Arcanist Kog’Maw

Picked this up from a chest last month and honestly wasn't expecting much since I mainly play Battlecast when I'm on Kog. After around 35 games though, Arcanist has completely changed my mind about what makes a good Kog'Maw skin.

The W feels way smoother to activate compared to other skins, especially Battlecast where there's this weird delay before the attack speed kicks in. Your autos during Bio-Arcane Barrage have this magical projectile trail that's actually easier to track in teamfights, and I've noticed my CS has gone up because the animation cancel between autos feels more responsive. The ult is where this skin really shines though. Those arcane artillery strikes have cleaner visual indicators that make it easier to predict where they'll land, which sounds minor but makes a huge difference when you're trying to snipe someone through fog of war. During a baron fight yesterday, I managed to steal it with my fourth ult stack because the projectile clarity let me time it perfectly between the jungler's smite attempts.

Compared to other Kog'Maw skins like Pug'Maw or even Hextech, Arcanist feels less clunky overall. The recall animation where he channels those floating books is probably the best one he has, and the whole magical theme fits his kit better than you'd think. It's definitely cosmetic only, no pay-to-win advantages, but those cleaner animations genuinely make the champ feel better to pilot.

Is Arcanist Kog'Maw worth it if you main him? Absolutely. But if you're just looking for a fun skin to mess around with occasionally, maybe wait for a sale since 1350 RP is a bit steep for what's essentially quality of life improvements.