Talk:Cho'Gath/Strategy/@comment-4890669-20120302065937

So, I've been dicking around with Cho'Gath over the past few months after buying him, and I just couldn't stay away from Mage'Gath. The damage output that creeps up on his Q and R are insane, and his melee attacks benefit from AP on his E, making it supremely well rounded. However, my last game I found that Hybrid'ing him makes him even more devastating, though it sacrifices a bit of AP.

My Masteries are 21/0/5 (level 25), focusing on all the Mage stuff in offense, and getting mana increase in utility. Also quick teleport, but that's because I like the utility of it. For Runes, I'm actually using my Warwick runes because I haven't bought any mage stuff for my one mage character. AS marks, armor seals, CDR glyphs, move speed quints.

So, I start with an Amplifying Tome, and because I hate PvP in just about all games, I don't start with potions (I can avoid the bots and/or use my passive). From there, I build into Fiendish Codex for the Mana and cooldown reduction. Sorcerer's Shoes come next, and then Hextech Revolver because of the sustain help. After that, I used to try to finish the Evil Tome. However, lately I switched to Nashor's Tooth for more CDR, and a small AP cut for a lot of AS. I then get Rylai's Crystal Scepter for slow (works on E), health, and AP, and follow it up with Deathcap. Once done, I build Hextech into Will of the Ancients. I haven't tried Gunblade yet, but I'm thinking it'll be better in the long run. Lastly, I used to get Void Staff, but last match I had money to spare and saw Lich Bane sitting about. Naturally, it worked well.

For abilities, I start with Q, then a point in E, then W, to complete the ability rounds. I max Q immediately, throwing R in where I can. I then level E and W on whether I need more silence or damage. The 1:1 AP ratio on your Q is your most powerful hit. Landing it takes practice and patience, though using W to set up is useful. If your team is already in a fight, your Q -> W ends it or breaks it up (I did find that out in PvP with a Rammus tank and a good Pantheon). Of course, with AP stacked, your R becomes a gigantic bomb that means your enemies stay away or die. Once at full stacks I'll use it on prime targets to make it easier to kill them, or kill them outright (yay AP/Hybrid/Off Tank [fill ALL the roles]).

Of course this may not work in the competitive scene, but it's hilarious amounts of gratuitous damage all over the place. Cho'Gath really isn't the hardest champion to play, since you just kind of throw items on him and he works, but I've yet to lose a game as Mage'Gath or AP/Hybrid, so... yeah.