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Kog'Maw Build Guide by Doody_tco

ADC KOG'MAW - FEEDING TIME!!

ADC KOG'MAW - FEEDING TIME!!

Updated on April 18, 2024
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Doody_tco Build Guide By Doody_tco 54 3 95,224 Views 9 Comments
54 3 95,224 Views 9 Comments
League of Legends Build Guide Author Doody_tco Kog'Maw Build Guide By Doody_tco Updated on April 18, 2024
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Runes:

1 2
Precision
Lethal Tempo
Triumph
Legend: Alacrity
Coup de Grace

Resolve
Conditioning
Overgrowth
Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+65 Base Health

Spells:

1 2 3 4
Mobility
LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Ghost

Ghost

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Champion Build Guide

KOG'MAW - FEEDING TIME!!

By Doody_tco




General
|Planning
|Walkthrough
|Gameplay




Hello everyone, I'm SUPERPLAYSHD!! My peak rank is Master on EUW. I am an ADC main, and I am Kog'Maw main and I used to be top #54 Kog'Maw in previous seasons. I found it interesting to play Kog'Maw thanks to his hybrid damage, and his powerful scaling, he shreds both tank and squishy champions.

I created this guide because I did not find a comprehensive guide on the website on how to play Kog'Maw as a marksman and I want to share my knowledge in an in-depth guide which is based on my personal experience. So please if you like my guide upvote and share your thoughts in the comments section, I would appreciate it. And now, without further ado, have a good read!

Note: click on the bar below each section to bring you back to the contents.



Kog'Maw is a hyper carry marksman who deals significant damage as time goes by in the game where he shreds the target with immense maximum health and you have the chance to snowball in the early game. Kog'Maw reduces the armor and magic resistance with Caustic Spittle which makes him great against tank champions; he gets increased range with Bio-Arcane Barrage which enables him to trade in lane; able to survive or catch up with enemies with the Void Ooze slow; and deal great damage with Living Artillery that has a fair cooldown duration. On top of that, Kog'Maw deals true damage to an enemy as he explodes on death thanks to his passive Icathian Surprise.




PROS AND CONS


+Great scaling in the late game in both attack and spell range
+Shreds tank champion and delete squishy champions
+High damage output
+Deals true damage after he dies (useful even in death)
+Deals hybrid damage

Kog'Maw is a hyper carry who has a great range with Bio-Arcane Barrage that increases further in the late game, destroying any champion that comes in his way. He has the potential to snowball in early game. It is better to play Kog'Maw if you have an engage/CC in your team to tank for Kog'Maw, and if you have an amazing Lulu to peel for Kog'Maw and scale with him.
-Squishy, gets deleted by longer range champions
-Weak to crowd control
-Lack of mobility so cannot escape enemies
-Need a team who can peel him to deal damage
-Weak early game

Kog'Maw is squishy and can be useless in the early game if faced with CC support champions such as Rell or Blitzcrank, or if played against mages who out-range him such as Lux or Xerath where he will be poked heavily and denied CS. Do not play Kog'Maw if the enemy comp contains heavy CC champions, or if there is a poor synergy between Kog'Maw and your support.




Your ideal keystone to go for with Kog'Maw is Precision, prioritizing Lethal Tempo as the major rune because it grants a stacking attack speed and range. At full stacks, the attack speed exceeds the maximum range (2.50). This is perfect for Kog'Maw because his attack range is relatively short so Lethal Tempo boosts him, moreover, Kog'Maw relies on attack speed to deal damage, so with Lethal Tempo his DPS is further increased. Picking Press the Attack, Fleet Footwork or Conqueror will not get the best out of Kog'Maw.

- Overheal: really weak at the moment and does not support Kog'Maw even with Legend: Bloodline or life-steal items such as Blade of the Ruined King. Do not pick it.
- Triumph: ideal to survive, especially early game when trading with the enemy marksman and support. Since Kog'Maw has no mobility, this can make him survive damage from Ignite, minions, and champions, or at least allow Kog'Maw to deal enough damage before dying and possibly kill an enemy with Icathian Surprise.
- Presence of Mind: grants Kog'Maw mana after he kills an enemy, while it may mean granting usage of abilities again in a fight, it means less survivability and granting the enemy gold. If you pick Presence of Mind you need to be extra cautious with the positioning.


- Legend: Alacrity: perfect for auto-attack dependent champions such as Kog'Maw. If you have enough peeling in your team, you should definitely go for Legend: Alacrity. It is the most recommended rune.
- Legend: Tenacity: good against heavy CC team. However, it means less damage. You can always depend on Cleanse and items such as Mercurial Scimitar if that is the case.
- Legend: Bloodline: great heal scaling and great sustain, especially if you are not planning on building life-steal items. If you are not going for Legend: Alacrity, Legend: Bloodline should be your second option.


- Coup de Grace: snowballs against squishy champions. You have to poke the enemy until their health drops to make use of Coup de Grace.
- Cut Down: if you are against tank team or bruisers, Cut Down is what you should go for. Cut Down will add more to the scaling of Kog'Maw.
- Last Stand: good for Kog'Maw since he is squishy and lacks mobility, which means his health will drop fast and he can deal more damage.


SECONDARY RUNES


Pick Resolve for durability: Conditioning and Overgrowth: Conditioning makes Kog'Maw more of a tank without building durability items as it increases his armor and magic resistance, and Overgrowth increases his health. This way Kog'Maw will not be deleted by the burst damage champion and fight longer in fights.
Pick Domination for snowballing: Taste of Blood and Treasure Hunter: with Taste of Blood, Kog'Maw can heal partially and survive fights, and as he gets kills, he will get additional gold with Treasure Hunter and get items advantage over the enemy bot lane taking lead in the lane.

Pick Sorcery for damage scaling: Transcendence and Gathering Storm: with Transcendence, Kog'Maw can hit skill shots more often and win more trades, and with Gathering Storm he gains additional AD or AP as the game goes by. Sorcery is good when you need to focus on scaling.
Pick Inspiration for mobility: Magical Footwear and Approach Velocity: going for Inspiration means low mobility early game which is bad for Kog'Maw, but it also means better kiting later in the game, especially with the help of Approach Velocity which synergies with Void Ooze slow.




Flash the irreplaceable summoner spell for all marksman, Kog'Maw is no exception. You can use Flash to escape an enemy or get to an enemy to get a kill. Know who are you facing and who is supporting you, for example, if you are against Leona, use Flash to avoid CC from Solar Flare, or if Jarvan IV ganks after level 6, save Flash to escape his ultimate Cataclysm.
Ghost a good summoner spell to pick to grant Kog'Maw mobility in both laning phase and team fights enabling him to kite and survive. If you are looking for aggressive plays, and if the enemy team is not full of CC, go for Ghost. You can also use it to escape the enemy if Flash was not enough.
Cleanse is your option against heavy CC team or CC support at least such as Leona, Nautilus or Rell. It can also be quite useful since usually the enemy in bot lane will pick Exhaust to deny Kog'Maw damage and Cleanse will “cleanse” it, cleanse Ignite and other random abilities.
Heal can be used as a defensive spell. It is not going to be as efficient if Kog'Maw is affected by Ignite or affected by an anti-heal item such as Oblivion Orb, so Barrier can be better in this case. Use it to save Kog'Maw, your support, and increase movement speed to get a kill or survive a kill.
Exhaust great against burst damage champions especially assassins such as Kha'Zix or Katarina. Not only it reduces damage but it also slows the enemy enabling Kog'Maw to kite the enemy and deal damage to them. Pick it if your support picking Heal or Ignite.






ABILITIES RUNDOWN


|| ICATHIAN SURPRISE


EFFECT RADIUS: 400

INNATE: Upon taking fatal damage, Kog'Maw enters a zombie state for 4 seconds, becoming ghosted and gaining up to 40% bonus movement speed over the duration. At the end of the duration, he explodes and deals 140 − 650 (based on level) true damage to nearby enemies.

While under this state, Kog'Maw becomes invulnerable, untargetable, and immune to crowd control, but is also rendered unable to declare basic attacks, cast abilities, use summoner spells, and activate items.



TIPS:

- Chase the enemy if Kog'Maw dies, you may secure a kill or let them use Flash or any other summoner spell.
- If you can't catch up with the enemy or you killed them, go after the minions' wave to get CS.



||CAUSTIC SPITTLE


COST: 40 MANA | COOLDOWN: 7 | CAST TIME: 0.25 | RANGE: 1200 | WIDTH: 140 | SPEED: 1650 | BONUS ATTACK SPEED:
10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30% | MAGIC DAMAGE: 90 / 140 / 190 / 240 / 290 (+ 70% AP) | RESISTANCES REDUCTION: 23 / 25 / 27 / 29 / 31%

PASSIVE: Kog'Maw gains bonus attack speed.

ACTIVE: Kog'Maw ejects a wad of spittle in the target direction that deals magic damage to the first enemy hit and reduces their armor and magic resistance for 4 seconds.


TIPS:

- Use Caustic Spittle against tank to reduce their armor and magic resist and shred them. You may also use it on squishes to delete them.
- Use Caustic Spittle to secure cannon minion in the lane.
- Use Caustic Spittle to poke the enemy and win trades.



|| BIO-ARCANE BARRAGE


COST: 40 MANA | COOLDOWN: 17 | CAST TIME: NONE | BONUS ATTACK RANGE: 130 / 150 / 170 / 190 / 210 | BONUS MAGIC DAMAGE:
3 / 3.75 / 4.5 / 5.25 / 6% (+ 1% per 100 AP) of target's maximum health

ACTIVE: Kog'Maw empowers his basic attacks for the next 8 seconds to gain bonus attack range and deal bonus magic damage on-hit, capped at 100 against minions and monsters.


TIPS:

- Use Bio-Arcane Barrage to farm safely in pressuring lanes.
- Before dueling, make sure that Bio-Arcane Barrage is ready to use, do not fight without it.
- Use Bio-Arcane Barrage to poke the marksman when they try to farm.



|| VOID OOZE


COST: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 MANA | COOLDOWN: 12 | CAST TIME: 0.25 | RANGE: 1360 | WIDTH: 240 | SPEED: 1400 | MAGIC DAMAGE: 75 / 120 / 165 / 210 / 255 (+ 70% AP) | SLOW: 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50%

ACTIVE: Kog'Maw spews a gob of ooze in the target direction that deals magic damage to enemies hit.

A field of ooze is created in its wake for 4 seconds, slowing enemies every 0.25 seconds.


TIPS:

- Use Void Ooze to slow the enemy and be able to kite, or use it to escape.
- If you think you need to use Flash to escape, slow the enemy with Void Ooze then use Flash to increase Kog'Maw chances of survival.



|| LIVING ARTILLERY


COST: 40 − 400 (BASED ON STACKS) MANA | COOLDOWN: 2 / 1.5 / 1 | CAST TIME: 0.25 | TARGET RANGE: 1300 / 1550 / 1800 | EFFECT RADIUS: Range center 240 | MINIMUM MAGIC DAMAGE: 100 / 140 / 180 (+ 65% bonus AD) (+ 35% AP)

ACTIVE: Kog'Maw spits a globule of acid into the air that drops to the target location after 0.6 seconds, granting sight of the area before dealing magic damage to enemies hit and revealing them for 2 seconds. Living Artillery's damage is increased by 0% − 50% (based on target's missing health), or instead by 100% if the target is below 40% maximum health.

Kog'Maw then gains a stack of Living Artillery for 8 seconds, refreshing on subsequent casts and stacking up to 9 times.

LIVING ARTILLERY: For each stack, Living Artillery's mana cost is increased by 40.


TIPS:

- Poke the enemy with Living Artillery when the enemy goes for farm. Use it to try to steal objectives.
- Don’t let the ability's low cooldown duration itch you to use it. It consumes a lot of mana and it will leave Kog'Maw vulnerable.
- Living Artillery grants vision. Use it in bushes to avoid getting killed. Beware though, it does not reveal stealth and camouflage champions.
- Since its damage is double against enemies below 40% hp, use Living Artillery when their health drops. Since it consumes mana, use it when finishing a fight-off.



ABILITIES SEQUENCE



The first ability to unlock and to level up is Bio-Arcane Barrage, it grants range and empowers auto-attacks. Due to Kog'Maw low mobility and short attack range, Bio-Arcane Barrage should be maxed first so Kog'Maw can trade better, increase the range and deal more damage to the enemy. The second ability to max is Caustic Spittle, its passive synergies greatly with Bio-Arcane Barrage and it reduces the armor and magic resistance of the enemy which means more DPS. The last ability to unlock and level up is Void Ooze. You can use it in a combo by hitting it first to slow an enemy, then use Caustic Spittle to reduce the armor and magic penetration of the enemy, and finally use Bio-Arcane Barrage to gain range and damage. As for Living Artillery level it up at levels 6, 11, and 16, use it to secure a kill of an enemy who used Flash or escaped, or use it to grant vision, be careful though when you use it though, you need to make sure that you have enough mana to use Bio-Arcane Barrage and Caustic Spittle.

CORE BUILD
The first and the most crucial item to build Kog'Maw, Blade of the Ruined King is the main source of life-steal, it is strong against tank champions, slows the target, and grants movement speed.
Guinsoo's Rageblade gives magic damage on-hit which increases; provides ability power; increases and stacks attack speed which is when it is fully stacked (32% attack speed), it will double the on-hit effects.
With Runaan's Hurricane, Kog'Maw deals damage to two more champions dealing additional magic damage, and grants mobility and significat attack speed, not to mention the critical strike chance.
Berserker's Greaves grants Kog'Maw his main mobility which helps him with kiting and trading, and it also grants him attack speed and thus helps him win trades against the enemy marksman and support.

SITUATIONAL ITEMS: ATTACK SPEED
Kraken Slayer increases the physical damage Kog'Maw deals that stacks, it grants a decent attack speed, and its critical strike chance will empower Guinsoo's Rageblade passive.
Wit's End is often included in the core build, it helps with mobility and increases the damage and attack speed. It becomes an essential item to build against threatening AP champions such as Zoe or Malzahar.
Terminus grants a significant on-hit and physical damage, and attack speed. It also provides stacking armor penetration and magic penetration for more damage, and stacking armor and magic resistance.
Unlike all of the mentioned items, Phantom Dancer grants ghosting which provides mobility for Kog'Maw and increased attack speed. The passive of the previous two items are stronger though.

SITUATIONAL ITEMS: DEFENSIVE
If you face enemies with burst damage that can delete Kog'Maw and positioning isn't enough because they can reach the back line, just get Guardian Angel and have one more chance to fight and carry the team.
Get Mercurial Scimitar if you are not building Wit's End and if you are facing a heavy CC team and you need to cleanse the CC to survive. Build Quicksilver Sash first before building the complete item.
Another alternative for Mercurial Scimitar and Wit's End. It is the least favorable magic resistance item with Kog'Maw playstyle. Therefore, if the enemy team doesn't deal heavy AP damage, do not build it.
The health Titanic Hydra grants Kog'Maw makes him endure fights longer and does not get him deleted instantly. It also grants attack damage. If it is not necessary, try to build attack speed items instead of Titanic Hydra.
A good item against full AD team. It is powerful against Assassin champions as Talon or Kha'Zix, and marksman champions like Akshan or Quinn. Build it against AD champions that rely on critical strike such as Miss Fortune or Jinx.
Consider building Jak'Sho, The Protean when facing burst AD champions and/or AP champions such as Vayne or Vladimir for more durability in fights. It grants stacking armor and magic resistance along with the ones provided by the item.


MATCHUPS: ADC

Aphelios (Low):
Weak in the early game. You can play aggressively against him to deny him scaling. Care as Aphelios gains attack range with Calibrum, the Sniper Rifle, and also avoid getting rooted by Moonlight Vigil, Gravitum in team fights as it can be deadly.

Ashe (Even):
Frost Shot will be the major problem to Kog'Maw as Ashe snowballs with it. Consider picking Cleanse for Frost Shot and Enchanted Crystal Arrow, use minions wave to block Volley, and farm safely. Kog'Maw out scales her.

Caitlyn (Extreme):
One of the most difficult marksman champions to face. She has CC, mobility, and more importantly range and will deny Kog'Maw farm. Play extremely safely and focus on farming with your abilities, Kog'Maw out scales her hard.

Draven (Extreme):
Probably the roughest matchup ever. Paired with an engage support or an enchanter, Draven always wins. The best way to play against Draven is to not play the lane and wait for your jungler gank or mid-game. Kog'Maw out scales him, do not worry.

Ezreal (Even):
Ezreal is the safest ADC pick thanks to Arcane Shift. Try to bait it before using all of Kog'Maw abilities on him. Picking Ghost would be good here to chase him and kill him if needed. Stay behind minions to avoid Mystic Shot.

Jhin (Even):
If paired with a mage support, Jhin can be very powerful. Avoid getting Kog'Maw's health reduced, dodge his fourth shot. Jhin out-ranges Kog'Maw don't let him snowball. If the lane is rough, focus on farming.

Jinx (Low):
Jinx has wider range with Switcheroo!, try to not get poked while farming. You can either pick Ghost or Cleanse against her. Jinx is a hyper carry, try to kill her before Get Excited! activates. When fighting, out-range her with Bio-Arcane Barrage.

Kai'sa (Even):
Kai'Sa is weak early game, Kog'Maw attack range is wider than hers. Try to poke her to deny her farm and scaling. In mid to late game, avoid fighting her 1v1, she scales well and she will probably destroy Kog'Maw in a duel.

Lucian (Major):
His attack range is the shortest compared to other ADCs, but with his abilities, he destroys Kog'Maw early game, not to mention that he is really mobile especially if paired with Nami. Bait Relentless Pursuit before fully fighting him.

Miss Fortune (Even):
Miss Fortune is so mobile with Strut passive. Always slow her before fighting her to cancel her passive. Care to not position Kog'Maw behind minions and poked by Double Up. Miss Fortune is a lane bully,but Kog'Maw out scales her.

Nilah (Major):
Kog'Maw out ranges Nilah which means, poke her. Nilah can dodge all of the auto attacks with Jubilant Veil and dash away with Slipstream. Bait these abilities before fighting her, and be ready to Flash when she uses Apotheosis.

Samira (Major):
Samira got higher chances of snowballing in the lane, especially if she has an engage support. She also blocks auto-attacks and abilities with Blade Whirl. Kog'Maw out-scale her. Focus on farming and do not give her the lead by giving her kills.

Sivir (Low):
Sivir has a short attack range. Use Bio-Arcane Barrage to poke her and deny her farm. Make sure that Spell Shield is on cooldown before using your abilities, especially Caustic Spittle. Sivir can push the wave with Boomerang Blade and Ricochet, keep that in mind for wave management.

Tristana (Major):
You need to have Exhaust or Barrier ready for when Tristana engages with Rocket Jump. Tristana can snowball early game, so focus on farming. After 6, make sure that Explosive Charge and Rocket Jump are on cooldown so she doesn't survive.

Twitch (Even):
Twitch is a scaling champion. Ambush is the main issue, it can be simple to predict it in the lane, but in the late game, if he managed to scale, he can Ambush Kog'Maw and kill him with Spray and Pray. Try to win against him and Exhaust him when he attacks Kog'Maw.

Varus (Major):
As long as you don't give Varus kills you should be fine, because whether he builds lethality or AP, Varus becomes a serious problem since he is a scaling champion. Try to win against him in the lane. Dodge Hail of Arrows and Piercing Arrow. Cleanse Chain of Corruption.

Vayne (Low):
Vayne is a scaling champion, so try to poke her in the lane and deny her gold and XP. Avoid getting poked by Tumble and auto attack. Do not stand next to walls so Kog'Maw does not get stunned by Condemn. Kog'Maw counters Vayne, do not fear her true damage.

Xayah (Even):
Xayah is a lane bully -mainly- with Clean Cuts and its wide range. Always try to dodge Clean Cuts and Bladecaller combo and attack her when Bladecaller is on cooldown. Xayah becomes untargetable with Featherstorm so be ready to dodge it or Cleanse it when fighting her.

Zeri (Low):
A late-game champion with great mobility. Try to deny her farm in the lane phase. Make sure that Spark Surge is on cooldown before fighting her so she does not escape. Dodge Burst Fire and use Ghost when attacking her, or have Cleanse to use it when Exhausted.


MATCHUPS: SUPPORT

Alistar:
- Against (Major): You can abuse him at level 1, prioritize the farm. Attack safely when his CC abilities are on cooldown. Focus on the ADC not him on fights.
- With (Strong): a powerful engaging and disengaging champion, super tanky, and has a lot of CC. Alistar can save Kog'Maw with Headbutt, follow his engages and get fed early game.

Bard:
- Against (Low): avoid getting caught by Cosmic Binding and you can easily fight him. Care to not get caught in Tempered Fate after level 6.
- With (None): his kit doesn't support Kog'Maw much. Moreover, he's gonna roam all game leaving Kog'Maw vulnerable in the lane.

Blitzcrank:
- Against (Major): avoid getting hit by Rocket Grab and Kog'Maw should be fine. Stay behind minions, and keep your distance to avoid Power Fist.
- With (Ok): having Blitzcrank is a coinflip, he either hits all of his hooks and Kog'Maw gets fed, or he hits nothing and you need to farm and scale.

Brand:
- Against (Low): Do not get poked by him and you should be fine, he is gonna be an easy target. Be careful with the damage he deals late game.
- With (None): If Brand lowers the enemy's health with pokes, then you can try to secure kills, besides that, focus on the farm and scaling.

Braum:
- Against (Even): If he is with an early game adc such as Draven, do not look for trades, just farm, if not, you can try to poke him and poke the adc.
- With (Strong): an amazing support. Braum will peel Kog'Maw, CC, he is a tank champion. Follow his engages and Kog'Maw will get fed early game.

Janna:
- Against (Tiny): Avoid getting caught by Howling Gale and try to fight when it is on cooldown. Her peeling is good, so try to kill her first.
- With (Ok): if you are against an engage support, Janna should prevent the engage and give Kog'Maw the advantage of fighting back.

Karma:
- Against (Even): stay behind minions to avoid getting damaged by Mantra. Bait her Mantra and Inner Flame combo and fight afterward.
- With (ok): Karma can poke and grants Kog'Maw shield and movement speed. Fight the enemy once Karma reduces the enemy's health to secure kills.

Leona:
- Against (Major): a lot of CC, so always pick Cleanse. Bait her Zenith Blade and poke her. After level 6, avoid getting caught in Solar Flare.
- With (Strong): with her CC, Leona can prevent the enemy from catching up with Kog'Maw, follow her engages to get kills, and get the lead in the lane.

Lulu:
- Against (Low): avoid getting polymorphed by Whimsy in fights. Try to bait it and you can kill her and her marksman easily.
- With (Ideal): great shielding, great Pix, Faerie Companion, amazing movement speed and attack speed, great peeling, your best partner ever!!

Lux:
- Against (Even): Bait Lucent Singularity to avoid poke, Lux is squishy, fight her after she uses Light Binding. Care if she is paired with Caitlyn, if so, focus on farming.
- With (None): If Lux manages to reduce the enemy's health and root them, aim for a kill, besides that, just focus on the farm until you find an opportunity.

Milio:
- Against (Minor): Avoid getting hit by Ultra Mega Fire Kick when fighting. Care if paired with Caitlyn, her attack range will destroy Kog'Maw.
- With (Ideal): Milio got it all for Kog'Maw, healing, shielding, cleansing, movement speed, increased attack range, and counters engages with Ultra Mega Fire Kick. One of the best.

Morgana:
- Against (Low): luckily, Morgana got nothing to counter with Black Shield. Pick Cleanse to avoid years of CC of Dark Binding, and fight her after she uses it.
- With (Minor): Black Shield is gonna protect Kog'Maw from CC and AP damage, if Morgana immobilizes an enemy, attack them and try to secure a kill.

Nami:
- Against (Low): Dodge Aqua Prison and engage her, she's squishy. She heals a lot so try to target her first. Be ready to dodge Tidal Wave after 6.
- With (Strong): thanks to Surging Tides, all of Nami abilities grant movement speed. There is also, CC, peeling, and empowered attacks. Great support.

Nautilus:
- Against (Major): You may be safe from Dredge Line by staying behind minions, but after 6, there is no escaping the chain of CC with Depth Charge. Pick Cleanse against him.
- With (Strong): Just like when you play against him, follow his CC from Dredge Line and Depth Charge and Kog'Maw will get fed.

Pyke:
- Against (Low): position well and Pyke won't be able to do much. When he roams aim to kill the ADC. Flash or Heal after 6 to avoid dying from Death from Below.
- With (Low): follow Pyke aggressive plays in the early game, so you can get the lead before he leaves you in the lane and roams.

Rakan:
- Against (Even): Fight him after he uses Grand Entrance. After 6, do not fight until he uses The Quickness.
- With (Strong): great peel and CC. Poke the enemy if caught by Grand Entrance and go back to CS. Look for a kill when the enemy's health is low.

Rell:
- Against (Major): Try to fight after Rell uses CC abilities. Pick Cleanse and keep your distance from her when you farm. You shred her late game.
- With (Strong): Rell will provide Kog'Maw with a lot of CC and peel, she can prevent enemies from getting closer to him. Follow her engages to get kills.

Renata Glasc:
- Against (Low): Try to avoid Hostile Takeover and fighting an enemy with Bailout when Kog'Maw is in low health.
- With (Strong): great peeling. Fight until the end with Bailout since Kog'Maw will have an attack speed boost. Enjoy killing the enemy when Renata Glasc uses Bailout.

Seraphine:
- Against (Low): Dodge her skill shots and it is an easy matchup. Be ready to Cleanse Encore. Fight her when Surround Sound is on cooldown so she doesn't escape.
- With (Low): Seraphine can peel and poke. Fight once she reduces the enemy's health and if she charms the enemy with her ultimate Encore.

Senna:
- Against (Even): Avoid getting poked by Piercing Darkness. Attack her when she gets souls for Absolution and when she misses Last Embrace. Senna outranges Kog'Maw in late game.
- With (Low): Senna got nice range and peel. She also scales. Let her poke the enemy and attack them if their health drops or if Senna roots them.

Sona:
- Against (Tiny): Sona peels and pokes a lot. Try to avoid getting poked by Hymn of Valor. After 6, fight the enemy after she uses Crescendo.
- With (Ok): great peeling but you cannot do much early game since Sona is a scaling champion. If she stuns the enemy with Crescendo try to get kills.

Soraka:
- Against (Tiny): Soraka's healing is powerful. Focus on her during fights. Bait Starcall. Do not get silenced by Equinox, you can be safe besides that.
- With (Ok): Greatest healer in the game, she also pokes great in the lane phase. In late game Soraka can peel you from assassins with Equinox. If the enemy engages, fight until the end, Soraka got your back.

Taric:
- Against (Even): Dodge Dazzle and you can fight after. When Taric uses Cosmic Radiance, wait until the effect of it is over and fight.
- With (Strong): great peeling, increases Kog'Maw's armor with Bastion. After Taric uses Cosmic Radiance engage the enemy.

Thresh:
- Against (Even): Dodge Death Sentence and you can poke him back. Avoid getting in close range as Thresh can trap you with Flay and The Box combo. Also, poke him when he tries to collect souls. Be careful when he uses Dark Passage, as someone may join the fight.
- With (Ok): follow Thresh aggressive plays if he hooks the enemy.

Yuumi:
- Against (Tiny): Playing in lane will feel like a 2v1. Avoid getting poked by Prowling Projectile and play aggressively.
- With (Strong): Laning phase will be determined by the ability of Yuumi to hit Prowling Projectile. Besides that, Yuumi's kit is good for Kog'Maw.

Zilean:
- Against (Even): Try to dodge Time Bomb. Do not fight the enemy after 6 until Chronoshift effect wears off. Care for ADC level-up advantage with Time in a Bottle.
- With (Ok): Good movement speed with Time Warp and one more chance to fight with Chronoshift. Fight the enemy after Zilean reduces their health.

Zyra:
- Against (Even): Avoid getting rooted by Grasping Roots. Kill her plants if possible since they are her major source of damage. Fight her after she uses her immobilizing abilities.
- With (None): If Zyra reduced the enemy's health, you can go for a kill, and poke the enemy if she roots an enemy. Besides that, just farm.



Pre Laning-Phase


The real action begins in laning phase, but you should start planning your moves during champion select. You need to analyze both your comp and the enemy team comp, and choose your runes and summoner spells accordingly. You can face a rough bot lane duo such as Caitlyn and Lux which forces you to play defensively. You should know who the jungler is. For example, you may not have a problem trading in bot lane, but an enemy jungler such as Rammus or Zac can gank your lane early and you cannot escape the CC.

When the game starts, and before the laning phase starts, you should check the needs of your team, like if they want to invade the enemy jungle so you can join them and maybe get a kill to have the lead on bot lane. Or if you should counter an enemy invade, or if you should simply leash your jungler. Go to the lane at min 01:38 max. If you go after, you will miss the first three minions and lose gold and XP.


Laning Phase (Pre level 6)


Once you have analyzed the enemy team comp and know the threat degree in bot lane, you can choose your playstyle. Your goal is to have minimal deaths and focus on CS, then look at your lane, is it an even lane? Then you should focus on the farm and look for an opportunity, when possible, to get a kill, whether this opportunity is your jungler ganks, the enemy focusing your support and their health being low, your support managing to CC the enemy, you having minion wave advantage, whichever it is, use Void Ooze to slow the enemy, reduce their armor and magic resistance with Caustic Spittle and get range with Bio-Arcane Barrage. Even if Kog'Maw health drops, fight until the end, even if the enemy kills Kog'Maw you can still get the kill with Icathian Surprise. If you have lane advantage (having Lulu the greatest support synergy with Kog'Maw) and you are against champions weaker in the early game such as Soraka and Vayne, then you should try to hit level 2 before the enemy and either get a kill or make them Flash away and use this as an opportunity to farm and deny the enemy farm. If your support is premade and you trust them, then you can play aggressively and your chances of winning will increase.

If you are against lanes such as Draven and Leona, then you should play super passive especially if you have an enchanter support by your side, you are both weak early game and you should either wait for your jungler to gank, otherwise just focus on the farm and scale. Use your abilities Caustic Spittle to get CS and Bio-Arcane Barrage to get range and try to get as much CS as you can. Use Void Ooze to slow the enemy and be ready to Cleanse, Flash or Ghost to safety. Do not push the wave and try to freeze in front of your turret (exactly outside the tower range) so you can farm and be safe in case the enemy engages or if the enemy jungler ganks, otherwise, if the minion wave is pushed, you can kiss getting gold from CS goodbye.


After Level 6


Once you reach level 6, you can be more at ease, you can use Living Artillery to poke the enemy and farm if you are against a rough bot lane. Once you hit level 6 you should try to think of roaming for objectives. If your jungler ganks and you get a kill, push the minion wave and help to get dragon. If your jungler wants to take dragon but the enemy support and marksman are still alive, push the wave and then help him, if you cannot do that because of the pressure you are getting in the lane, then just trust your jungler and pray that he knows what he is doing.


Wave Management


Wave management plays a crucial role in the laning phase, it grants the advantage in the lane, lessens your losses, and/or dominates your lane. There are three strategies to manage the wave: Freeze, slow push, and fast push.

Freeze

A freeze means holding the minion wave in a certain position. As you can see in the figure where the wave is usually positioned. When the game starts, the wave will be in zone 0, for Kog'Maw, the wave ideally should be in zone 2 or 3 to your turret, especially against hard lanes such as Draven+ Leona or Lucian+ Nami. You can also use it when Kog'Maw has the potential to snowball in the lane and deny the enemy XP and CS. To execute a freeze, you have to last hit minions, you can poke the enemy while waiting for the minion's health to drop to last hit it. Try to not hit the minions with abilities so it does not push the enemies. If the enemy is pushing the wave, try to auto-attack the minions, and try to prevent the wave from going under the turret so you do not miss CS.

Image courtesy of mobalytics.gg

If you plan to play aggressively and win trades, try to keep the wave frozen in zone 0. Keep in mind that to maintain a freeze in zone 0, both you and your enemy should have the same number of minions. DO NOT freeze the wave in the same 1,2, or 3 to the enemies turret to avoid getting ganked and giving kills. If you think you can get kills, then try to predict the location of the enemy jungler, get the kills, and push the wave to the enemy turret and recall. Do not push the wave when the enemy jungler are champions such as Rammus, Zac, or Kayn since they are so mobile and crave to gank such lanes. Also, if you plan on recalling, do not keep the wave frozen in zone 0 or zones 1, 2, or 3 close to the enemy turret, fast push it and then recall.

Fast Push

Fast push means making the minion wave push toward the enemy turret. The best way to do this is by killing siege minions (cannon) and melee minions. You need to fast push when the enemy ADC and support have recalled and you need to recall as well. Fast push in this case leads to wave clear as fast as possible to deny the enemy experience and gold, it also means that when you come back to lane, Kog'Maw would not lose XP and gold because the enemy wouldn't have enough damage to get the wave under your turret. There are 2 other cases to fast push, the first is when you need to join your jungler to take objectives, and the second is when your jungler wants to dive the enemy.

Slow Push

Slow push is the condition where your minion wave is bigger than the enemy's. You must not rely much on slow push in the early game because it means a frozen wave for the enemy and more XP and gold. The only case you want to leave the wave at a slow push is when your bot lane roamed and you follow them to get kills lead. Usually, you rely on the slow push at later stages when Kog'Maw needs to join team fights and when you have objectives to take. A huge wave attracts the enemy which means distracts them from taking objectives and/or joining team fights because if they leave the wave unattended then it will probably have the potential to destroy the enemy turret.

Note: This guide demonstrated the basic knowledge of wave management. Check wave management guide for more information about wave management and specifications for ADC role and bot lane.


Warding

Note: This warding section will be updated once the ward map tool is updated to season 14 map. Thank you for your patience.


Warding is the job of your support but you need to place Stealth Wards and Control Wards early game because the number of wards your support can place is limited. If your lane is even with the enemy's, you need to make sure that the bushes in the lane and in the river are warded. The following images show where to ward when both lanes are even on the red side and the blue side.

Even warding (red side)

Even warding (blue side)

If you are behind, then you will have to play under the turret. Therefore, you wouldn't be able to ward the bushes in the lane, but you should ward the one in the river because champions can be waiting for Kog'Maw to push further to assassinate him such as Shaco or Fiddlesticks. Also, you need to keep your jungle warded to avoid any dive from the enemy jungler or the mid-laner as shown below.

Defensive Warding (red side)

Defensive warding (blue side)

If you are playing aggressively and pushing constantly, then you need to place aggressive wards. This means you need to ward the enemy jungle (at least the brush next to the turret when playing on the blue side). This way you can see the enemy jungler movement and avoid getting ganked. It also shows the movement of the enemy mid-laner if they roam to help bot-lane. The following images show where to ward on both the blue side and the red side.

Offensive warding (red side)

Offensive warding (blue side)

Note: All of the warding images courtesy of mobalytics.gg. This guide demonstrated the basic knowledge of warding. Check warding guide for more information.

At this point of the game, Kog'Maw should be in a better condition than early game. You probably already have built Berserker's Greaves and Guinsoo's Rageblade. You have many possibilities in this phase. If you are ahead in bot lane, then you probably would have destroyed the enemy turret or are about to destroy it and switch to mid lane, if that is the case focus on getting CS and rotate for objectives dragon or rift herald/ baron nashor, if no objective is up, be ready to rotate to top lane or bot lane if there is a fight, if you think it is too late to join a fight in other lanes, then focus on destroying turrets in mid lane. Make sure to have vision around to avoid death.

If you’re even with the enemy in bot lane, then stay there, try to defend your turret and get the enemy’s, and care for a dive from the enemy support if they are playing engage support such as Leona or Nautilus. Also, make sure that the brushes closer to your turret are warded to avoid a gank from the enemy jungler and/or mid laner. If you do not feel safe, do not stay under turret, it will be destroyed faster since the enemy deals more damage and can destroy it faster, and kill Kog'Maw. Once it is safe again, get back to lane to destroy the enemy turret and swap with mid-laner.

If you are way behind, do not tilt, do not feel frustrated, tell your support to help your team, take a side lane and try your best to get back in the game by gaining gold and solo XP from minions. Avoid fighting 1v1'd unless you know you can outplay the enemy, and if you are forced to fight, fight until the end, you may end up getting a kill or your team securing the kill and you getting an assist. Focus on scaling, even if you’re behind, Kog'Maw can still get back into the game. Take the jungle camps, your aim is to hit level 16 as fast as possible. If you haven't built at least 3 items ( Blade of the Ruined King, Guinsoo's Rageblade and Runaan's Hurricane, and Berserker's Greaves), avoid joining team fights and focus on CS.


This is the moment where Kog'Maw shine if you are ahead, then you do not need to think much, think of who may be a threat to you, another scaling champion such as Kassadin or Veigar, and the threat of CC from champions such as Rell, Sejuani or Malphite; let them use their CC and be ready to fight. Focus on staying in a safe position where your team can peel Kog'Maw and demolish the enemy team, Kog'Maw got the damage and the range to win a team fight and win the game even if your team isn't ahead. Avoid getting assassinated by champions such as Evelynn or Zed. Always play around with your teammates and ping for assistance when necessary.

If you are not ahead, then this probably means you haven’t got the full build for Kog'Maw yet, still, if Kog'Maw hits level 16, he can be very useful in team fights and securing objectives. If you have a front line, then follow their engages and give it your all, if you do not have a front line, try to look for picks instead with an ally to get the chance to fight 5v4 or 5v3 and win the game. Get aspect of the dragon if it is up, get the red buff, and have good positioning, this will increase the chances of winning fights. Always try to focus on the carry, if it is not possible, shred the enemy front line so they are not confident in engaging anymore. In both cases, DO NOT get killed, especially if Kog'Maw is the only carry, it can cost you the game.



This guide demonstrated the basics of how to play Kog'Maw and some tricks to win trades. It requires a bit of mechanics to play Kog'Maw for kiting and hitting skill shots, so if you do not have the skill, no need to worry, just use practice tool to develop your skills. Do not be frustrated if you cannot do much in the early game, once Kog'Maw scales, and with the help of your support, the game will become exciting and you may flip the course of the game. If you have any comments or more questions about Kog'Maw please leave them in comments section and I will be pleased to respond to your feedback.


Special thanks to everyone who made creating this guide possible, starting with Making A Guide by jhoijhoi, with this guide, I knew from where to start and it made creating this guide looks good and made it easier with the available codes, and to Responsive columns guide by katasandra for providing necessary codes to make this guide readable while maintaining the excellent appeal. Last but not least, thanks to everyone who passed by my guide and read it, I hope you found it useful, please upvote the guide if you did and leave a comment, I will be pleased to have your feedback. Peace Out!
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