League of Legends Kog'Maw Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Kog’Maw is one of the deadliest hyper-carry ADCs in League of Legends, capable of melting tanks and squishies alike with his incredible attack speed and magic damage. When paired with the right support and given time to scale, he can take over teamfights with ease. This guide will walk you through the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you make the most of Kog’Maw’s long-range damage and dominate your games from the backline.

Kog’Maw Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Here’s a breakdown of Kog’Maw’s abilities in League of Legends:

Passive – Icathian Surprise
When Kog’Maw dies, he gains a burst of movement speed and explodes after 4 seconds, dealing true damage to nearby enemies.

Q – Caustic Spittle
Fires a projectile that deals magic damage and reduces the target’s armor and magic resist. It also grants Kog’Maw bonus attack speed for a few seconds.

W – Bio-Arcane Barrage
Temporarily increases Kog’Maw’s attack range and makes his basic attacks deal bonus magic damage based on the enemy’s max health. This is his core ability for melting tanks.

E – Void Ooze
Sprays a line of ooze that damages and slows all enemies hit. Great for zoning and catching fleeing enemies.

R – Living Artillery
Fires a long-range shot that deals magic damage to enemies in an area. It deals extra damage to low-health targets but costs extra mana if spammed in a short time. Perfect for poking or finishing off enemies.

How To Play Kog'Maw In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Kog’Maw

The best summoner spells for Kog’Maw are Flash and Heal. Flash gives you essential mobility to escape danger or reposition in fights, which is crucial since Kog’Maw has no dashes or escapes. Heal offers sustain during trades in lane and a speed boost to help kite or run from threats. Alternatively, if you’re paired with an enchanter support that takes Heal, you can swap to Cleanse against heavy crowd control or Barrier if you expect burst damage from assassins.

Best Runes For Kog’Maw

The best runes for Kog’Maw focus on boosting his attack speed, sustain, and damage output. Take Lethal Tempo as your keystone in the Precision tree to maximize his DPS in extended fights. Pair it with Triumph for healing on takedowns, Legend: Alacrity for more attack speed, and Coup de Grace to finish off low-health enemies faster. For your secondary runes, go with the Sorcery tree: Gathering Storm for late-game scaling and Celerity to boost any movement speed buffs. This setup helps Kog’Maw shred through teams while staying safe and mobile.

Best Build For Kog’Maw

The best build for Kog’Maw in League of Legends focuses on attack speed, on-hit magic damage, and survivability to maximize his late-game potential. Start with Kraken Slayer for high DPS against all targets, followed by Guinsoo’s Rageblade to convert crit into more on-hit effects. Pick up Runaan’s Hurricane for multi-target attacks in teamfights, then Wit’s End for bonus magic damage and magic resist. Guardian Angel adds a safety net for aggressive plays, and Lord Dominik’s Regards or Randuin’s Omen can be situational final items depending on the enemy team. This build turns Kog’Maw into a monster that shreds tanks and carries alike from a safe distance.

Best Combos To Learn For Kog’Maw

Kog’Maw doesn’t rely on flashy combos like assassins, but mastering his skill order and auto-spacing is key to maximizing damage. A basic poke combo is to use E (Void Ooze) to slow your target, then follow up with Q (Caustic Spittle) to reduce their defenses, activate W (Bio-Arcane Barrage), and unload auto-attacks. During teamfights, try to stay in the backline, activate W before engaging, then use Q and E to soften up enemies while constantly auto-attacking. You can also snipe low-health enemies with R (Living Artillery) from long range, especially after using your full combo to chunk them down.

Conclusion

Kog’Maw is the kind of champion who becomes unstoppable when played smart and protected well. With the right build, runes, and positioning, he can melt through even the tankiest enemies from a safe distance. Whether you’re looking to scale into late-game teamfights or poke enemies down with Living Artillery, mastering Kog’Maw’s kit and combos will turn you into a serious threat in any game. Stick to your power spikes, rely on your team to peel, and you’ll carry games with Kog’Maw in no time.