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Kog'Maw Balance, Yay or Nay?

Cyluss·6/6/2014, 9:43:49 PM·1 votes·601 views

Hello Everyone,

I’m writing with a slight balance suggestion for everyone's favorite worm (no, not Baron). AD Kog'Maw is capable of dealing incredible damage to tanks, squishies, and map objectives alike; however, his kit makes concessions in survivability. Generally, this dynamic was balanced for Kog'Maw from his inception until the middle of Season 2, as which point his popularity and, I would argue, his power began steadily declining. The current metagame favors mobility—particularly gap-closers and escape mechanisms. Aside from Void Ooze (E), activatable items (i.e., BotRK), and summoner spells (i.e., Flash), Kog’Maw’s only defensive option is to maintain excellent positioning throughout the game, courtesy of his large attack range. Sadly, the number of champions with gap-closers has increased dramatically since Kog'Maw's introduction to the league, resulting in reduced capacity to fulfill his role as a hypercarry due to the ease with which his opponents close on and eliminate him. His margin for positioning error is just too small in his current state. At least he makes use of his passive…right?

My suggestion is minor, but I believe it would slightly improve his offensive capabilities while allowing him to maintain proper positioning more easily during teamfights. As I mentioned, Kog’Maw was a competitive pick until Season 2. Along with the addition of Fizz in November, 2011 (Patch V1.0.0.129), Kog’Maw’s Bio-Arcane Barrage (W) received a nerf such that the bonus range was reduced to 130/150/170/190/210 from 130/160/190/220/250. Simply put: the maximum range was reduced by 40 from 250 to 210. The rationale for the change mentioned in the patch preview video was to open up the field of competitive ADCs. At present, Kog’Maw is seldom picked in ranked queues and has only recently seen a (modest) resurgence in professional play. I suggest returning Bio-Arcane Barrage’s (W) bonus range to 130/160/190/220/250, as this would augment his ability to maintain proper positioning. Enemies with gap-closers would have a slightly tougher time reaching him, he would have an easier time contributing damage in teamfights, and he could harass opponents more effectively in lane.

Altogether, returning the bonus range on Kog’Maw’s Bio-Arcane Barrage (W) to pre-nerf levels would give him the slight boost he needs to compete effectively in today’s fast-paced competitive scene. Comments and suggests are welcome!

— Cyluss

4 Comments

CaptainWednesday6/7/2014, 12:11:32 AM1 votes

I voted no because I really do not where Kog'Maw sits right now. All of his abilities scale with AP and fairly largely. Since he was not mentioned on Riot's "ADC To-Do List", he may be shifting a mage role now? Only time will tell.

Dorkdav6/7/2014, 3:33:54 AM1 votes

I think Twitch is the main reason that Kog isn't picked. I don't want to see him changed with a lot of ADC item changes coming out soon. Not to mention Twitch is getting nerfed. I would wait until the dust settles on 4.10.

12tales6/7/2014, 5:05:13 AM1 votes

I'm actually pretty happy with the current state of Kog'Maw. He already brings a lot to the table that other ADCs can't really compete with - he's absurdly long range, is a fantastic teamfighter, has percentile armor shred and percentage health damage (making him the bane of tanks and baron alike), and brings amazing utility late game (not sure if the enemy is doing baron or just trying to bait you? Check from the luxury of 1800 units!). Also, unlike other hyper carries like Vayne, he's actually decently safe in lane.

So, given that he brings all of that, I think it's pretty important that he have well defined weaknesses as well. The fact that he basically relies on summoners and teammates to survive a flash-zenith blade is about the only thing that prevents from overshadowing [everyone]. I tremble at the thought of giving Kog'Maw additional safety without also nerfing his damage output.

Penguin Eclipse6/7/2014, 6:38:22 PM1 votes

I think Kog'Maw's lack of mobility is less of an issue than people think. Kog'Maw played with the right support (Janna) is actually both incredibly safe and incredibly strong.

Does he need a change in range? I can't say for sure. I don't play him (I play Janna). But from my experience as being his support, I would say probably not. His current range seems to have no difficulty poking, farming from a safe distance, and winning fights pretty easily. No reason it couldn't be tested though.