Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Bio-Arcane Poke
- The Kogmaw Skin Tier List
- When They Ban Kogmaw
- Runes That Work on Kogmaw
- Leveling Kogmaw's Abilities
- Mastering Kog'Maw's Kit
- Matchups That Matter for Kogmaw
- Passive Suicide Play
- When the Dive Is Unstoppable
- Staying Alive While Dealing Damage
- The On-Hit Build
- Kogmaw's Strongest Moments
- The Living Artillery
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players don't respect Kog'Maw's range when his W (Bio-Arcane Barrage) is active. they will try to walk up to him, failing to realize he can hit them 3-4 times before they even get in range. They also struggle to deal with his HP-percentage damage, often trying to tank him as Bruisers/Tanks and getting melted in seconds. In a 'protect the puppy' comp, he is unstoppable.
The Bio-Arcane Poke
Start W (Bio-Arcane Barrage) for the increased range and percentage damage. At level 1, you can easily out-reach the enemy ADC and support. If you land a few AAs while W is active, you can secure early lane priority. Level 2 with E (Void Ooze) gives you the slow needed to keep enemies within your range for longer.
Start W. Range increase lets you poke without taking aggro. Level 2 with Q (shred) or E (slow) lets you run them down. You are surprisingly strong Level 1. Abuse it.
The Kogmaw Skin Tier List
'Pug'Maw' is the legendary smurf choice—the 'bark' sound effects and the ridiculous dog aesthetic are purely for mental warfare. 'Arcanist Kog'Maw' offers beautiful spell effects and a unique look. 'Bee'Maw' is another great tilt-inducing choice. Avoid 'Caterpillar Kog'Maw' unless you want the absolute basic look to hide your skill.
'Pug'Maw' is legendary for the bark sounds—it tilts people. 'Bee'Maw' is cute. 'Arcanist' has clear VFX. 'Battlecast' is clunky. Pug'Maw is pay-to-win mental damage.
When They Ban Kogmaw
Twitch provides similar stealth hypercarry vibes. Jinx offers the reset cleanups. Vayne gives tank shredding. Twitch is the closest 'appearing out of nowhere to wipe team' feel.
Runes That Work on Kogmaw
Lethal Tempo is the best choice for achieving the massive attack speed needed to shred teams. Press the Attack is an alternative for higher lane burst. Secondary Inspiration with Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight to reach your core on-hit items faster.
Leveling Kogmaw's Abilities
Max W first—it's your entire identity, giving you the range and damage you need. Max Q second for the passive attack speed and active resistance shred. Max E last as the slow is primarily for utility.
Mastering Kog'Maw's Kit
Caustic Spittle. Passive: grants bonus attack speed. Active: you fire a projectile that shreds the target's Armor and MR. Land this on the tank before you activate W.
Void Ooze. You fire a trail of ooze that slows enemies. Use this to peel for yourself or to keep enemies in your range.
Living Artillery. You fire a biological shell from extreme range, dealing damage based on the target's missing HP. The cost increases with consecutive casts.
Matchups That Matter for Kogmaw
Easy Matchup. You out-range her significantly. As long as you don't let her get close, you can poke her out of lane and out-damage her in teamfights.
Hard Matchup. He has the early burst and mobility to jump on you and kill you before you can trade back. You must play safe and wait for your range spikes.
Hard Counter. His Windwall (W) completely invalidates your W duration. If he times it right, you do zero damage during your only window of power. Avoid this matchup.
Passive Suicide Play
Stop walking up! Your range is your only defense. If you get caught without your W, you are a sitting duck. Also, don't forget to use your R (Living Artillery) to check brushes and finish off low-HP enemies—the cost increases per cast, so manage your mana carefully.
Stop walking into melee range! You are artillery. Use R to check bushes. If you die, use your Passive to clear the wave or hitting a low HP enemy. Don't waste the death.
When the Dive Is Unstoppable
Dodge if facing heavy dive comps with Vi, Nautilus, and Malphite if your team has no peel. You cannot survive their combined engage. Also dodge into Yasuo who can block your entire W duration with one windwall.
Dodge Vi, Nautilus, Malphite. Point-and-click R = You Die. Dodge Yasuo. Windwall blocks your W autos. You literally cannot do damage to him.
Staying Alive While Dealing Damage
In teamfights, you are the priority target. Stay behind your frontline and wait for the enemy to commit their main engage abilities. Then, activate W and target the closest threat. Shred their frontline first—with your percentage damage, even the tankiest champions will fall. Use your Passive (Icathian Surprise) to get a final 'revenge kill' if you do happen to go down.
Stand behind your support. Melt the tank first. Your % HP damage kills tanks as fast as squishies. Save Q for divers to shred their armor. Don't chase kills.
The On-Hit Build
Full On-hit 'Laser' Kog'Maw. Blade of the Ruined King -> Guinsoo's Rageblade -> Runaan's Hurricane -> Wit's End. With this build, you will hit the attack speed cap and fire bolts at everyone. It's the ultimate 'stat-check' build for carrying games where you have a team to peel for you.
BORK -> Guinsoo's -> Runaan's. You hit the attack speed cap. You melt everyone. It's the only build. Crit Kog'Maw is fake news.
Kogmaw's Strongest Moments
Level 6 gives you the artillery poke you need to control lane. Your biggest power spike is reaching 2 items (BotRK + Guinsoo's), which makes your damage output almost impossible to match. At level 11 and 16, your R range becomes truly oppressive.
Level 9 (Max W). 2 Items (BORK + Rageblade). You spike whenever W is active. You are a minion when W is on cooldown. Play around the cooldown.
The Living Artillery
Spam the 'dog bark' emote as Pug'Maw every time you get a kill. Type 'Who let the dog out?' in all-chat. The sight of a tiny dog deleting a 5000-HP Cho'Gath in 3 seconds is one of the most demoralizing things in League.
Spam the 'dog bark' emote as Pug'Maw. Type 'Fetch!' after a kill. Seeing a puppy melt a Cho'Gath is demoralizing for the enemy team.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.5 | Mar 6, 2024 | BUFF | P buffed, Q adjusted, E buffed |
| V14.2 | Jan 24, 2024 | BUFF | W adjusted |
| V13.18 | Sep 13, 2023 | ADJUST | P nerfed |
| V13.12 | Jun 14, 2023 | NERF | W nerfed |
| V13.8 | Apr 19, 2023 | BUFF | P buffed, Q buffed, E buffed |
