The best Kog’Maw counters in League of Legends

"Hunger never sleep."

Kog’Maw has been flexed to a number of roles since his release in League of Legends, and he is a great choice for high damage output in the late game.

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Kog’Maw takes a while to build up to his potential. But once the right items have been acquired and he hits level six, this champion can deal massive damage.

One of the champion’s best assets is his passive ability Icathian Surprise. This ability often catches players off guard as they are leaving a successful takedown on Kog’Maw and evens the score going forward. Another ability Kog’Maw uses to engage and damage his enemies is Bio-Arcane Barrage, granting not only bonus range but also bonus magic damage.

Due to his kit, Kog’Maw has an impressive ability to chase down and eliminate fleeing opponents, dealing bonus damage as their health gets lower. Often, he can secure these kills with the use of Living Artillery that can be used at a distance.

Here are the best counter picks to shut down Kog’Maw in lane.

General strategy

Kog’Maw can deal a lot of damage, but he does not have access to any mobility to get in and out of combat. The best way to deal with Kog’Maw is to bait out his Bio-Arcane Barrage before initiating a fight.

Especially early in a game, Kog’Maw needs drawn-out battles to secure takedowns. This leaves him open to assassin champions who can quickly eliminate him in the lane. There are plenty of great jungle options that can assist in laning against Kog’Maw.

During the laning phase, keep minions pushed back towards your tower so Kog’Maw is forced to overextend to accumulate farm. This will present the perfect opening for your jungler to swoop in and secure the takedown.

Remember to avoid walking in Void Ooze and dodge any incoming Living Artillery attacks.

Champions

Miss Fortune

Image via Riot Games

With the right champion, Kog’Maw can be a simple lane opponent. Miss Fortune is an excellent choice thanks to her ranged attacks, mobility, and damage output.

Allowing Kog’Maw to push the lane will open more options for Miss Fortune to go on the offensive. While farming, it’s a good idea to poke down Kog’Maw with Double Up as he attempts to farm minions.

Thanks to Strut, Miss Fortune should find it easy to avoid oncoming attacks and poke freely throughout the laning phase. Once Kog’Maw has used Bio-Arcane Barrage, this is your opportunity to land massive damage or secure a takedown. Laying down Make it Rain behind Kog’Maw will force him to turn and engage. But with his W on cooldown, this duel should usually end in the favor of Miss Fortune.

Make sure you don’t get caught off guard by his passive, and use Strut to get away with bonus movement speed if necessary.

Caitlyn

Caitlyn is good against Kog’Maw because of her long-range attacks. Having some of the highest-ranged basic attacks in the game, it’s easy for Caitlyn to land damage against Kog’Maw without taking any in return.

Forcing Kog’Maw to push the lane forward is still the key for the laning phase, and 90 Caliber Net is a great tool to escape some of the skill shots Kog’Maw will send your way.

Setting traps is also another helpful tool that will allow Caitlyn to deal massive damage throughout the laning phase. But this is also great to set up opportunities for your jungler to gank and secure an easy takedown.

With her long-range abilities, Caitlyn is a counter that can breeze through the laning phase against Kog’Maw with no issues.

Sivir

Image via Riot Games

Sivir is the perfect lane matchup to take against Kog’Maw since her kit grants her the tools to nullify some of Kog’Maw’s offense and punish him back with damage.

The most powerful tool for Sivir in this matchup is her Spell Shield. A well-timed Spell Shield will nullify some of Kog’Maw’s most important and powerful abilities and allow Sivir opportunities to get damage off for free.

Her ultimate can secure quick kills when your jungler comes to gank. It can also be used as a tool to chase down Kog’Maw when fleeing a duel.

With a variety of ranged abilities, Sivir can stay out of Kog’Maw’s range until Bio-Arcane Barrage has been used, and at that time quickly go on the offense.

Thanks to her passive, once Sivir has dealt a single basic attack she will be granted bonus movement speed to pursue. One key thing to do when chasing is to activate her Spell Shield when forced to walk through Void Ooze. This will not only stop any damage but also get rid of the slowing effect.

Items to build into Kog’Maw

Frozen Heart

For some ADC champions, Frozen Heart will be an excellent item to take into battle against Kog’Maw. Its unique passive Winter’s Caress will reduce the attack speed of nearby enemies. This will take away some of Kog’Maw’s offensive damage in dueling situations. On top of this, for mana-based ADC champions like Sivir, Frozen Heart offers a much-needed 400 bonus mana and 70 bonus armor.

Thornmail

While it might not be perfect for all champions, Thornmail is a great way to counter Kog’Maw thanks to its bonus armor and passive abilities. When a champion with Thornmail equipped is attacked, the attacking foe will be dealt damage. This can make a huge difference in battle especially against Kog’Maw who, while ability-based, relies heavily on basic attacks to secure takedowns.

Force of Nature

This item is a great way to counter the damage dealt by Kog’Maw’s Bio-Arcane Barrage. This ability will deal magic damage and, with the help of Force of Nature, this damage will be reduced. The item will also grant bonus movement speed when hit by an ability that can be used to close the distance to Kog’Maw if necessary.


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Author
Ryan Galloway
Ryan is a Senior Staff Writer for Dot Esports who has been working at GAMURS since 2020. He covers a wide variety of titles from across the gaming space, with a focus on Pokémon. He boasts a degree in Journalism from Murdoch University. Email: ryan@dotesports.com