Kog'Maw is a hypercarry. Why build him like a mid- game ADC?

PatMcGroyn·4/16/2015, 11:40:00 AM·3 votes·1,405 views

I just don't think the Tri Force build is all that good on Kog. Sure, it gives him some mobility (you could just as easily get an early Furor Enchant), and Tri Force gives you some decent up front burst, but Tri Force's sustained damage pales in comparison to the traditional hypercarry build - Phantom Dancer + Infinity Edge.

Also, let's talk about BotRK on Kog. I don't think it really has very good synergy with his kit, and ESPECIALLY not with Tri Force as a first item. The only thing this build gives is decent mobility, and decent up front burst (if all you're going to do is get 1-2 Tri Force autos + BotRK active off, but in that case you're much better off with a real burst ADC like Graves). But the thing about BotRK after Tri Force is that it's synergy is dubious. BotRK does % of CURRENT health, so why would you want to pair it with a burst item like Tri Force? The on hit damage is just going to get worse and worse the longer you're hitting the same target. Whereas with the traditional Crit build, you have a nice, smooth and consistent damage output (which is nice when you're trying to calculate your damage). You also do more damage, period.

I just don't see the point in delaying your power spike SO long, just for a set of items that hardly even synergize with Kog's kit that well. BotRK has poor synergy with the burst of Tri Force, and Tri Force sacrifices sustained damage for some mobility and some meager burst.

13 Comments

ZACKandATTACK4/16/2015, 11:48:57 AM6 votes

Tri Force is a really good item on Kog'maw because it gives him mobility, mana, tankiness, sheen proc is good for his ult spam, and the attack speed is good to. Bork is good on Kog'maw because it synergies so well with his w, and allows him to shred tanks.

M Schumacher4/16/2015, 11:42:51 AM5 votes

ya i mean professional players obviously don't know how to build him

and i mean botrk UNIQUE: Your attacks deal 8% of the target's current health in physical damage (60 max vs minions and monsters).

clearly wouldn't synergize with

MAGIC DAMAGE: 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6% (+ 1% per 100 AP) of target's maximum health

Sirsir4/16/2015, 2:49:18 PM1 votes

Kog has a high innate hypercarry potential, Triforce helps make his mid game not-terrible. It also gives 10% MS and the Rage passive, don't underestimate those.

Skia Asteri4/16/2015, 2:50:13 PM1 votes

To get past his early weakness so he is useful sooner, and to help with his low mobility / self peel weaknesses.

item 3078 also allows him to use his range to do a good bit of damage to turrets every time his team get him in range, giving a clear plan to execute till he does power up more.

Rebonack4/16/2015, 2:55:26 PM1 votes

Because Koggy isn't a hyper-carry.

I know, crazy right?

Before you start frothing at the mouth: Note the win-rate by game time curve.

There actually aren't that many ADCs with a hyper-carry curve, Vayne being one of them. Koggy is at his strongest mid/early late. And he starts dropping off (comparatively speaking) in the deep late game.

Sailor Mint4/16/2015, 2:43:53 PM1 votes

Because he's not being played as an hypercarry. Triforce lets him be a siege ADC with a good midgame spike and some tank busting potential. He's not as strong lategame, but overall the power curve is a lot nicer and it's easier to pull off.

Juggermaw isn't a teamfight composition, it's about abusing his 700 range + Triforce procs when sieging turrets. The extra health and mobility are useful at all points of the game. And coupled with Lulu (and Janna), he's pretty beefy.

qetzel4/16/2015, 12:22:31 PM1 votes

Tri-Force gives him a much larger damage spike than IE does given that he will be spamming his abilities. He also gets a free proc when he activates W, giving him insane trading powers in lane (seriously, it is free TF empowered AA). The mana is also fairly nice, as is the extra mobility. Don't underestimate the importance on movement speed as Koggles - he needs it badly. The poor immobile Koggles needs to adjust his position almost perfectly in a fight, something he needs MS for.

BotRK is there for more attack speed for his W and extra mobility. Again, don't underestimate the power of MS. BotRK is also brilliant for dealing with tanks. Given his W, Kog'maw excels at taking down a tank line. If he is positioned well then they can't touch him due to his range. The %health proc melts them. The BotRK passive synergises well with this.