Kog’Maw is one of the strongest hyper carries in League of Legends. However, his strong carry potential is offset by his super limited mobility. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing the Mouth of the Abyss.

Kog’Maw has a very high skill cap which is why you’ll find yourself in a bit of a learning curve when starting out with him. He relies on exceptional positioning and a favorable lane partner since he pairs really well with enchanters. He’s also pretty reliant on the rest of his team to protect him and peel for him during team fights. As if that wasn’t enough, Kog’Maw is very squishy and will spend most of the game with a target on his back. Despite this, he is a very rewarding champion to play and can single handedly carry a game or turn a fight into your favor as long as you know what you’re doing.

Abilities

Kog’Maw’s abilities are all about dealing damage and shredding the enemy team’s defenses. He has a rather simple kit that requires advanced micromechanics to pull off perfectly.

Passive – Icathian Surprise

Upon dying, Kog’Maw starts a chain reaction in his body which causes him to detonate after 4 seconds, dealing true damage to surrounding enemies.

Q – Caustic Spittle

Passive: Kog’Maw gains bonus Attack Speed.

Active: Launches a corrosive projectile that deals Magic Damage to the first enemy hit and reduces its Armor and Magic Resist for 4 seconds..

W – Bio-Arcane Barrage

For 8 seconds, Kog’Maw’s basic attacks gain bonus range and deal additional magic damage.

E – Void Ooze

Deals Magic Damage to enemies it passes through and leaves a trail on the ground for 4 seconds, briefly slowing enemies in it.

R – Living Artillery

Fires an artillery shot, dealing magic damage increasing by up to 50% at 60% missing health, and revealing them for 2 seconds. The cost of subsequent shots within 8 seconds increases by 40 Mana.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to runes and items, all you need to focus on is increasing Kog’Maw’s attack speed and adding on hit effects to his basic attacks.

Starting Items

For starting items, you go the standard route of going with a Doran’s Blade and a Health Potion. This gives you everything you need to start off and should be enough to get you out of the early laning phase. Another solid alternative is getting Cull instead of Doran’s Blade. Cull is great for when you’re behind or when you’re up against a losing matchup.

Mythic Item

For your Mythic item, you have two very good choices: Immortal Shieldbow or Kraken Slayer. Both of them are similar in stats and their key difference lies in the bonus passive it gives off. Immortal Shieldbow gets you a shield and gives you lifesteal which you’ll need to survive when enemies try to dive you. This should be your go to item for the most part since it is the safer option. Kraken Slayer, on the other hand, increases your on hit damage and gives you the ability to absolutely shred anyone standing in your way but it doesn’t have the survivability that Immortal Shieldbow provides.

Full Build

When playing as Kog’Maw, your first item upgrade should be to your boots. Since he is a marksman, go for Berserker’s Greaves. Once you have your tier 2 boots, it’s time to rush your Mythic item. After getting your Mythic, go for Guinsoo’s Rageblade for the on hit damage and increase in attack speed. Next, go with Runaan’s Hurricane to help you clear waves better. At this point in the game, you’ll need Blade of the Ruined King to help you shred tanks and their defenses. Finally, top off your build with a Wit’s End for more attack speed and on hit damage.

Runes

For runes, go with the Precision tree and take Lethal Tempo as your keystone. This will increase your attack speed and lets you bypass the attack speed threshold to deal even more damage. Next, take Triumph for the sustain, Legend: Bloodline for the lifesteal, and Last Stand to deal more damage to enemy champions when you are low on health. For secondaries, take Conditioning and Overgrowth from the Resolve tree. These runes will help increase your overall survivability. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. Living Artillery deals a lot of damage on low cooldown but its mana cost gets higher every time you use it in quick succession. Try to save it for important situations and use it wisely.
2. Kog’Maw is countered by Caitlyn, Seraphine, Draven, Jhin, and Xayah. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For your summoner spells, take Flash and Heal. If the enemy team has a lot of burst damage or crowd control, feel free to swap out Heal for either Barrier or Cleanse.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Kog’Maw in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!