League of Legends 101: How to play Cho’Gath

The monster of the void is one of League's oldest monsters but most influential toplane champions.

Cho’Gath is one of the most recognizable monster champions in League of Legends. Not just a tank in the toplane, Cho’Gath has the potential to be a major carry on any team and team fight decider. The champion’s entire kit is built around being around kills and last hitting enemies. Not only does this help his sustain and scaling, but increases him one of the physically largest champions on the rift. Cho’Gath may seem like a straight forward tank, but here are out tips on how to master the nuances of the void terror.

Early game strategy – Trading combos to get ahead

Like many solo laners, Cho’Gath is reliant on his combos to effectively trade in 1v1 scenarios. Cho’Gath’s early game should casually switch between farming and trading against your lane opponent. Your passive (Carnivore) recovers both health and mana when you kill a unit. This makes last hitting incredibly important and makes engaging in trades extremely important, even if you end up losing in either department given you have an easy way to recover.

Auto Attack > E > W > Q > E

Cho’Gath’s combo is relatively easy to land if you keep in range of your opponent and is extremely oppressive if executed correctly. Your E (Vorpal Spikes) is a great engage tool if you are in immediate melee range of your target. Try to to auto attack first, as your second empowered attack will fire off faster. The spikes not only deal enhanced damage but also slow your opponent, making your next skill shots easier to land.

Your W (Feral Scream) also deals damage but keeps your opponent from fight backing as it provides a silenced effect. Finally W (Rupture) will knock up your enemy laner and provide more time to catch up, deal damage, and oppress. After this, just repeat your E or R (Feast) if you’re in range of finishing off your opponent.

Your ultimate is an important tool, as it not only finishes off your opponent but increases your base health for every stack. Only 6 stacks can be taken from non-epic monsters, so carefully time your first six stacks then focus on continuing to rack up health from your opponents.

Cho’Gath’s team fighting – Absorb damage and oppress your enemies

Though Cho’Gath is multi-dimensional, he is still a frontliner at his core. The more stacks you’ve gathered, the more effective you’ll be at absorbing damage. You will be able to take significant damage from your opponents, but your primary goal to oppress and prevent your enemies from being able to fire off said damage. In essence, your combo does not truly change from the early game to the late game, you should just focus on capturing more opponents in your attacks.

With the exception of your ultimate, all of your attacks can find multiple opponents at once. Starting off an engage with your W may be more effective, as it will allow your team mates to quickly close gaps and deal damage. Aim to hit as many opponents with you W and E as possible. While you may deal more damage as you gain more AP, your abilities primarily provide your team mates to take advantage of enemies in their weaken states.

Cho’Gath’s Itemization and Runes

Unsurprisingly, Cho’Gath’s itemization revolves around building up your status as a tank. After rushing boots, Plated Steelcaps, your mythic item should be Frostfire Gauntlet. This item provides you from a variety of damage, almost surely encapsulating the damage of your lane opponent. The item’s two abilities, Immolate and Snowbind, provide both a vital slow and further sustain that enable Cho’Gath’s trade heavy style.

Thornmail is a good follow up that provides a health spike. From here, there are few bad options. Gargoyle Stoneplate and Warmog’s Armor are both good items to prioritize as the game enters mid to late game and helps you as a frontline threat capable of asborbing damage. Frozen Heart is another potential item to round out your itemization should you near later levels.

Grasp of the Undying will be Cho’Gath’s near constant keystone. Grasp synergizes with Cho’Gath’s passive and rewards heavy trading. Demolish helps you deal damage to structures and makes you a vital part of your team’s push. Conditioning and Overgrowth both aid in granting you as much health as possible. Triumph and Tenacity are two good runes to round out your build, adding to your sustain.

Why Cho’Gath will be good no matter the meta

Cho’Gath is one of the few ‘ever green’ champions. He always viable, as his abilities are relatively simple, and core mechanics will always be useful. As a frontliner, Cho’Gath is unmatched in his tank potential and has some of the most oppressive abilities in the League if his combo is executed on. For new toplaners, Cho’Gath is a good pick to learn the basics of the lane, as you have leeway in trading and have a relatively straightforward path.

Also read:

• How to play Trundle

• Planning your jungle pathing

• How to play Tristana

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Image Credit: Riot Games