Koshka and Nerfs Top
Following the slew of Koshka defensive nerfs (patches 1.2, 1.3, 1.5) and offensive nerfs (patches 1.3, 1.5, 1.7), it's just been a bit more
difficult to play as the crazy cat who lost her pants. Recently, I've discovered a wonderful cure to these setbacks. As a general disclaimer, I'm not a high-ELO player (currently T6 Bronze yoloqueueing), but I do consider myself a Koshka main and to be pretty accomplished at playing her.
Please, in the name of Playoffbeard, don't abuse this until Koshka gets nerfed again. I'm not asking for a buff (at least, not a big one :D) but lets don't provide any reason to nerf her further.
1.9 and Koshka Top
The (brief) rise of WP Vox and the return of WP Ringo have lead to a number of shifts in the meta here in NA. Predominantly, 1.9 has resulted in Celeste being a prime (if not the best) choice for lane, but excluding her, most of the other power players (BP Krul, Crit Joule, CP Skye, WP Ringo, WP/Crit Glaive, WP Rona, and still some WP Taka) are, as you notice, weapon powered.
Why is this good for Koshka?
--Koshka needs to be defensively oriented towards the other team so that when she hops in to deliver her colorful attacks she doesn't get instantly nuked into a death timer. More on this later.
--Assuming your laner isn't Celeste or Skye, it's highly likely in the current meta that they will build WP, allowing you to build CP in jungle and diversify your team's damage output.
--Koshka has always had one of the fastest jungle clears
of all time, and she still holds up. She's so much remarkably faster than other prime jungle picks at the moment, you'll discover she can apply immense pressure all around the map with relative ease.
--Koshka's key trait is really her
Twirly Death stacks working with her
Bloodrush speed boost, which give her arguably the most consistent non-Mage crystal DPS in the game
DISCLAIMER:
This is NOT a guide on how to play Koshka. There are general tips in the hero-analysis section above (with the threat meter) but if you're looking to learn how to play Koshka, you'll need to find a different guide. For those who play Koshka, this build has an in-your-face assassin feel. You will deal lots of damage but also need to be able to take and physically dodge a lot too.
Time to Shine: Early Game Top
For the first buy you will need to analyze your enemy team. Most games I play these days are either a CP late-game carry and a WP early/mid game carry or dual WP carries. Obviously in this case you want to buy
Light Armor first (along with either 4
potions or 3
potions and a
flares, your personal choice-- don't pick up a
scout trap this time), but you should always decide where you think the most damage will be hitting you from, and build accordingly.
The reason you
don't start crystal bit or boots is that:
--With
Crystal Bit: You get 22 base damage on your
Twirly Death boosted autos and 16 base damage on your
Twirly Death itself. This isn't too much really (considering that the base damage will do just fine for now), and the amount of damage you'll
negate using
Light Armor/
Light Shield is much much more valuable than dealing a pinch more damage right now. You probably won't fight before you buy again anyways, and the lack of one Crystal Bit will not slow down your clear that much either.
--With
Boots: You get to stick closer to enemy targets but have zero combat stats. You are squishy, don't deal more damage, AND your passive was already allowing you to stick to people in early levels with ease. I facepalm every time I see a Koshka start boots. Please just don't do it.
If your clear pattern takes you to shop with 600+ gold, buy
boots and a
crystal bit, otherwise just take the
boots and consumables of your choice. Sticking to targets is still more important than that 16 + (22*number of stacks) base damage.
When engaging in combat, pop a
potion after you take enough damage so that the initial healing burst doesn't take you back to 100%. With higher defensive stats than others at this point in the game, your base damage will shine as you take little to no damage with the heals from the potion.
Building Power: Mid Game Top
Farm, farm, farm. Gank, gank, gank. Actively look for opportunities to steal farm (WITH, your support, mind you-- you don't want to get caught out) and take 2v1, 3v1, and 3v2 fights. Press every advantage. Steal the enemy's back camps. Take that gold mine, and hold onto it. Press that first turret out so that your laner can help you at the drop of a hat.
In terms of build, you're going to start to want both more damage and more health. Get your
Broken Myth going and add a
Dragonheart to it soon. Whenever it seems that you're actually taking significant damage from the other team, upgrade your T1 armor or shield, and don't be afraid to have both.
Travel boots are also listed here for the 200 health and extra stickiness the passive speed gives you. The out-of-combat speed allows you to steal camps like a fiend and make your presence felt like some sort of global ult that's always active.
Depending on how things are going, finish the
Broken Myth or
Crucible first, then devote yourself to the other. At this point you'll have significant burst damage that only amps up as the fight continues.
You don't have an
Energy Battery, so you'll need potions for the energy regen (and the health never hurts too). Remember that because of this, you can't just use abilities because they are up. Leash camps together and then Twirly Death. Use basic attacks without Twirly Death stacks when you don't expect pressure from the other team so that your abilities are off cooldown and you have energy to use them.
Remaining Dominant: Late Game Top
Build a
Chronograph and turn it into an
Aftershock. This means you'll be somewhat more focused on farm than your team expects in the late game, so just make sure to continue to be a team player and get that camp later so you can help your team now.
Even if your enemies aren't building health, everyone has a decent-sized HP pool by late game, and
Aftershock would just looooove to take a part of that. About 15%, to be exact. Your burst will now be fairly incredible, and you'll be tanky enough to enlarge that as your Broken Myth stacks. You may need to weave in and out of battle, temporarily disengaging. This is how Koshka plays, don't feel ashamed.
If you need more defense (you likely will), get an
Aegis or a
Metal Jacket, maybe a
Fountain (highly situational). Upgrading your boots to
T3 is not a bad idea. If the enemy really isn't challenging you and you just need some more pushing power, build a
Heavy Prism. Turn it into either an
Alternating Current or a
Shatterglass (Alternating Current for tanky compositions that have long-lasting teamfights, Shatterglass for just wiping someone off the map instantly but not having quite as strong a follow-up).
You will fall off as the game goes later, but with your Aftershock and massive stores of CP, you annihilate objectives. Stick a bit behind your team and
Pounce into the lines of combat, spin, and deal your damage, then leave if necessary.
Thanks to the Readers Top
If you read this far, thanks a million! It means a lot to me!
Feel free to comment with questions, criticisms, and other relevant ideas.
Good luck on the Fold, and go annihilate some poor Ringo with one of those beautiful skins!
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