61-40 in 101 games so far.
Max W or E first dont be a goof.
Match history and builds: http://matchhistory.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/#match-history/NA1/45715682?champion=31
Masteries: http://www.lolking.net/summoner/na/31243475#masteries (CHO / CHOU)
5P4RK43 votesI should say, I have played him top and a little bit jungle, but mostly I have mained him midlane (with teleport). If you are struggling against assassins like zed (or especially LB / Kata) cho just destroys them and has game against most mages as well.
Ahri is probably the worst, because of her sustain. Azir is bad because of his range, but less so now that he's nerfed. The hardcore artillery mages like Xerath are tricky, but Cho has game against most standard mages, you outdamage them and can outsustain their mana.
BestSupportGold2 votesCan we duo?
5P4RK44 votesRito won't allow it :'[
BestSupportGold2 votesWhy not?
5P4RK43 votesneed to be in silver bb :'[ protip: play chogath.
BestSupportGold2 votesI was silver 3 season 4. Terrible placements. Currently Bronze 3.
redniwediS2 votesYou're missing the point. The duo system was changed so that you can only duo with people one rank in either direction. A gold player can duo with people from silver to plat.
BestSupportGold2 votesI know. I was just stating, that I have been in silver. Since you mentioned the "protip".
redniwediS2 votesYou asked why Riot wouldn't allow it... And I'm not the OP...
BestSupportGold2 votesOh haha. I got mixed up. Sorry.
5P4RK42 votesHe's super safe, strong in mid and top lane, has good teamfights. Everything you need to grind fast.
He's also very very forgiving, I used to make a lot of mistakes and go too hambone, with chogath its a lot harder to die and yet you can still assassinate kids.
redniwediS2 votesFirst off, congratulations!
Secondly how much further are you going to try and climb with Cho?
5P4RK42 votesAs far as he'll take me :) I'm really struggling with my old mains (ahri main S4, tho she was insane for a bit there) with all the changes and nerfs to midlane. I'm finding cho is just really safe and has great team fights. He makes up for a lot of my mistakes with his innate tankiness and CC.
Almost to gold 3 so hopefully get another tier this weekend.
N33MZ2 votesHello 5P4RK4:
That is great to hear of people climbing elo. What an inspiring story!
It is also great that you have decided to help out the community with an AMA to enlighten people on how they can carry themselves out with a specific champion.
I have a few questions for you:
How do you deal with Cho'gath's horrendous late game? He cannot carry unless his team does well. How do you plan on extending your elo climb knowing that people in other elo's will not be so forgiving for a mis-play late game?
Do you first pick cho'gath? It is my understanding that Cho Gath can be easily countered by other sustain/poke champions. How do you deal with champions such as Nidalee, Swain, etc, that have good poke, great positioning, and strong sustain?
I looked up your name on Lolking and your Cho'gath builds seem to be pretty vanilla; you lack any sort of variety in your builds. Don't you think that once you get to a higher elo people will take advantage of this?
Thanks for taking some time to answer my questions, I am currently Bronze IV and I am looking for a way to carry myself out but I am having trouble deciding on what champion to focus on.
Cheers!
5P4RK42 votes-Chogaths late game is really bad. You need to focus on getting your team to get objectives and close out quickly. Once everyone else is 18 his power level starts dropping like a rock.His midgame is incredible, so you need to use that time to help get your carry's going if they are behind, then support them as best you can in the late game.
I dont remember why i picked him up to be honest. Think probably got forced into top lane in draft and then panicked. Seems to have been working though. I find swain is no problem, but nidalee is very hard if she is good. Mostly the flexibility of going both top and mid lane (and having appropriate rune pages based on your opponent) lets you avoid a lot of bad matchups and gives your team flexibility in champ select. IE you can first pick cho as your mid, and hope they pick a kata into it expecting top.
Definitely finding the ROA start to be the most effective, and FH is just core. I've been experimenting with a sheen start into triforce but haven't really figured out the best build path yet. I only really do that into Nasus and max E though.
5P4RK42 votesI also think what helps the most is having different rune/ mastery pages based on your lane opponent so you can start strong. Once you get rolling you don't need to mix the build up that much other than boots and when you get your D items or deathcap.
FHMarshy2 votesAll im gonna say is that 101 is a LOT of games played for just this season :P
N33MZ2 votesI agree, it isn't that impressive to do in 100 games already into the season, 1 month in. 1200 games by end of season on this pace... LOL! Get a life pl0x.
Sirin Gioro2 votesHow do you play so many games with a champion, usually I go on tilt if I lose a lot with a champion then I start to play other champions. Minor commitment issues.
5P4RK42 votesDon't lose :)
I also play udyr jungle and occasionally have to ADC but 90% of games on cho
5P4RK42 votesAlso mostly if I lose two in a row I usually just stop for the night
Sirin Gioro1 votesDon't lose :)
I also play udyr jungle and occasionally have to ADC but 90% of games on cho
Well not to overwhelm you with questions but how do you not lose? How do you carry? I can carry as support but I am 100% sure I will lose the game if I'm playing other roles. My match history speaks by itself. I keep losing in solo Q and now it feels so ResidentSleeper I don't even feel like trying (no I'm not the scum of solo q >_>). I'm trying to main ADC but it's hard to carry too, omgggggg... Mid top jungle are my weakest, and my ADC is sub par.
5P4RK41 votesCouple things, definitely stop playing if you feel frustrated or on tilt. That doesnt help at all.
Dont give your team tips on their play, it makes them mad. Always stay upbeat and positive in chat and keep winning in mind. This is not to say dont say "hey lets group now" but telling people to CS better or use their skills better usually just pisses them off.
With cho specifically,
5P4RK41 votesI also find ADC infuriating to play in SoloQ, used to main ADC. Even if you get super fed, you still rely on your teammates almost 100% of games.
With solo lanes you are the one peeling, so you can help your carry shine. The main thing I think, is only to focus on yourself. Dont worry what your teammates are doing so much, just focus on getting better and the mistakes YOU are making, and the LP will come.
Tin Tarantino2 votesWhy Cho'gath specifically? He seems like he would be easy to get bored with and he's not particularly powerful.
5P4RK42 votesi find him really fun to play, and he's very safe. I think he brings a lot of what teams need in lower elo's, teamfighting, frontline and mid game damage.
Not sure why i started with him, I've never played top much before this season. I really like that i can pick him and go in two lanes and not get hyper countered like a lot of mid picks.
Also i bought the Gentleman Skin and Nom nom nomming never gets old.
edit- I also disagree somewhat, I find he definitely falls off very late game, but his laning and midgame are very strong if you do it right.
5P4RK42 votesMy usual build is 21/0/9 or 21/9/0 masteries, ROA -> FH -> DeathCap -> Situational D items, Wits End, Or Zephyr, I play him offtank not full mage or full tank.
Graffitisam2 votesHey 5P4Rk4,
I've been playing a lot of Ranked 5s lately as support and I've noticed my mid and ADC aren't really carrying as hard as I'd like. Specifically my mid overextends a lot and gets himself killed. Should he play Cho'Gath on the team? As a support what would you suggest I do to help influence the game more to get my team wins.
Thanks, A big fan.
5P4RK41 votesI dont know it depends what league you are in. I would get pretty frustrated playing support in mid silver and below where your team isnt going to carry you or do much.
I would say definitely play a damage oriented support, or maybe thresh / Leona that allow you to carry though. Pure supports are really hard when you rely on your whole team, but a half decent annie should be able to carry out of bronze from botlane pretty easily.
If your mid is really hambone and suicides a lot like I used to, Cho may be just the ticket!
Graffitisam1 votesI dont know it depends what league you are in. I would get pretty frustrated playing support in mid silver and below where your team isnt going to carry you or do much.
I would say definitely play a damage oriented support, or maybe thresh / Leona that allow you to carry though. Pure supports are really hard when you rely on your whole team, but a half decent annie should be able to carry out of bronze from botlane pretty easily.
If your mid is really hambone and suicides a lot like I used to, Cho may be just the ticket!
Do you think Cho'Gath would be a good support?
5P4RK41 votesNo, he's too CD intensive to get anything out of spellthiefs, and all his abilities push the wave. At best hes a bad tanky nami with no utility. Not to mention his passive only does anything if you CS.
Cho is strong based on his farming abilities, and his ability to win trades either outright, or based on sustain. You need to get him farmed up to abuse his midgame powerspike.
Graffitisam1 votesCan't I just steal some farm from my ADC? Does he really need all that farm?
5P4RK41 votesNo you may not, and yes he does. Spellthiefs edge + brand burn. all u need.
HexonMD1 voteswere you 60-40 out of 100 one game ago? I prefer rounded numbers.
5P4RK42 votesThis is correct.
The Chin1 voteswho does chogath struggle against in lane?
5P4RK41 votesTop: Gnar Wukong for some reason
Mid:
Azir (but havent seen him since nerfs) Ahri Xerath (though skill matchup) Orianna (after first b when she has good clear)
Mostly it just comes down to understanding the matchups, I haven't struggled against too many opponents once I've played vs the champ a few times. You need to change how aggressive you are (renekton: very passive, nasus: very aggressive etc. ) get solid last hits, and be very good at controlling the wave to make the most of Cho.
The other key is understanding when to switch from farm and harass focus to hard all in.
I also always take Tele now, never ignite. That helps a lot against champs who are strong to you, as you can just get to 1200 gold asap, back for catalyst and not miss any farm.
DocShocker1 votesCho is one of my fav champs in the game. He's also my 'go to' choice for top lane less I'd rather play Malph or Nasus since they're really the only other options I feel good with. Would like to learn him for jungle, but I'm still trying to learn the basics of jungling with WW first(being the only jungler I found I can do ok with currently). I usually go E, Q, then W when it comes to maxing(excluding the R levels). E for the obvious free damage and wave clear. Q for the knock up if my jungler ganks or for disengage/interrupt enemy laner's combo(plus the poke can be pretty large at times). W is last, but it's a huge advantage even with it just having 1 point. How many other champs have a Silence for a basic ability, let alone it being a multi-target cone? And really, nothing needs to be said for R that any Cho player knows. The omnomnoms for Planetary Cho and true damage that punishes anyone that disrespects it(specially when just hitting 6).
Also never really thought about trying him out mid. I didn't think much on it since quite a few other 'top tier' picks there have mobility to just dance around Cho. I guess it could work against things like Zed if they ult on you. Just drop Q on yourself with good timing and laugh as you Silence them before Q is done and proceed to eat or poke them till they either die or use their mobility to get away. Guess against some mids that are somewhat commonly seen, he can fight evenly with. Just always seemed too risky since he kinda lacks in wave clear against some of them since he has to be in melee range for minions.
Also I suggest getting Elixir of Iron when you have max stacks and have a full build/want to try it. If you haven't seen it yet, you will be amazed by the sheer size he becomes lol
5P4RK41 votesNext time you play him, get W at level 1 and max it first. Give it a shot. Especially in mid. Then you usually max Q second because you are not fighting at melee range in mid often.
The beauty about it is it is the W impossible to miss and has surprisingly high base damage. That is why you are good against the mobile mid laners. If you land every skillshot (easily), and have sustain you basically out trade them really well and negate their mobility advantage. You dont need to do anything to hit them, and you dont care if they jump on you due to E and silence and easy Q.
The problem with maxing Q is that it doesnt affect the cooldown, and its very hard to land. W is consistent and reliable damage, with a longggg silence at level 5. You dont build AP early on cho anyways, (roa takes a while, and then needs to stack) so the ratio on Q is less important early on.
The W is also really good for wave clear, you can use it to get low minions while harassing, or just clear the whole wave.
DocShocker1 votesI might just try that if I go mid or tinker around with my top lane play. I know late game, I get a kick out of how much damage the W can do. I really only max E first for the mana-less wave clear/poke/sustain it can bring. Maybe I can get away with only having 1 point in it and doing like yours. Specially since our masteries are different. I have a more tanky oriented set compared your offensive set. Just the way it sounds like you play Cho might not be as tanky, but can be a much larger threat as the game goes on if you can keep your stacks(which really might give all the tank he needs to cover some masteries, now that I think on it).
Only thing that made me want Q over W is mostly cause it always feels easier for me to hit that than the Silence cone. It just feels insanely inconsistent at times. Especially if the enemy is right on top of you since the cone is horribly tiny there and you need to hit dead center on the enemy champ for it to count at times. Plus the Q sates my ranged side since I love skill shot type things. My time playing Xerath/Viktor mid and Blitz/Morg supp really helped give me a head start on learning how to lead with Cho's Q.
Still, it's nice to hear from someone else that plays Cho a lot. Really most I ever see of him are from bot games or from when his ult got changed a while back and some people were complaining. I really haven't noticed that much of a difference, but that's probly cause I wait till I know I can get a kill try eating or to snack on a minion when enemy laner isn't around. Of course, I use it to deal a lot of damage on priority targets once I'm at max stacks. Faster to kill the main enemy threats in a team fight, the better lol.
EDIT: Also made me happy to find this thread a while after playing my first Cho game in a while. http://matchhistory.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/#match-details/NA1/1734426841/47464404?tab=overview Think the main mistakes I made was giving up first blood(was a very close trade with Jax at about 75~ HP left and I underestimated the damage on his leap that got me though I returned the favor about 2 min later), and getting a Frozen Heart when Blitz had one already. Didn't notice that till looking at the match results. Still don't know how I'd stand up against people that play ranked, but I'll get there eventually.
5P4RK41 votesYeah try it out for sure. With ROA and Frozen Heart, and stacks you are plenty tanky. Once you get used to using the W more, you should be able to land it 100% of the time. Its actually pretty broken and can hit much further and wider than the range indicator shows. You still have access to the Q, but use it more for disengage and setup.
The delay on the Q and the fact that they can dash / just walk out of it means its unreliable. You still have access to it for everything its good for, and often I'll max it second, but the W just puts out way more consistent damage and the silence with the long duration is super annoying.
Typically I assess the matchup and decide whether I'll be fighting at melee range (usually armor runes) or caster range (mr runes usually). If melee, Max E first and W second, this is for the nasus and renekton etc. matches. If caster range, max W first and Q second with just one point in E at level 2.
turtlecoon1 votesbuild banner of command u scrub
5P4RK41 votesHeh it looks like fun (and troll) item, I'll have to try it.
ZergReap1 votesCho is really strong right now... I have lost to him as Riven top and Ahri mid. He can just outsustain so much harass and if you don't shut him down early it always seems like he becomes a monster 8)
5P4RK41 votesAnd Ahri is one of the better mages against him, just due to her sustain! Most of the other ones... lights out. Riven is pretty easy matchup for him though. Come on in girl I'll show you some things while you are silenced 8)
BakedLotion1 votesWhy do you max W or E first and not Q ? :O I thought Q gives more pure damage Edit: nvm actually read the posts above.
I'm gonna go try out Cho now in normals. I got the battlecast skin from mystery skins anyways lelelle
5P4RK41 votesHe's good :3. Q does have the ratio, but you dont get much AP until your first item anyways, and its just not consistent. W has good base, silence is OP, and you should never miss it.
Either Max W first and Q second with E at level 2, or Max E with W second depending on the matchup.
