Cho'gath is a great character. His AoE slow/silence makes him valuable in team fights and his NOM NOM makes him a great finisher. Here's how you do it.
Take Teleport
Take Ghost/Flash
Early Game:
Buy Sapphire Gem for 400 gold, and one health pot. Pick a lane, preferably with a disabler or assassin type. You can solo ok, but I don't recommend it. You will have a hard time making gold and thus killing this build. With your mana crystal, you have a lot of harassment ruptures. Keep your enemies guessing and worried about it. You will get your spikes, which will in turn help your health and mana regen. If you get low fall back and pop your pot, and pick off low health creeps. Coordinate early gank if they get lazy.
Once you reach 475 gold port back if you are hurting on health or mana. If you get an early kill, try to hold out until 925 gold to buy:
Ruby Crystal
Catalyst the Protector
You will notice there are no shoes here. Learn to cast a Rupture on yourself ( or slightly behind) when running away to slow your pursuers. Only time I get worried is when there are dual stuns. Catalyst will keep you at an HP advantage over your enemies, you have a solid mana and health pool and can continue to harass/kill enemies. Once you get feast you should be able to finish one enemy off with your Ghost or Flash skill. Go buy
Boots 1
Sorc Shoes
1. Rupture
2. Vorpal Spikes
3. Feral scream
4. Feral Scream
5. Feral Scream
6. Feast
Feral is a great runner finisher. It shoots farther than it shows during cast. I tower dive sometimes with a rupture and Feral Blast. Try to catch someone off guard right after you get your NOM NOM. Watch your enemy's heals, try to get them to burn one early on.
Mid Game:
7. Vorpal Spikes
8. Rupture
9. Feral
10. Rupture
11. Feast
12. Rupture
13. Feral / Vorpal the rest of the way
Finish your Rod of Ages. This is where you really start picking up steam. With your Rod of Ages giving you the HP and mana you need (as well as AP), you can start looking at bolstering that AP even more. Finishing this so early puts you ahead of the curve damage/health wise. I prefer Mejai's soulstealernext. The mana recovered from kills keeps you in fights and not at base. Mid game you wanna look for ganks. I like seeing group fights and cutting off escape routes (preferrably with Flash/Ghost up) and NOM NOMing the first bad guy to flee from the battle with low HP. Don't get me wrong, you are a valuable front line fighter as well. The other tactic is the combo:
Rupture
Feral Scream
NOM NOM
Finish with melee if necessary.
This is standard fare. I find soloers and do this when I have port up. The more you are in the big fights, the more AP you will gain from Mejai's.
Nearing the end game, this is where I decide if need more survivability or AP. 90% of the time I go
Rylai's Scepter
but on occasion I'll take Warmogs.
Endgame:
You are an initiator. People will wait for your huge ass to run in. Enemies can't help but be scared of the huge demon thing. Catch someone in a Rupture and watch your team gank.
Get your Lich Bane. Do the combo. NOM NOM things. Win. By the end of the game you are a glass cannon that isn't really a glass cannon. Have fun!
Item Summary:
Sapphire Gem
Health Pot
Ruby Crystal
Catalyst the Protector
Rod of Ages
Sorc Boots
Mejai's Soulstealer
Rylai's Scepter/Warmogs/Lich Bane (any order depending on game)
Alternate items: Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil
Cons of this build are lack of MR, and less survivability than other Cho'gath builds. Luckily, your Feast helps bolster this. Don't be afraid to NOM NOM a creep when the CD is up. This build also lacks cooldown reduction, though I still need to try it with Frozen Heart in the armor slot. It will probably be better.
Take Teleport
Take Ghost/Flash
Early Game:
Buy Sapphire Gem for 400 gold, and one health pot. Pick a lane, preferably with a disabler or assassin type. You can solo ok, but I don't recommend it. You will have a hard time making gold and thus killing this build. With your mana crystal, you have a lot of harassment ruptures. Keep your enemies guessing and worried about it. You will get your spikes, which will in turn help your health and mana regen. If you get low fall back and pop your pot, and pick off low health creeps. Coordinate early gank if they get lazy.
Once you reach 475 gold port back if you are hurting on health or mana. If you get an early kill, try to hold out until 925 gold to buy:
Ruby Crystal
Catalyst the Protector
You will notice there are no shoes here. Learn to cast a Rupture on yourself ( or slightly behind) when running away to slow your pursuers. Only time I get worried is when there are dual stuns. Catalyst will keep you at an HP advantage over your enemies, you have a solid mana and health pool and can continue to harass/kill enemies. Once you get feast you should be able to finish one enemy off with your Ghost or Flash skill. Go buy
Boots 1
Sorc Shoes
1. Rupture
2. Vorpal Spikes
3. Feral scream
4. Feral Scream
5. Feral Scream
6. Feast
Feral is a great runner finisher. It shoots farther than it shows during cast. I tower dive sometimes with a rupture and Feral Blast. Try to catch someone off guard right after you get your NOM NOM. Watch your enemy's heals, try to get them to burn one early on.
Mid Game:
7. Vorpal Spikes
8. Rupture
9. Feral
10. Rupture
11. Feast
12. Rupture
13. Feral / Vorpal the rest of the way
Finish your Rod of Ages. This is where you really start picking up steam. With your Rod of Ages giving you the HP and mana you need (as well as AP), you can start looking at bolstering that AP even more. Finishing this so early puts you ahead of the curve damage/health wise. I prefer Mejai's soulstealernext. The mana recovered from kills keeps you in fights and not at base. Mid game you wanna look for ganks. I like seeing group fights and cutting off escape routes (preferrably with Flash/Ghost up) and NOM NOMing the first bad guy to flee from the battle with low HP. Don't get me wrong, you are a valuable front line fighter as well. The other tactic is the combo:
Rupture
Feral Scream
NOM NOM
Finish with melee if necessary.
This is standard fare. I find soloers and do this when I have port up. The more you are in the big fights, the more AP you will gain from Mejai's.
Nearing the end game, this is where I decide if need more survivability or AP. 90% of the time I go
Rylai's Scepter
but on occasion I'll take Warmogs.
Endgame:
You are an initiator. People will wait for your huge ass to run in. Enemies can't help but be scared of the huge demon thing. Catch someone in a Rupture and watch your team gank.
Get your Lich Bane. Do the combo. NOM NOM things. Win. By the end of the game you are a glass cannon that isn't really a glass cannon. Have fun!
Item Summary:
Sapphire Gem
Health Pot
Ruby Crystal
Catalyst the Protector
Rod of Ages
Sorc Boots
Mejai's Soulstealer
Rylai's Scepter/Warmogs/Lich Bane (any order depending on game)
Alternate items: Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil
Cons of this build are lack of MR, and less survivability than other Cho'gath builds. Luckily, your Feast helps bolster this. Don't be afraid to NOM NOM a creep when the CD is up. This build also lacks cooldown reduction, though I still need to try it with Frozen Heart in the armor slot. It will probably be better.
