Items (cont'd) Top
I added in a situational item section that I'd like to go over in greater detail to show when they should be used and why.
In matches when you are behind from the start I typically build Warhorn over
Clockwork. Warhorn provides more survivability than
Clockwork, but still adds to your cd acceleration. The rest of your build will be mainly crystal based so the more you use your abilities the more damage you do.
On the flipside of the coin, in matches when you are ahead from the start I will build
Alternating Current over
Crucible. While
Crucible adds some much needed tankiness to Koshka the additional damage from
Alternating Current allows me to better initiate and burst down enemy players trying to even the playing field by going for gold mine.
Skills Top
Overall Koshka's skills are fairly straight forward. I'll do a quick overview of each skill and the various ways I would recommend using them.
Blood Rush
Passive Hero Skill
Blood rush grants bonus stats (speed, armor, sheild) based when you attack enemy heros. It is kind of useless when you are initially farming creeps in the Jungle, but as the match progresses it becomes more and more valuable.
Bonus stats are:
Movement Speed
Armor
Shield
Pouncy Fun
Initiator/Catch Up Finisher
PF allows Koshka to jump at an enemy and deal a decent chunk of damage.
PF is a great early game initiator, but once you've hit level 6 and gotten YCF I would recommend holding off on this ability and using it exclusively for catching up to fleeing enemies to finish them off.
(On a side note, for tanky enemies I will often times use this after YCF in late game matchups because its cd will be reduced enough to be able to use it again when the enemy begins to flee)
Note: This ability's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds for every basic attack you use.
Twirly Death
Spam this
TD spins Koshka around slicing up everything close to her. This is her main source of ability damage and best used in groups. I would still recommend using it on solo hero targets as well though to get the Blood Rush bonus stats.
Note: This ability's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds for every basic attack you use.
Yummy Catnip Frenzy
Ultimate
Yummy Catnip Frenzy becomes your initiator once you've picked it up and what an initiator it is. You jump at your target dealing massive damage and stunning the target for the entire 2.2 seconds you are scratching their face off.
This can be used in a variety of ways. Many times a YCF into an immediate TD will bring down any enemy hero at around 50% health
Note: This ability's cooldown is reduced by 1 second for every basic attack you use.
Rotations Top
Initiating
YCF --> TD --> (auto attacks until TD is back up) --> repeat last two
Jungle
Be aware of the map is my biggest recommendation here. You can always use a normal initiating rotation replacing YCF with PF, but if enemies are near I would recommend just running up with TD and removing the pounce component. The reasoning for this is while YCF is avaiable for a hero initiation you'll want PF up in case they try to juke you or retreat for protection. TD has a fairly short CD so I wouldn't worry about using it often during normal jungling phases.
So to clean it up:
When enemies aren't near you
PF --> TD --> (auto attacks until TD is back up) --> repeat last two
When enemies are near you
TD --> (auto attacks until TD is back up) --> initiate on enemy hero with YCF
Play Style Top
Koshka has a bursty kit built around catching up to enemies and catching them off guard so your playstyle should favor this. Initiating on an enemy that is running straight for you may not be Koshka's best move. Head on matchups are tough. In this situation I'll typically retreat temporarily and catch them off guard later when I can be the one controlling the initiation. The following are some tips on how I play through a tyical match.
Early Game
Farm Farm Farm
When matches start I pick up a battery and some [Halcyon Potion] for sustain while I farm the jungle. Having the battery to start really helps because I'm able to jungle for longer without running low on energy too quickly. AKA more moves = faster jungle skills = faster leveling. On my first stop into the Jungle Shop I'll choose between [Ironguard Contract] or a [Crystal Bit]/{Heavy Prism] depending on who I am jungling against. Koshka already has insane jungle wave clear, but the extra gold and waveclear speed from [Ironguard Contract] and eventually [Stormguard Banner] can really help you maintain control over your jungle camps and quickly take your opponents camps, depriving them of gold, without being noticed.
I'll also avoid enemy confrontation for about the first 4-5 levels. Keep to the jungle because with Koshka's base attack and speed she can already clear Jungle creeps faster than most other heros. Pick up PF at level 2 to help speed up the farming process (pounce to enemies to avoid having to waste the run time)
Mid game
Gank Gank Gank
By level 6 I'll be ready for my first back to shop. This will not only allow you to pick up the offensive items you are going to be needing, but also heal you up to make you ready for initiating.
When I make it back to the action I'll continue farming, but pay much closer attention to where enemies are in lane. If they are close to mid or by our first turret I'll head up and initiate and typically score a kill.
At this point in the match you should be 1-2 levels ahead of some apponents, making them easy targets. In team fights initiate on the lower level targets first and get out of the thick of it to prevent a death. Even though you're leaving the fray its better to not feed than get those extra 2 atatcks in on an emeny thats in all likelihood going down either way.
End Game
Destroy Destroy Destroy
By now you've scored a few kills, farmed to 12 before anyone else and have enough gold to build some teir 3 crystal items. End game is your time to really shine. When built quickly Koshka will overpower almost anyone she can get the jump on. Initiate with YCF on the higher health target in a group, move into a TD and boom they are dead. End Game Koshka is incredibly bursty and as long as an opponent didn't plan on countering you from the beginning by building super tanky you've got this in the bag.
Random Notes
Just a few tips on playing Koshka!
-Her PF ability allows her to jump over jungle walls to creeps or enemy heros. I tend to use this as a way to juke opponents when escaping or initiate on unsuspecting heroes.
-Using PF and TD on an enemy hero will give Koshka a speed boost. This is really useful as it allows Koshka to initiate and retreat very quickly without blowing her boots cd. (side note: this speed boost is greater the more heroes you hit with TD so while initiating on groups can be very dangerous, a team initiate can allow you to even more rapidly escape. I just recommend initiating on groups when you have another hero backing you up so you don't get focused.)
Closing
Thanks for reading this far! If you like the guide please give it an upvote! Also leave any suggestions of criticism in the comments and your thoughts will be taken into account for future edits! I'll also be updating this guide as the game progresses possibly adding in additional sections if there are things you guys would like to see.
Signing off,
Maveryk
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