TOP 5 CHO’ GATH COUNTERS TOPLANE

Cho’Gath is a tank mage bruiser hybrid who becomes incredibly dangerous when he’s allowed to stack HP via R (Feast), control space with Q (Rupture) and W (Feral Scream), and safely farm under tower. Once he gets tank items and a few Feast stacks, he becomes a waveclear wall of meat with surprising burst potential.

But Cho’Gath has some of the most abusable early weaknesses in top lane: he’s slow, predictable, and entirely dependent on hitting skillshots to trade. If you dodge his Q, invade his wave control, and punish him before level 6, you can shut him down before he scales into a problem.

The top 5 counters to Cho’Gath top are: Vayne, Gwen, Yorick, Olaf, and Illaoi. These champions exploit his lack of mobility, punish his weak early trades, and keep him from scaling freely.

Top 5 Cho’Gath Top Lane Counters

1. Vayne

• Playstyle: Anti-tank ADC / lane shredder
• Why it works:
  • True damage from W (Silver Bolts) shreds through his scaling HP.
  • Q (Tumble) dodges his Q and lets you kite forever.
  • R + mobility makes you untouchable in all-ins.

Play Tips:

• Stay behind minions to deny easy Q targets.
• Use E (Condemn) to disengage or stun him into walls when he walks up.
• Build Blade of the Ruined King + Kraken Slayer — he can't deal with true DPS.

2. Gwen

• Playstyle: AP duelist / sustain brawler
• Why it works:
  • Immune zone (W) blocks his spells entirely during trades.
  • True damage from Q + R cuts through his HP stacking.
  • Scales faster and duels better post-6.

Play Tips:

• Time W when he casts Q — it’ll whiff and give you a free trade.
• Play aggressively at level 4+ — his cooldowns are long.
• Build Nashor's + Riftmaker and take over sidelanes before he finishes tank core.

3. Yorick

• Playstyle: Split-push duelist / cage controller
• Why it works:
  • E + ghouls pressure destroys him in long lanes.
  • W (Wall) interrupts him from escaping or chasing.
  • Scales faster in side lane and takes towers faster than he can match.

Play Tips:

• Avoid fighting until 4+ ghouls are ready — then go aggressive.
• Drop R (Maiden of the Mist) and force him to waveclear under tower.
• Cho'Gath can’t deal with split pressure — draw jungle and force plates.

4. Olaf

• Playstyle: All-in brawler / CC-immune snowballer
• Why it works:
  • Ignores his CC with R (Ragnarok) and out-damages him early.
  • Can perma-fight with Q + W sustain while dodging Q.
  • Forces early fights where Cho'Gath is weakest.

Play Tips:

• Short trades pre-6 with Q + E, then go all-in after level 6.
• Look to fight every time Q or W are down.
• Build Stridebreaker + anti-heal to run him down through Grasp healing.

5. Illaoi

• Playstyle: Juggernaut / anti-melee punisher
• Why it works:
  • E (Test of Spirit) punishes him every time he walks up to farm.
  • Out-heals his trades and wins 1v1s even with jungle help.
  • Cho'Gath hates extended trades and small areas where tentacles spawn.

Play Tips:

• Zone him off wave early with E — he can’t farm with tentacle threat.
• Fight in your tentacle zone — he can’t win once you hit 6.
• Build Sheen + Sterak's + anti-heal and force constant fights.

Bonus Tips to Beat Cho’Gath:

• Dodge Q at all costs: If he misses Q, he has no kill pressure or peel.
• Watch his Feast stacks: Don’t fight him when R is up unless you can burst him before he gets execute range.
• Apply Grievous Wounds: He heals a lot through passive and Feast — Executioner’s or Bramble is key.