How to win lane as Cho'Gath against Gnar · 51.88% win rate over 345 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Gnar | Mini-Gnar's boomerang (Q) returns for a double-hit and his hop autos out-range you while Carnivore sustain doesn't matter yet. |
| Level 2 | Gnar | He pokes you freely as your slow Rupture (Q) whiffs on his hops — his most abusable window against your telegraphed kit. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Your Carnivore sustain starts healing the poke, but he still chips safely from range — this stretch is a true coin-flip. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Vorpal Spikes (E) waveclear and your Q rank-ups let you farm the lane, but he keeps spacing — neither side runs it down here. |
| Level 6 | Cho'Gath | Feast (R) is a flat true-damage execute ignoring his armor/MR — bait a low all-in and delete a sub-threshold mini-Gnar. |
| First item | Cho'Gath | Your first tank component plus Carnivore sustain let you eat his poke and bank Feast stacks farming under tower. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | It evens back out — you're a teamfight frontline, but his mega-form GNAR! (R) wall-stun is just as game-deciding. |
Mini-Gnar owns the first three levels here — his boomerang (Q) returns for a second hit and his hop autos out-range your whole kit, and Carnivore sustain isn't enough yet to out-heal that poke. Don't throw a Rupture (Q) at a hopping mini-Gnar; the cast has a long delay and he just hops out of the circle. Hug the wave, last-hit at max range with Vorpal Spikes (E), and accept the chip. The thing to respect is his Rage bar — if he transforms while you're shoved up, mega-Gnar's GNAR! (R) can wall-stun you for a gank.
The full Cho'Gath vs Gnar report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Gnar vs Cho'Gath guide →
All Cho'Gath top lane matchups →