Koshka is an assasin, and her role in the fight is to get in, make the kill, then get out. This is reflective of the "burst" provided by the crystal build.
Abilities
A- Pouncy fun
Koshka lunges at her enemy doing reasonable damage to a single target. This ability is best used in conjunction with Another ability, as it allows you to rapidly get into position to use your B and/or C moves. It is also great as a gap-closer to prevent ranged enemy heroes from kiting you.
B- Twirly death
Koshka spins on the spot, dealing significant damage to all surrounding enemies. This is your main damage-dealing ability in team fights. It deals AOE damage, meaning if your enemies are grouped up, you can inflict massive damage to all of them at once. The animation is somewhat deceiving in that the ring traced by koshka's claws is smaller than the actual damage radius, meaning you can often hit targets further away than you may think. Works well in a quick A-B combo as this allows you to get into position (A) then deal big damage (B).
C- Yummy catnip frenzy
Koshka leaps toward a single target and stuns it, doing significant damage in the mean time. Along with an incredibly extravagant name, koshka's C ability has an extremely useful stun. It has a much longer duration than other stuns, and can very effectively be used to lock down an enemy laner for the entirety of a team fight. However, be aware that you can still recieve damage and even be stunned yourself during the duration of the ult by the recipient's teammates, so use it only when the two of the enemies are distracted.
Items-why?
Aftershock- Works really well with Koshka's abilities' passives. Grants some lifesteal and a lot of extra damage, as well as slightly improving ability cool downs.
Broken myth- Also works well with koshka's passives, grants massive extra damage and shield pierce after you use a couple of basic attacks.
Fountain of renewal- An extremely handy team-fighting item for just about every hero. Works best against CP enemies as it grants a small amount of shield.
Frostburn- Grants a lot of extra damage while being significantly cheaper than shatter glass. Also has a passive that slows enemies, stopping them from running away or repositioning.
Boots- Of course, essential for an assasin to make those clutch escapes!
6th item
Extra defence- If you feel you are not able to sustain quite as long as you would like, crucible is a good option for the massive health bonus. Aegis, atlas pauldron or metal jacket are very useful if the enemy team is all CP or all WP.
Clockwork- After 1.10, koshka's ult cooldown was reduced quite significantly, making clockwork much less essential than before. However, if you feel you do not need a second defensive item, the reduced cool downs and faster energy regen are extremely useful.
Koshka is great early game, as her speed boost perk and ability passives allow for extremely fast early-game jungle clearing. Start with a crystal bit and two halcyons. If paired with a strong early game roamer, such as Fortress
or Glaive
, feel free to take the twin minions near the jungle shop. If the enemy junglers attempt to invade your twirly death and halcyons will easily see them off. Once you complete a full round of the jungle, you will have enough for an eclipse prism and an hourglass. These both build into a Aftershock, which will be your first tier 3 item. After a few more rounds, pick up sprint boots, lifespring and chronograph. You will now have to save up the 1150 gold required for your first tier 3 item: Aftershock! To recap, by this stage you should have: Aftershock, lifespring, sprint boots and a couple of halcyons (always handy to keep on you). Farm hard, your next tier 3 item will be either Broken myth or Fountain of renewal, depending on whether you need more health or more damage. Upgrade your sprint boots to travel boots when possible.
By this stage you should have 2 tier 3 items (Aftershock and broken myth/fountain of renewal), travel boots and a couple of items building towards your third tier 3 item, Frostburn. As team fights become more frequent don't forget to pick up some crystal infusions. In team fights remember to always prioritise the enemy laner, locking him down with your ult. Once he is dead, the next target should be the enemy jungler, then finally the roam/tank.
So by now (around 20-25 mins into the game) you should have: Aftershock, Broken myth, Fountain of renewal, Frostburn, Travel boots and your last item should be building towards either a second defence, or clockwork. As team fights become more and more common, remember to always stay together and pick up infusions before a fight. Once again, always prioritise the enemy laner, then jungler, then finally the roam.
Koshka is a extremely fun hero to play, and with the 1.10 buff, there's never been a better time to play her! Hopefully this guide has been of use to you, have fun out on the Halcyon fold!
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