stat. However, personally I do not think that Cho'Gath himself benefits a lot from spell vamp but this item is a really cheap item that provides you with a lot of ability power so certainly not a bad choice! |
Force Of Nature This item provides the most magic resist in the game. Also, it grants movement speed which is great for chasing enemies. However, above all else, it has an amazing passive: it restores 0.35% of your maximum health every second! Cho'Gath has a lot of maximum health thanks to Feast so you will become extremely sustained with this, almost indestructable! Randuin's Omen An amazing item that synergizes very well with Frozen Heart. Great for chasing enemies or to slow them down when your team is losing a fight and you have to flee. Additionally, it grants a ton of armour and health, a little cooldown reduction and a passive that might slow enemy attack- and movement speed as an on-hit effect. This item really wrecks enemy carries and it makes you very tanky! |
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Sunfire Cape A tank item that has an offensive trait: a magic damage per second aura! Even though the amount of magic damage is not really great, it still can deal a lot of damage over time! It synergises greatly with Force of Nature and Abyssal Mask due to the health regeneration based on maximum health and magic resist reduce respectively. Wit's End A strange offensive item that is seen a lot on Cho'Gath in high-elo games. The attack speed increase makes you use Vorpal Spikes more often since they are applied on hit. Furthermore, it grants a lot of magic resist and deals extra magic damage on hit. Combining this with ability power, Abyssal Mask and Rylai's Crystal Scepter makes you really deal a lot of damage. |
Void Staff One of the most situational ability power items that is available in the shop. When about two or three enemy team members are heavily stacking magic resist it might be time to get a Void Staff. However, always keep in mind that this item synergises very bad with Sorcerer's Shoes, Abyssal Mask and Haunting Guise. Moonflair Spellblade A less situational item than Void Staff but still pretty situational. Even though it now gives as much tenacity as Mercury's Treads, it still takes up one item slot and provides you with only fifty ability power. A perfect item if you get it in mid-game but it should be sold when entering late-game to make room for the real damage items. Morello's Evil Tome More mana regeneration, ability power and cooldown reduction than Deathfire Grasp and it is even cheaper! Hence, this is a great item to have, especially if you are not such a fan of Deathfire Grasp it is a perfect substitute. Personally, I prefer Deathfire Grasp because of its active but this book is certainly a great way to go as well. Guardian Angel A powerful tank item that grants both magic resist and armour. However, even though the item possesses really amazing stats it is very cost-ineffecient. You will pay a lot for the passive of Guardian Angel (i.e. about 1000 gold). I would only say that you should buy this item late-game (after about 50 minutes) as the death timers get really, really high and then it is nice to resurrect. Besides, getting this item really discourages the enemy to focus you and we actually want them to focus you. Quicksilver Sash Is the enemy extremely CC-heavy? Is an enemy Trundle constantly stealing your precious tankiness? Consider picking up a Quicksilver Sash. It immediately removes all your debuffs (That includes effects such as Ignite, Children of the Grave and Agony)! This item is really cheap, offers quite some magic resist and has an amazing active, why would you not buy this? Thornmail Even though it is not the best item around, it grants the most armour in the game (i.e. 100 armour) and it has a great passive that works perfectly against physical carries. Also, Thornmail is a really cheap item. Keep in mind that this item does not synergise with Frozen Heart and Randuin's Omen as these items lower the enemies attack speed. |
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Lich Bane Eighty ability power, magic resist and a wonderful passive. If that is not enough, there is a 7% movement speed bonus! Lich Bane is not a really bad item on Cho'Gath but keep in mind that the passive of this item will not trigger very often so it is not very cost-effective on Cho'Gath. Nevertheless, it is certainly an item that Cho'Gath can use and it gives him some extra burst power! Mejai's Soulstealer Snowball items are really unreliable and so I will never put this in my standard build. However, if the situation makes it viable to get this well you could give it a try. Mejai's Soulstealer is often very useless in higher elo games so think twice before getting it. Also, it makes you the number one target so play extra careful when you have a decent amount of stacks! Banshee's Veil This item is always a good choice as a defensive item. It possesses a great passive and gives a nice amount of health, mana and magic resist. However, it is pretty expensive and does not contribute to your damage. It is wise to get some damage items before getting this beauty. Odyn's Veil The Banshee's Veil on Dominion. Usually not really necessary as the main damage dealers in Dominion are physical. Nevertheless, it reduces magic damage by 10% and gives you extra burst damage. Same story applies as with Banshee's Veil though, get some damage items first before building this. Warmog's Armor I have seen Cho'Gath players getting Warmog's Armor so I thought I should mention it. Personally, I think this item is really overkill as Cho'Gath already gets so much health from Feast. However, it is certainly viable to build, especially if combined with Atma's Impaler or Force of Nature. Just do not rush it! Atma's Impaler What? Cho'Gath does not stack with attack damage, right? That is correct, however, Cho'Gath possesses one of the highest base attack damage in the game and also possesses a lot of health due to Feast. If the enemy is getting magic resist to counter you, you could consider this item. It also grants some armour so it adds something in tankiness. |
Try to keep your mana around 75% and whatever you do, do not push! (unless the enemy team does not have a jungler but I assume they have) Cho'Gath is very vulnerably for ganks early-game because his spells will have a very high cooldowns and he does not enough damage yet to be a threat to two enemies at once.
Once you have Feast things become different, you will be able to kill your enemy. Be aware when you use Feast on a minion to gain stacks because you will be in a vulnerable state since the enemy knows your ultimate is not up. Below I have added a video of about fifteen minutes that shows Cho'Gath's early game, enjoy.
During mid-game, especially when the laning phase is still going on, you should lurk for kills. Harass the enemy as best as you can, however do not go all-out until you are certain to kill your enemy. The easiest way to make sure that they do not escape is to harass them to a certain point that you can end them with a well executed Flash + Feast combo!
However, it is possible that your mid-game is not as exciting as you had hoped for. Do not worry, simply go and farm whenever possible and take the time to get those Feast stacks. You could also support your teammates in pushing an enemy tower or by ganking their lanes. Again, there is another fifteen minute video that shows a bit of Cho'Gath's mid-game, enjoy.
When your Flash is up, Cho'Gath becomes a very powerful initiator. Flash + Feral Scream can silence an entire team for up to three seconds and it will also allows you to hit Rupture easier. Keep in mind that late-game, Cho'Gath's burst can insta-kill most squishies and even some offtanks!
In teamfights, Cho'Gath really has two tasks to complete. The first one is quite simple, take on the enemy carry or mage! His second task, however, is more supportive. His crowd control is really useful to keep enemies away from your teammates. Always keep in mind that enemy (off)tanks feel untouchable because they are hard to kill, Feast deals true damage so show them your power if necessary! The next video is a video of a teamfight with mage Cho'Gath, enjoy!
Akali Akali is someone we should be careful of. Unlike other mages she certainly likes to get in melee range. She truly outdamages you early-game but she has trouble getting in range. Levelling Feral Scream might be a good strategy against her, use it when she gets too close and back off. When she hits level six she will be able to get in range easily. However, her Twilight Shroud will prove of little effect against your area of effect spells. Besides, Feral Scream can truly wreck her! The trick is to burst akali down from relatively high health to zero, this is possible but approach her with caution. Galio Annoying champion but he should not cause too much trouble. Unlike you, he has no form of sustainability so harass him early-game. However, mid-game he has probably stacked enough magic resist to withstand your burst... except for Feast! Recapping, harass him early-game, dodge his Resolute Smite and Righteous Gust and finish him with Feast if possible. Gangplank This freaking OPplank is a real pain in the ***! Do not count on it that you will be able to kill him as he can simply make your Feral Scream obsolete with Remove Scurvy and he is so fast with Raise Morale that he probably dodges every Rupture you throw at him. Try to stay out of his Parrrley range as it is very punishing and simply try to farm in peace. Only go all-out when your jungler comes for a gank otherwise, try to farm as much as possible and leave him alone, it is just not worth it. Garen Same story as with Gangplank however here you have to watch out for his Decisive Strike + Judgment combo as that deals a lot of damage, especially early-game. Try to prevent his Perseverance from kicking in by using Vorpal Spikes. Garen is hard to take down but he certainly does not have to pose such a threat. Irelia Very annoying champion to play against. She is sustainable, deals a lot of damage and is tanky. Try to keep engaging her to the minimum before you reach level six. After that, engage her in small bursts and keep doing this until she is low enough to be killed. Avoid her Transcendent Blades at all costs as the healing of that is huge on champions and that could destroy all your hard work. Irelia is certainly very hard to take down but it is possible, especially if your jungler comes to your aid! Yorick Alas, poor Cho'Gath! If there was an Oscar for "Most Annoying Champion to lane against" then this guy would have won it with ease. He will harass and farm at the same time and push you over your tower if you are not careful. Yorick is also quite bulky, moreover very sustainable so do think twice about harassing him. Focus on farming instead and make sure your jungler ganks early and multiple times to wreck his lane. You will need help from the outside to make sure that he will dig his own grave. |
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Jax Very annoying champion with great early-game damage so watch out for him until you hit level six. Always, wait for him to initiate on you and cast a Rupture on your current position! Rupture + Feral Scream is really punishing on him and Feast simply devours him, if Relentless Assault is active or not! Nasus Very annoying champion with a broken ability: Siphoning Strike. Your main priority will be to keep him from farming that ability! Harass him early-game as his early-game is pretty much ****. Make sure your jungler pays him a visit and you will probably be able to wreck his entire early-game! Once you hit level six, there should be no problem anymore, simply play very aggressive and keep him from farming. One last note, do not push against this guy, he will be able to get all the last-hits he needs at his tower! Renekton Battle of the beasts has been started. His early-game is stronger than yours so keep a distance till about level four or five. Pay attention to his fury bar because you do not want to get hit by an empowered Ruthless Predator, that is for sure. Keep in mind that the first part of Slice and Dice will not consume fury so he can dash in, use an empowered Ruthless Predator and dash out! Meanwhile he keeps himself sustained with Cull the Meek especially if used on champions, so be careful around him. Keeping a distance is all that is necessary to take down this evil crocodile. Rumble Oh boy, another manaless champion who is annoying as hell! Even though he deals a lot of damage, he needs to be in close range to make it happen so keep your distance. Unlike you, Rumble does not possess any form of sustainability so try to harass him. Be careful when his ultimate is up, as it is very punishing and is an easy gap-closer for him! Constant (succesful) harass and the constant fear of being Feasted upon brings him down, eventually. Talon Very strong champion in the League, however he probably fears you more than you fear him. Keep a low profile early-game as you will be a lot weaker than him. When you hit about level four or five, enagage him in small bursts but make sure that you can get away when he uses Cutthroat on you. As with many others, he is not sustainable so harassing him out of his lane should be possible. Against this opponent it is wise to get your Catalyst The Protector as soon as possible! Warwick The only guy out there who is even more sustainable than you are. Harassing him is pretty much pointless so try to farm as much as possible. Also, make sure he pushes the lane because then his Infinite Duress will not be as effective if the enemy jungler ganks you and it allows for your jungler to gank more easily. Do not expect to get a kill in this lane, simply farm like hell and wait for someone to assist you in taking down the tower! |
- Rupture placement can be hard, but if you think "how would I walk?" you will find that people are more predictable than seemed at first.
- If you get pushed very hard by the enemy, do not counterpush! Instead, ask your jungler for help and, if necessary, take an extra point in Vorpal Spikes to last-hit better at the tower.
- Place Rupture in such way that you can hit the enemy champion, his minions or both.
- Take some extra points in Feral Scream when laning against a champion who heavily relies on abilities.
- If you get dived at your tower, at least Feast them before you die, usually it is just enough to still get you a kill.
- Feast often deals so much damage that enemies will not even have the time to activate spells such as Undying Rage.
- When you harass in close range, end with your Feral Scream as this usually gives you time to disengage without receiving a scratch.
- Feast is a great spell for stealing Baron Nashor or Dragon because it deals 1000 true damage to minions which is way more than Smite.
- As a mage, it is often more beneficial to have your ultimate up than to gain stacks with it.
- Even if you play Cho'Gath as a mage, you are often not focussed because of his tanky nature.
- When ganking, do not use Rupture directly from the brush, it reveals your position and it is often missed as the range is not big enough. Besides, it is better to use to catch up with an enemy rather than an initiating move.
- Even though maxing Vorpal Spikes is not a great way to go, it makes you outdamage the most auto-attackers early game just with your standard attacks. Very useful when laning against Garen for example.
- A well-timed Flash + Feast combo can really surprise kill an enemy!
I will ask you not to downvote this guide just because it is a guide on mage Cho'Gath, if you feel that tank Cho'Gath is a better way to go; that is fine but I would like to ask you not to downvote this guide just because of that. Well, I guess I am done here, again thanks for reading and happy feasting!
SPECIAL THANKS
- Wayne3100 - For learning me how to play Cho'Gath and for reviewing my guide a couple of times.
- jhoijhoi - For creating an awesome guide on how to create a guide. Her epic guide can be found here.
Also, she has reviewed my guide and gave me my first +rec!
WAIT! There is even more! She has created the awesome banner for my guide! - SirSpankAlot - For reviewing my guide and giving me some very useful constructive criticism.
- PsiGuard - For reviewing my guide and he is responsible for quite some changes in my guide. Also, I would like to give him credit for his wonderful contribution in jungling Cho'Gath (i.e. the mastery setup and the Greater Mark of Attack Speed).
- JakofAllSpaydes - For creating that wonderful "Thanks for Reading" banner.
- wRAthoFVuLK - For giving me some great advice on my offtank build and he made me change it, for the good.
Q: Is mage Cho'Gath the best way to play Cho'Gath?
A: I personally do not think that there is a best way to play him, both are viable in their own ways.
Q: Why have you created this guide? No one plays Cho'Gath this way, probably for a reason.
A: Exactly the reason why I created this guide. Just to show people that experimenting and thinking outside the box can be rewarding and yield very new and fun gameplay.
Q: I have just started playing Cho'Gath, is it not too hard to start with this build right away?
A: Not really, tank Cho'Gath is somewhat easier but it is very much possible. I would recommend that you use the Newcomer Mage Build.
Q: Your guide sucks, I did not get any good scores with it. I am certainly going to downvote, you noob!
A: I am so sorry, that is not a question.
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Energize
24-10-2011 |
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Guide Released!: Everyone now has access to my mage Cho'Gath guide, feel free to comment.
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Energize
26-10-2011 |
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Let The Renovations Begin!: Started to implement all the suggestions done by jhoijhoi and PsiGuard
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Energize
30-10-2011 |
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Cho'Gath 2.0!: Complete re-vamp of the guide is finally done! Enjoy the new offtank Cho'Gath build and the new layout of the guide. Help me to make this guide #01!
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Energize
03-11-2011 |
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Offtank Build Change: wRAthoFVuLK gave me some great advice so I have improved the offtank build.
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Energize
13-11-2011 |
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Eyecandy: I've made some changes that made the guide even more pleasant to look at.
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Energize
17-11-2011 |
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Season 2: Guide has been updated in order to fit the season 2 changes.
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