Locke vs Cho'Gath

Locke
vs
49.3%

over 428 games

Cho'Gath

Skill matchup

Very tankyHeavy AP damageHeavy CCHigh burst

Build vs Cho'Gath

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Locke: Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Dark Seal, Stormsurge, Mejai's Soulstealer.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup
Health Potion

Core build

Lich Bane
1
Shadowflame
2
Zhonya's Hourglass
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Rabadon's Deathcap
5

Summoner spells

FlashSmite100%
SmiteDot0%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Rabadon's Deathcap
Dark Seal
Stormsurge
Mejai's Soulstealer
Void Staff
Banshee's Veil
Bloodletter's Curse
Seeker's Armguard
Dusk and Dawn
Cryptbloom
Riftmaker
Morellonomicon
Oblivion Orb
Cosmic Drive
Hextech Rocketbelt
36.1% WR72 games
DominationDomination
Dark HarvestDark Harvest
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Sixth SenseSixth Sense
Treasure HunterTreasure Hunter
PrecisionPrecision
Legend: HasteLegend: Haste
TriumphTriumph
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Cho'Gath's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Carnivore (P)

Whenever Cho'Gath kills a unit, he recovers Health and Mana. The values restored increase with Cho'Gath's level.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
36s11s8s–
66s11s8s1m20
96s10.5s8s1m20
116s10s8s1m10
166s9s6s1m
186s9s4s1m

Playing as Locke

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Nails first, then Pursuit

    Cast Ritual Nails (Q) before Ashen Pursuit (E): your hits consume the nails stuck in the target, and each extra nail adds damage.

  2. Finish them with autos

    Finish off wounded targets with autos: Silver Stake (passive) adds magic damage that grows with their missing health.

  3. Activate W as the trade starts

    Activate Soul Ignition (W) at the start of a trade: it costs you health, but at the end, you heal back part of the last damage taken, plus more based on your missing health.

  4. Save E for a kill or a gank

    Save Ashen Pursuit (E) for a sure kill or to escape a gank: it's your only instant movement, it has a 10-second cooldown, and only a takedown resets it.

  5. Save Purgatory to finish

    Save Purgatory (R) to finish: it seals marked enemies below a health threshold, and when you pick up the artifact, each sealed champion raises that threshold for good.

Playing against Cho'Gath

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Keep moving

    Keep moving against him: Rupture (Q) strikes an area on the ground, and an enemy standing still takes a knock-up, damage and a slow.

  2. Punish him while he farms

    Punish him when he goes for last hits: Carnivore (passive) restores health and mana for each unit he kills, and he lasts a long time in lane if you let him farm.

  3. Keep your distance if you can

    If you have range, keep your distance: his kit has no dash, only the slows from Rupture (Q) and Vorpal Spikes (E).

  4. Beware Feast at low health

    Don't stay in melee range at low health when Feast (R) is up: its true damage ignores your resistances, even if you're a tank.

Patch 16.21.1