Cho'Gath isn't in the 26.19 patch notes at all. He's the best jungler in our data anyway, and the gap is getting wider.
The 26.19 patch notes took early clear off Vi, added twenty seconds to Nocturne's ultimate and reverted the buff that let Poppy jungle in the first place. Nobody laid a finger on Cho'Gath. He's now sitting at the top of the jungle on our solo queue tier list.
Here's the build, the runes, and the two junglers you shouldn't lock him into.
FOTM Report
Cho'Gath Jungle
Cho'Gath isn't in the 26.19 patch notes at all. He's the best jungler in our data anyway, and the gap is getting wider.
The 26.19 patch notes took early clear off Vi, added twenty seconds to Nocturne's ultimate and reverted the buff that let Poppy jungle in the first place. Nobody laid a finger on Cho'Gath. He's now sitting at the top of the jungle on our solo queue tier list, winning 53.6% of his games across Silver and above on the new patch.
He was already Tier 1 on 26.18, and we put him in God Tier on our day one forecast before a single 26.19 game had been played. What's odd is the direction everything moved at once. His share of jungle games is up by about a third, his ban rate went from 3.5% to 5.2%, and his win rate rose through both of them (more players usually drags a number down, since the newcomers are still learning him). Emerald and above puts him in God Tier as well, so this isn't a low elo quirk.
How to Play Cho'Gath Jungle
- Abilities
- Q, E, W then prioritize R > Q > E > W
- Summoner Spells
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- Starting Items
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- Strategy
- Open every gank with Rupture [Q] so Cheap Shot has something to fire on, then walk in with Vorpal Spikes [E] while Hail of Blades is ready. Hold Feast [R] and Smite together for dragons and Baron, since Feast [R] deals true damage to monsters and an enemy jungler can't out-Smite both at once
- Core Items
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Cho'Gath Rune Setup
Domination
Sorcery
When to Pick Cho'Gath
He's at his best against junglers who have to walk up and touch you. Lee Sin, Viego, Graves, Wukong, Hecarim and Kha'Zix all come out losing records against him in our 26.19 games, and every one of them wants to start a fight at close range, which is exactly where a silence and a knock up do the most damage (Hecarim has it worst, winning under 42% of those games).
He also wants time. Cho'Gath wins more of his long games than his short ones by a clear margin, so he suits a team with lanes that can hold on their own. If your side has two lanes that need a jungler camping them by minute six, take something with an earlier spike. Pick him into a slow game and let the Feast [R] stacks and the Heartsteel stacks do their work.
How It Works
Everyone Around Him Got Nerfed
There's no clever explanation for this one. Vi, Nocturne and Poppy all lost something in 26.19, and all three of them share the jungle with him. He didn't change. The field around him got thinner.
Hail of Blades on a Tank
It looks wrong on a champion building Heartsteel. It's what 94% of Cho'Gath junglers run, though, and the reason is Vorpal Spikes [E], which powers up his next three attacks. Hail of Blades hands him three very fast attacks. Line the two up and all three spikes land before the enemy has finished reacting to the knock up, with Cheap Shot's true damage on top because they're already slowed.
Feast [R] Is a Second Smite
Against monsters it's a big chunk of true damage on a single button. With Smite behind it, Cho'Gath takes objectives that most junglers would have to fight for, and an epic monster kill gives him a Feast [R] stack as well. Camps and minions stop giving stacks once he hits the cap. Dragons and Baron keep going.
A Build That Runs at You
Boots of Swiftness, Dead Man's Plate, Force of Nature, Celerity and the move speed shard all push the same stat. It surprised us that Swiftness beats Plated Steelcaps and Mercury's Treads combined on a champion this slow to cast. Then again, Rupture [Q] is easy to walk out of, and the surest way to land it is to already be standing on top of someone.
Potential Pitfalls
Master Yi and Briar
Both are God Tier junglers in the same patch, and both beat him. He's under 48% against Master Yi across 350 games and just over 47% against Briar. (Kindred and Zac beat him too, on smaller samples.) Yi goes untargetable during Alpha Strike [Q], which is the one moment a slow knock up is worth nothing, so hold Feral Scream [W] until he lands and silence him before his next cast comes up.
Rupture [Q] Is Slow
Everything in the kit hangs off a skillshot with a delay on it. Miss it and there's no slow, no Cheap Shot, and nothing for Hail of Blades to follow up on, which leaves a very large tank walking toward someone who's already gone. Mobile teams make him look much worse than the numbers.
Nothing to Show Early
He clears fine. He doesn't bully anyone, though, and an enemy jungler who invades before his first item is fighting him at his weakest. Give up the camp and take the one on the other side of the map.
Conclusions
Cho'Gath is climbing in a patch that never mentions him. The junglers around him lost clear speed and cooldown, and a tank who wins long games and takes dragons with two buttons is what was left at the top of the role.
Suggested Tier: God Tier
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