Cho’Gath Counters: Who Beats Cho’Gath

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Cho’Gath counters are top laners who deal damage based on Health, dodge Rupture, or steal the stats he spends the game stacking. He’s a 125-range tank who grows bigger with every Feast kill, and the more Health he piles on, the better percent-based damage works against him.

Each of the five got here by holding its kit up against his patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates had no part in it.

What does Cho’Gath do in lane?

• Carnivore (passive): killing any unit restores Health and Mana, more as he levels.
• Rupture (Q): after a delay, the ground at a target spot erupts, knocking enemies up, damaging and slowing them. Cooldown 6.
• Feral Scream (W): a cone that deals magic damage and silences for a few seconds. Cooldown 11/10.5/10/9.5/9.
• Vorpal Spikes (E): his attacks release spikes that damage and slow every enemy in front of him. Cooldown 8/7/6/5/4.
• Feast (R): devours an enemy unit for heavy true damage; a kill makes him grow and gain maximum Health. Cooldown 80/70/60.

Cho’Gath plays a long game. Carnivore refills him every time he last-hits a minion, Rupture zones the lane on a 6 second cooldown, and every Feast kill makes him permanently tankier. Fighting him at level 16 with ten stacks feels like hitting a wall (a very large, very hungry wall). So what goes wrong for him? His only engage is a slow-landing knock-up, he has no dash, and his whole defensive plan is raw Health, which is exactly what percent-based damage eats. Counters bring that kind of damage, dodge Rupture, or turn his size against him.

Who are the best Cho’Gath counters in top lane?

Fiora

Fiora’s W is a short parry. Whatever damage or crowd control hits her during it is blocked, and if that included something immobilizing, her follow-up stab stuns. Rupture’s knock-up is immobilizing. So a well-timed parry turns his best spell into a stun on him. Her passive, Duelist’s Dance, marks a weak point on him; striking it heals Fiora and speeds her up, which offsets Vorpal Spikes chip damage. Lunge (Q) dashes and stabs with on-hit effects, Bladework (E) speeds up two attacks with a slow on the first and a Critical Strike on the second. Grand Challenge (R) exposes four of those points at once, and clearing all of them heals Fiora and allies around her. Honestly, Rupture into Riposte is the whole matchup.

Trundle

Trundle’s ultimate takes a slice of Cho’Gath’s Health, Armor and Magic Resistance on cast, then keeps draining until the total has doubled 4 seconds later. Against a Cho’Gath with several Feast stacks, that’s a huge chunk of Health moving from him to Trundle. Chomp (Q) bites, slows briefly and saps Attack Damage, Frozen Domain (W) gives Attack Speed, Move Speed and bonus healing while Trundle stands on it, and Pillar of Ice (E) creates impassable terrain that slows nearby enemies, a good way to wall Cho’Gath away from minions he wants to eat. King’s Tribute (passive) heals Trundle for a percent of the max Health of units dying nearby. Put simply, the bigger Cho’Gath gets, the better Trundle’s ult works.

Gwen

Every Gwen attack carries extra magic damage scaled to the victim’s Health, and against champions part of it comes back to her as healing. Snip Snip! (Q) snips up to 6 times in a cone and deals true damage in the center, each snip applying the passive. Hallowed Mist (W) protects Gwen from enemies outside the mist, so a Feral Scream or Rupture cast from outside can’t target her. Skip ‘n Slash (E) dashes a short way and gives Attack Speed, attack range and on-hit magic damage, refunding part of its cooldown on a hit, and Needlework (R) throws needles that slow and apply A Thousand Cuts, recast up to two more times. Thing is, his Health stacks make her passive hit harder.

Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser’s ultimate pulls Cho’Gath into another dimension for a one-on-one and takes a cut of his stats, and a win means Mordekaiser holds onto them until Cho’Gath respawns. His E drags a whole area toward him. Indestructible (W) stores damage dealt and taken as a shield that he can convert to healing, while Obliterate (Q) smashes for extra damage when it hits only one enemy. Darkness Rise (passive) gives a damage aura and Move Speed after 3 attacks or spells on champions. Over there, no allies show up and no minions wander by for Carnivore. To be fair, Feast still works in there, so watch his Health bar.

Kayle

Kayle scales past him. As she levels and spends points, her passive keeps adding Attack Speed, Move Speed, range and finally fire waves, so the long, slow lane Cho’Gath likes is the lane Kayle wants too. Radiant Blast (Q) pierces enemies, slowing them and cutting their resistances, Starfire Spellblade (E) adds magic damage to attacks and, active, smites the target for damage based on missing Health. Celestial Blessing (W) heals and gives Move Speed to her and the nearest ally, handy for walking out of Rupture. Divine Judgment (R) makes an ally invulnerable, Kayle included, and Feast can’t kill an invulnerable target.

How should Cho’Gath counters play the lane?

• Dodge Rupture. It erupts after a delay, so step out as soon as you see the cast.
• Deny him minions. Each last hit refills his Health and Mana through Carnivore.
• Respect the silence. Feral Scream silences in a cone for a few seconds, enough to stop your escape spell.
• Watch his Health against Feast. It deals heavy true damage and makes him bigger if it kills.
• Trade after Rupture is used. It’s his only knock-up and his main way to start a fight.

Which items do Cho’Gath counters buy?

Percent damage. Blade of The Ruined King’s Mist’s Edge adds a percentage of the target’s current Health to every attack, and Lord Dominik’s Regards deals up to 15% bonus damage based on the target’s bonus Health, maxing at 1500 bonus Health (Feast stacks count). Mages get the same idea from Liandry’s Torment, which burns for a share of max Health per second. Against his magic damage, Mercury’s Treads add Magic Resist and Tenacity to shorten the silence. The LoL items database has full stats.

When is Cho’Gath weakest?

Before Feast stacks. Early, he’s a tank without much Health yet, and Rupture on a 6 second cooldown is his only real threat; a lane that dodges it and denies him minions keeps him small. Why does that matter so much? Every Feast kill is permanent, and a Cho’Gath who reaches the mid game with a full stack of them is a different champion from the one you laned against.

And when Rupture misses. Without the knock-up he has no engage at all, no dash, and only Vorpal Spikes to chip with (for what it’s worth, missing two Ruptures in a row usually means he’s lost the trade). Fiora and Gwen both cash in on that.

New to top lane? Our LoL roles primer covers it. Other champions sit in our collection of guides, and his cosmetics are on the Cho’Gath skins page. In short, Cho’Gath counters punish the Health he stacks and the Rupture he misses.

FAQ

Who counters Cho’Gath the most?

Top laners with percent-based damage, stat theft or a parry: Fiora, Trundle, Gwen, Mordekaiser and Kayle.

Can Fiora parry Cho’Gath’s Rupture?

Riposte parries incoming damage and disables, and if it blocks an immobilizing effect, its stab stuns. Rupture’s knock-up qualifies.

How does Feast work?

Feast devours an enemy unit for heavy true damage. If the target dies, Cho’Gath grows and gains maximum Health.

What is the cooldown of Rupture?

Rupture has a cooldown of 6 seconds.

How were these Cho’Gath counters chosen?

Each pick had to punish his stacked Health, avoid or block Rupture, or steal his stats, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates were not used.