Kog'Maw is the strongest range DPS on Dominion. But this power is balanced by a very low survivability. This build counters this weakness with Phage for a very solid start. Dive into this guide to become an unstoppable jet fighter !

Noob friendly : This guide was thought for players who go in Dominion to kill time alone or gain fast IP with "non perfect" partners. This build order is made to counter the uncertainty coming from random allied champions, who often seek their own safety before yours.

Premade :If you have a partner you can really trust to protect you, then i would recommend to start with Zeal and The Lightbringer, grabbing Frozen Mallet later.

Most Recent update : 08/03/2012
- Added a note about trust
- Added a new section for the Sanguine blade
- More details on the Phage section
- Added big icons for the core items

Phage
When going top at start, the extra HP will make of you less of a natural target. More resistant, you will have time to finish the job. As it is a frantic battle, it is essential to be a bit tanky. Even you can soak up damage a bit for your teammates ! The bonus 18 AD is good and the slow will help.

+225 HP makes you very resistant at start, when you are not yet menacing enough for them to fear you. More durable, you can take more risks to get your kills. For your first back you should be able to finish Frozen Mallet and buy Boots. After the core, you are ready to start attack speed and heavy damage.

The lack of Boots at the very start makes you arrive at top tower 2 or 3 seconds later. But it's OK. First, you will not be focused right away. Second, since you're ranged, you can attack soon enough from behind the walls. Third, unnoticed, you will attack and slow efficiently engaged enemies. If you really feel you need to be there faster, you can pick up Ghost to keep up with the rest of the team. But don't forget that a few minutes later, you will buy Mobility Boots for a great speed all around the map, making Ghost almost useless.

Your Frozen Mallet complete is the first step to epicness. With 700 HP you can survive any fight. With the 30% permaslow, no melee champion can come to reach without dying, and no one can escape you. With your Frozen Mallet, you have now enough survivability to focus on the chase.

The only trouble, in this early stage of the game, is that you don't yet deals a lot of damage. So even slowed, they may run away long enough to reach allies or to enter a bush, preventing you from targeting them. The solution lies in the next item :

The Lightbringer is core. With it's passive, no more juking, no more hiding in bushes, no more hiding in angles ! Hit once and you will never loose sight of your target till it dies. For the price, the attack speed 50% buff is excellent ! The +20 AD makes it hit like Malady. Yes, without the magic resist debuff it is less damaging, but if you can't see or hit your enemy, it is wasted, right ?

If you face Akali, Talon, Twitch or any stealth champion, The Lightbringer will counter them hard. Many players won't realize why they died while hidden! For 1750 gold this item is cheap and efficient.

Kitae's Bloodrazor is the ultimate shredder created just for Kog'Maw. Tanks and squishies alike will all fall before you. In combination with Bio-Arcane Barrage, they will melt before your eyes.

Sanguine Blade will often be your last item of the game. You will gain 60/95 more AD to make your high attack speed even more deadly and the 15/22% lifesteal will give you high sustain. Gaining health while safely dishing out damage from far away is a must !

If game goes very easy don't finish the Frozen Mallet first and rush the Kitae's Bloodrazor. If enemies are mostly squishies, rush the Sanguine Blade and Phantom Dancer.

Mobility Boots :
With those boots, you move around the map very fast. You can go back to battle faster, disrupt a capture faster or save a teammate faster. The loss of speed in battle is not a n issue : once you hit an enemy, he will be 30% perma-slowed. So he won't get away.

Boots of Swiftness
You don't need the +3 in offensive situation. But sometimes, you may be heavily focused by enemy team. Having to flee more often, buy those to guaranty your escape.

Mercury's Treads
If you fall to many stuns, silence and fears, buy those boots to dampen those effects.

Berserker's Greaves
Attack speed is nice, but Dominion is all about movement. You will always need an other option other than attack speed.

Exhaust over Fortify
The choice is hard. If you fight more under turrets, go for Fortify.
I feel i need to counter specific champions to help Kog win( Master Yi, Xin Zhao, Tryndamere or Jax). Those champions can kill you even under the boosted turret.
With exhaust you have a solution.

Flash for offensive purpose :
If Xin Zhao is in contact, bashing you. Puke at a a bush nearby, flash in it and attack from the distance. It will buy you the time needed to reverse the situation as he go back slowly to contact under your heavy rain of acid. If he tries to run away, he is dead.

Do not buy defensive item in late game : to be safe, stick to your teammates, tanky or disruptor. This is a very important strategy, do not move alone around the map. The best play for Kog'maw is to work in a duo.

There is a lot of good duo. I had great success with :
- Garen - Rammus - Morgana
- Skarner - Alistar - Sion
- XinZhao - Blitcrank
- Fiddlestick - Galio
- Graves - Jax

I am sure there is many more champion to duo with ! Grab them all !

Update : Nothing much have change since a year. This build is still functional !

Thanks for reading me through !

I hope you enjoyed this guide. Please test it in game and post your comments about your success ! Cheers !