‘Paladins’ Flank Guide: How To Play Koga

Koga is one of the many champions in “Paladins” that excel in close-ranged combat. Though he’s not technically a melee fighter, he works best when he’s right up at the enemy’s face, decimating their backline with his powerful hits before disappearing into the shadows.

Many players, especially the newer ones, are pulled by Koga’s ninja with twin SMGs aesthetic. He may seem like a simple champion at first, but there are plenty of nuances that players need to familiarize themselves with in order to reach peak performance with Koga. Here’s a quick guide on how to play him properly.

Playstyle

Like most other Flank champions, Koga relies on hit-and-run tactics to defeat backline healers and damage dealers. He has low base survivability, but he makes up for it with his agility and raw damage output from his skills. However, his ability usage is limited by how much energy he has in his resource meter.

Koga wields two rapid-fire submachine guns, but his actual damage comes from his Hellkite claws, which can be equipped by using his Dragon Stance ability, which constantly drains energy.

Ideally, players should always try to get to the enemy’s backline, activate Dragon Stance, and then deal as much damage before retreating with his Agility and Shadow Step abilities. Finish enemies off with Skewer while in Dragon Stance to help with disengaging.

Keep in mind that Skewer will use all remaining energy, so always activate Agility first before dashing through enemies.

Recommended Talents and Cards

Aggressive Koga players should work toward unlocking the Dragon Fangs talent as soon as possible. This lets Dragon Stance consume HP instead of energy, which will allow for a bit more leniency with Hellkite claw usage.

Pair Dragon Fangs with the following cards to maximize survivability and DPS:

• Criminal Record
• Swift Hands
• Something to Prove
• Gale Storm
• Tenacious

Consider using Blood Reaper if the enemy team has more than one tank. Adrenaline Junkie is also good for more conservative fighters who prefer to focus on other parts of Koga’s kit when playing. Make sure to use Unyielding and Something to Prove to make energy usage more efficient.