Meet the new Koshka Top
I admit it - I almost never played Koshka before the last update. She was squishy and the item builds seemed to never really work in her favour. This latest update has changed everything. Now I feel she is invaluable to a team and if no one has picked her up I am obligated to do it if we want to win. I am going to assume you know a bit about her abilities so this guide will be more about rationalizing the build than explaining how they work. Many times I find guides don't take into account the economy of the game. It's great to have to a dream list of items but reality is items are expensive and getting your dream built isn't always an option. This guide is realistic and keeps that in mind. The core items are affordable and you don't need to raise a fortune to be a dominant force in the game.
Early Game Top
I always start early game with some health and more health. Almost all matches begin with showdowns in the middle and in the early game and extra 200 health is a huge advantage. Think about it - all units begin the game with around 650 - 800 health and damage in the 65 - 80 range. Adding 200hp to 750 is approximately 25% more life and will allow you survive around 2.5 more strikes from your opponents. It gives you the hp to be where you need to be - in the middle of it - stacking up twirl counts and doling out scary damage. Leave pounce till later - you will get more out of twirl as first skill. Win, Lose or Draw after the initial skirmish you need to buy boots and a couple mines. The mines you need to keep vision on the the enemy creeps - if they discover your mines, plant them again. Let your other jungle ally farm the creeps nearest to your base. Your job is to steal from the enemy side. The pounce skill will let you leap across terrain to get at creeps near the middle and twirl will make fast work of them. Mines (or if need be flares) will let you know when it's safe to leap in and steal. Even if all you can do is take down the two near the middle shop on a regular basis you are out-farming your opponent and inevitably will out-level them as well while at the same time giving your ally the opportunity to farm the creeps on your side with safety. Being close to center will also let you jump in for ganks in middle laner when you see the opportunity. You can be very efficient with just oakheart, boots, energy battery and crystal plus mines and potions in the early game
A word on abilities path Top
Your most valuable skill is twirl - its stacks do not expire and it makes every strike hurt so build that up first. I usually also max out pounce since I use it more than the ulti which good players will still be able to reflex block. If you find you are landing a lot of catnip frenzy attacks then by all means build it out to 3 and leave pounce at 4 but if you are playing people who have the reflexes to block you out I feel you get more utility from pounce.
Mid Game Top
Your priority item is Aftershock. Keep a void battery to maintain energy levels and use potions liberally through the match - they are cheap and you have the space. Reflex block and eventually Crucible are also important depending on who you are facing. You may need it early if you have a glaive or catherine who is stunning and knocking you around. Most other hero's you don't need to worry till they are lvl 6 (Koshka, Adaigo, Skaarf). Go for the aftershock buying the crystal side first for the extra damage on your abilities and then the cooldown side. This item makes you downright scary to face off with. DO NOT overcommit to a battle - hit and run is your strength. Jump in and twirl racking up twirl points. Dish those out if the threat isn't too great but also be willing to bolt away if you're getting focused on as the twirl stacks don't expire. Drawing fire is one of your team helping abilities because you have the best abilities for escaping with your life while they are punishing the enemy. If you have been raiding the enemy side of their creeps then you will likely already have the edge
Evenly matched? Top
If you get to the 15 minute mark and the game is evenly matched you may have the opportunity to get deeper into the build. At this point I like to add first faster attack speed and the Blazing Salvo at a cost of $700 is a very useful and affordable upgrade. It will help with cooldown for Koshka in battles. By now you are probably more bunched up and doing less roaming alone or with just 1 partner in the jungle. To save space and add crystal damage I also will add a heavy crystal and go for the eve of harvest as an upgrade for Void battery - not because it's going to do you a ton on the healing side but rather because it adds more crystal damage to your void battery than going with clockwork. Clockwork is not that useful to you since you can affect cooldown more with attack speed than with clockwork. If you face hero's that are also stacking up attack speed atlas pauldron is amazing. It only requires 1 slot to build to final tier and with pounce you can jump in - hit atlas and watch them panic. Don't stock up too much on shield and armour - its too expensive and your strength is hit and run so you don't need it. I rarely get enough cash for Bonesaw but if it's really close it's a great tool to help you against enemy's who are starting to armour up against your twirl deadliness.
Now go out there and rule the jungle - just don't use this build against me :)
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