A guide to the Cho'gall epidemic - how to complement, or counter, a Cho'gall pick

We know what your Quick Match experience has been over the past few days. Cho’gall after Cho’gall after Cho’gall. And it’s going to stay like that for at least two weeks. Blizzard’s “Cho’gall epidemic” event is giving everyone and their mother incentive to play the two-headed brute: free hero AND free gold?! What a deal!

This has some odd side effects on both unranked and ranked play; Quick Match especially. Being successful is very dependent on picking heroes that either A) work well with Cho’gall, or B) work well against Cho’gall. So what makes a hero good with/against this massive behemoth?

Let’s start with the basics – what are Cho’gall’s strongest qualities?



Huge health pool

High damage, both single target and AoE

Great lane push

Decent self-sustain

Stuns and silences don’t stop Gall





Consuming Blaze's heal at level 10.

So, what complements these characteristics? In a teamfight, the big thing that Cho’gall is missing is hard CC. Cho’s heroic Hammer of Twilight is the exception, having a small stun, but this also knocks enemies away. Often times, this is less effective than a normal stun. Having at least one more source of hard CC on your team will help make your Cho’gall a powerhouse. Great heroes in this category include Uther, Tyrande, Kael’thas, and Anub’arak.

Another complement to Cho’gall’s kit are attack speed steroids. If Cho goes Hammer of Twilight at level 10, all his basic attacks will be even more powerful. He also has the potential of making his attacks ranged at level 20, making him even more powerful as an auto-attacker. Great heroes in this category include Raynor, Abathur, Lt. Morales, and ETC.

Strong heals also are essential for a Cho’gall to be successful. This may seem obvious, but with Quick Match often making teams without supports, it’s important to think about how much a support can add to your team. Cho’s Consuming Blaze heals for a moderate amount over time, but has a lengthy cooldown. Great heroes in this category include Uther, Kharazim, Malfurion, and Rehgar.

Recommended heroes to play with Cho’gall



Uther

Even after his nerf, Uther remains the best support in the game. He compliments Cho’gall both with powerful hard CC and ridiculous healing. Bar none the best hero to pair with a Cho’gall.



Tyrande

Tyrande fills a similar role to Uther, will less emphasis on healing, and more emphasis on damage. Her Lunar Flare and Hunters’ Mark help rip through enemies, and keep fleeing ones in range.



Kael’thas

Kael’thas supplements Cho’gall’s damage potential with an immense amount of additional damage and hard CC. A good Cho’gall will have incredible zone potential for Kael’thas, making him difficult to attack.

Now to the other side of the coin – what makes Cho’gall weak?

Susceptible to Stasis/Polymorph effects

Two health pools combined = weak to % based damage

Lack of hard CC, as mentioned before

Lots of his skills can be dodged



Let’s talk about all of these characteristics individually. Gall is able to shrug off stun and silence effects and continue casting during them. However, stasis/polymorph is a completely different story. These effects will remove both heads with one strike. Great heroes in this category include Brightwing (Polymorph), Zagara (Devouring Maw), Stitches (Gorge), and Anub’arak (Cocoon).

Percentage-of-hp based effects are Cho’gall’s other big crutch. While these effects aren’t literally twice as effective, it’s as if you are hitting two health bars at once. Great heroes in this category include everyone with Giant Killer (Raynor, Valla, and Falstad come to mind), Leoric (Drain Hope deals percent damage, and Spectral Leech at level 20 deals 5% hp on every autoattack), and Kharazim (Seven Sided Strike does 7% damage with every strike).

While not as important, it is also good to keep in mind that Cho’gall’s skills can be dodged. All of his abilities are skillshots (sub Consuming Blaze), and having a high reaction time/good mobility can help you avoid a fair amount of his damage. Most heroes are great in this category due to some form of escape, but heroes like Lt. Morales, Nova, Kael’thas, and Jaina will have a tougher time.

Recommended heroes to play against Cho’gall



Valla (or Raynor)

Both of these heroes can shred through a Cho’gall after getting Giant Killer. While Valla has the advantage of a higher attack speed and mobility options, a Raynor with a high amount of Seasoned Marksman stacks will get through him even quicker.



Leoric

The skeleton king has both damage and tankiness on his side. Drain Hope can be upgraded to deal up to 30% of the targets max HP – which absolutely wrecks a Cho’gall.



Brightwing

Unlike Uther, Brightwing’s CC affects both heads as opposed to just one. Combined with her immense mobility options and strong healing output, the little faerie dragon can easily abuse the big ogre.



Kharazim

Honestly, many people overestimate how good Kharazim is against Cho’gall. The power in Kharazim is making Cho’gall use resources at times he may not want to. A good Cho’gall will Molten Block Kharazim’s Seven Sided Strike, or anticipate it and Surging Fist out. Not having that resource later, or making Cho’gall Molten Block at a key time in a fight, can be very damaging to the enemy team.





My favorite Cho'gall comp.

So what’s the "ideal Cho’gall comp”? If you are doing 5 mans, and anticipating Cho’galls on both teams, what is a pretty good comp to run? My choice would be Cho’gall, Leoric/Valla, Brightwing, and Tyrande. For me, this gives the perfect amount of damage, healing, mobility, and CC. What do you think? What tips do you have for Cho’gall, and what’s your ideal Cho’gall comp?

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