Cho'Gath Top Build

Cho'Gath Champion Guide

Role: Tank

Lane: Toplane

For Cho'Gath in the top lane, the optimal build includes Heartsteel, Plated Steelcaps, Sunfire Aegis, Unending Despair, and Thornmail. The most commonly chosen runes are Grasp of the Undying, Demolish, Conditioning, and Overgrowth for the primary tree, with Approach Velocity and Magical Footwear for the secondary tree.

Cho'Gath Champion Abilities

Carnivore

Whenever Cho'Gath kills a unit, he recovers 20-71 (+2.83 each level) health and 4.7-9.5 mana (+0.25 each level). P

Rupture

Cho'Gath ruptures the ground, knocking up enemies for 1 second, dealing 80 / 135 / 190 / 245 / 300 (+100% of ability power) magic damage and slowing them by 60% for 1.5 seconds. Q

Feral Scream

Cho'Gath roars, silencing enemies for 1.6 / 1.7 / 1.8 / 1.9 / 2 seconds and dealing 80 / 130 / 180 / 230 / 280 (+70% of ability power) magic damage. W

Vorpal Spikes

Cho'Gath's next 3 attacks launch spikes that deal 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 (+30% of ability power) (+2.5 / 2.85 / 3.2 / 3.55 / 3.9% (+0.5% per Feast stack) of target's max health) magic damage and slow by 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50%, decaying over 1.5 seconds. E

Feast

Cho'Gath ravenously feeds on an enemy, dealing 300 / 475 / 650 (+50% of ability power) (+0.1 per bonus health) true damage to champions or 1200 (+50% of ability power) (+0.1 per bonus health) true damage to minions or jungle monsters. If this kills the target, Cho'Gath gains a stack, which causes him to grow in size and gain 80 / 120 / 160 max health. Only 6 stacks can be gained from minions and non-epic jungle monsters. R

Cho'Gath Summoner Spells

Flash

Flash is a location-targeted summoner spell that causes your champion to blink to the location in range of your cursor.

Ghost

Ghost is a self-targeted summoner spell that increases your champion's movement speed and grants them the ability to ignore unit collision for a few seconds.

Cho'Gath Runes

Cho'Gath Items

Cho'Gath Ability Order

Cho'Gath Matchups Overview

Strong against

Malphite

Maokai

Cassiopeia

Jax

Sylas

Yorick

Weak against

Gwen

Dr. Mundo

Shen

Mordekaiser

Aatrox

Fiora

Cho'Gath Tips and Tricks

• Use your Q slightly behind the enemy rather than directly on their current location to make it harder for them to dodge.
• Wait for the marker to appear before using your R. Only use it once the marker is visible.
• When your Q or W is up, don’t use them automatically unless you’re certain the enemy isn’t a threat. If you use one of these abilities and the enemy is ready to capitalize on the cooldown, they could play aggressively against you.

Best Cho'Gath Builds, Runes, and Items for Top

Most Popular Build

For the most common Cho'Gath Top build, take Flash and Teleport as your Summoner Spells. Choose Grasp of the Undying as your keystone, followed by Demolish, Conditioning, and Overgrowth in the primary tree. In the secondary tree, take Approach Velocity and Magical Footwear. For rune shards, go with Attack Speed in offense, Health Scaling in flex, and Health Scaling in defense, depending on the matchup.

Start with Heartsteel as your first item, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Sunfire Aegis. For the remaining items, build Unending Despair, Thornmail, and finish with Jak'Sho, The Protean. Max your abilities in the order E - Q - W.

Optional Build

For an alternative build, take Flash and Ghost as your Summoner Spells. In the primary rune tree, use Hail of Blades as your keystone, along with Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos, and Ultimate Hunter. In the secondary tree, pick Axiom Arcanist and Celerity. For rune shards, use Adaptive Force in offense, Move Speed in flex, and Health Scaling in defense.

Start with Shurelya's Battlesong as your first item, followed by Symbiotic Soles and Dead Man's Plate. Complete the build with Kaenic Rookern, Lich Bane, and Riftmaker. Max your abilities in the order Q - W - E.

Alternative Build

Another option is to use Flash and Teleport as your Summoner Spells. Choose Grasp of the Undying as your keystone, along with Demolish, Conditioning, and Overgrowth in the primary tree. For the secondary tree, take Approach Velocity and Magical Footwear. Use Attack Speed and Health Scaling for your rune shards.

Begin with Hollow Radiance, followed by Mercury's Treads, and Heartsteel. Finish with Unending Despair, Thornmail, and Jak'Sho, The Protean. Max your abilities in the order E - Q - W.

Off-Meta Build

For an off-meta Cho'Gath Top build, take Flash and Teleport as your Summoner Spells. In the primary rune tree, use Grasp of the Undying, Demolish, Conditioning, and Overgrowth. For the secondary tree, select Approach Velocity and Magical Footwear. Use Attack Speed and Health Scaling as your rune shards.

Start with Unending Despair as your first item, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Winter's Approach. For the remaining items, build Thornmail, Jak'Sho, The Protean, and Riftmaker. Max your abilities in the order E - Q - W.

Situational Cho'Gath Runes and Items

As with any champion, you should tailor your build based on the game situation, enemy champions, and your lane matchup. Assess your team composition and the enemy’s strengths to determine the best path. For example, adjust your rune shards to take Armor or Magic Resist based on the champions you’ll be facing.