Kennen Build Guide by Shizukani

Hey Guys!

Ego Ignaxio

The world's top Kennen player by far. This is is the build he uses in ranked and in normal. Here is a short collage of his gameplay and stats. His live stream can be found here.

Why Kennen?

Kennen has an interesting role. He doesn't deal as much damage as the "top" AP carries (cassiopeia, anivia, xerath, karthus etc), and he doesn't do AoE hard CC as well as the people who are made to do it (galio, annie, amumu, etc). He also doesn't have quite as much mobility as a pure assassin like Ahri, Kassadin or Leblanc. What he excels at however, is doing very well in all 3 of them at once.

The thing that makes Kennen a good champion is his damage/CC combined with his long range spammable poking/kiting capabilities and the ability to spread his damage throughout an entire teamfight with 3 AoE spells rather than upfront on one group of people.

He uses a system of energy instead of mana. This is a constantly refilling bar of 200 points that regenerate by 5 each tick. For this reason he doesn't have to worry about mana problems early game and can harass as much as he wants and can afford to use abilities on his own whim when not in important situations.

However energy is also a bad thing to have. It means he can't spam his abilities as much as he wants lategame and in teamfights, and he needs to use a LOT of it for his escape. This is also why cooldown reduction is bad for him. (unless you get the blue golem buff, which gives you increased energy regeneration to compensate for the reduced cooldowns.)

He's one of the best early-game harassers and his late-game capabilities can wreck entire teams if you stay ahead on farming which isn't too difficult with his capability to snowball.

However to get the most out of him takes a lot more effort than one would think, with the combination of energy management involved with his mark passive and surge passive system makes for many interesting playstyles with fun strategies. The playstyle I prefer the most and by far think is the best is a tankish AP carry role, which is what I'll cover in this guide.

Runes

M a r k s

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Greater Mark of Ability Power: Flat AP so you can deal more damage early game. Considering Kennen's very good AP scaling this is an excellent choice as his damage early game isn't the most amazing. Greater Mark of Magic Penetration: Magic Penetration is always handy and you will see how good this is late game. This is the best choice there is for Kennen Greater Mark of Scaling Ability Power: 17 AP at level 18. Not the greatest choice but you can take it if you want. Late game Greater Mark of Magic Penetration will be much more useful than 17 AP.

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M a r k s

S e a l s

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greater seal of meditation + greater seal of lucidity: Kennen has possibly the worst energy issues. Taking half Flat Energy Regen and Half Scaling so you have the perfect energy regen all game. This won't make or break the game but will save your life and secure kills more than once. Greater Seal of Health: 50 extra health at Level 1 is very useful. Will save your life more than just once. Greater Seal of Ability Power:Offers the same amount of AP as Greater Mark of Ability Power. If you don't have Energy problems then this is a great boost to your early game damage combined with Greater Mark of Magic Penetration.

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S e a l s

G l y p h s

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Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist: Magic Resist per Level to save your life late game. This is handy late game against AP bursters like Brand and LeBlanc. This is the more recommended choice as we don't build many defensive items or take many defensive runes/masteries. Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction: Cooldowns bring down Kennen a lot. Flat CDR can help a lot and if you want to play more offensively this is what you should take.

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G l y p h s

Q u i n t s

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Greater Quintessence of Ability Power: Flat AP for early game. You are an AP Caster and your damage on Thundering Shuriken will be very high. Greater Quintessence of Spell Vamp: Along with Masteries and Runes you start the game off with 9% spellvamp. Also if you start with Doran's Shield your sustain in lane will be unbearable which is what makes Kennen such a good Mid.

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Q u i n t s

Masteries

Summoner's Wrath : Great combo if you take it with the utility tree. Means you can use Ignite and benefit when its on cooldown.

Brute Force : A little extra AD to help you farm better.Also don't underestimate the power of auto-attacks at level 1, especially as you have a great range.

Sorcery : A little cooldown reduction to help you harass and farm better

Arcane Knowledge : Awesome Magic Penetration so you can basically deal true damage early game combined with your Runes


Summoner's Insight : 15 seconds off the cooldown on Flash is quite a bit and can save your life and secure kills more.

Expanded Mind : this is great on Energy champions as it adds a lot to your energy pool late game.

Swiftness : You can move faster, dodge skillshots and get in and out of places easier.

Transmutation : Combined with your SpellVamp Quints your sustain in lane will be too much to make it worthwhile to harass you.

Runic Affinity : Buffs will last a lot longer, this is excellent as Red buff on Kennen early game is really powerful and you will just hold onto it longer.

Awareness : Level Up faster, be always on top of the opponents

Intelligence : Cooldown reduction to help you harasss, escape and farm.

Mastermind : Absolutely great mastery, Flash and Ignite on lower cooldown all game will secure kills and help you escape many many times.

Summoner Spells

Flash: In my opinion the most useful spell in the game. I will outline its many uses in the sections below. Combined with Lightning Rush this makes you impossible to gank.

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Ignite: You should always take this. Allows you to finish off someone without risking a turret dive. Drastically reduces healing too so it will be good against Sion, Dr. Mundo and Swain.

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Ghost is also a very useful spell on Kennen as this makes him so fast it is hard to run away from his ultimate. It also is good for running away but I personally prefer Flash

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Very good spell as this allows you to get back to lane quicker and save turrets. you can also teleport to wards creating very un-expected ganks.

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The most over-looked summoner spell there is. It not only Un-CC's you but also gets rid of ALL de-buffs including Ignite. Extremely good against Heavy CC teams.

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Ability Explanation

Kennen's abilities adds a Mark of The Storm to enemies which lasts for 8 seconds. Upon getting 3 Marks of the Storm opponent is stunned and Kennen recives 25 Energy refund. This is what makes facing Kennen very scary. In lane even if you have just 1 Mark of the Storm de-buff. Kennen can rush in and kill you very quickly forcing you to play very defensively.

• Force opponents to play defensively by always having a Mark of the Storm on them.
• Time out your abilities as Mark of the Storm lasts for a fairly long time.

Kennen throws a Shuriken at target location dealing damage and applying a Mark of the Storm. Kennen's main damage in lane. This scales the best with AP so I max this first. Also it has much higher base damage. It is a skillshot so it requires some level of skill to land. Spam this to last hit and harass.

MAX Thundering Shuriken FIRST FOR EXTRA DAMAGE.

• Spam this on opponent to always keep them de-buffed with Mark of the Storm
• Since you are energy based, don't be afraid to use this to last hit.
• You can use this to check bushes. it makes a distinctive sound when it hits an opponent and also stops for a brief second before speeding up again. Also you will be able to cast Electrical Surge if it hits someone near you.

Passively, every 5 attacks deals bonus damage and marks the enemy with a Mark of the Storm. Additionally Kennen can activate this to course electricity through any targets already marked with Mark of the Storm, dealing damage and applying another Mark of the Storm This ability is usually what you set up your stun with. You can use this to farm also and it is also why a lot of people play AD Kennen. Excellent tool for harassing also as if the enemy come too close while de-buffed by Mark of the Storm they will take even more damage. Also this applies ANOTHER Mark of the Storm making it very hard to lane against Kennen

MAX Electrical Surge SECOND FOR DAMAGE

• Try to get the passive from this up before initiating as you will have another free Mark of the Storm.
• Try to always hit the more passive auto-attack on the enemy. it is a lot like Caitlyn's Headshot and will scare away opponents as they will be able to see it by clicking on you. If your enemy is stupid and doesn't run away just Stun them and kill them anyway.
• You can use the active to last hit minions.
• The active will also hit stealthed champions but won't reveal them, this will however give away their position as the chain of lightning will still show, allowing you to throw a Shuriken or something in that direction.

Kennen turns himself into a ball of lightning, gainging movement speed, armor and magic resist but losing the ability to auto-attack. He is able to pass through units and he leaves a Mark of the Storm to anything he passes through. This makes Kennen very hard to gank or initiate on as he can just run away. This also makes Kennen a crazy initiator. It has a fairly high cooldown so be sure to play more safely when its on CD.

MAX Lightning Rush LAST

• If you see a whole mob of minions, Lightning Rush through them all and Electrical Surge for AoE farming.
• This applies a Mark of the Storm so try to run through your enemies when you use this. Also it deals a fair amount of damage itself.
• Keep in mind the extra magic resist and armor. When Karthus is casting Requiem Lightning Rush at the last second to save a lot of health or your life.

Kennen summons a lightning storm around him which strikes out to random champions near Kennen every few seconds, dealing out magic damage and applying a Mark of the Storm. One of the most game-changing ults in the game. When used properly can be as useful as Soul Shackles or Curse of the Sad Mummy. Do not use this too early in the fight but make sure you use it a time so that you don't just KS but also help out your team.

MAX THIS WHENEVER YOU CAN

• Using Zhonya's Hourglass while using Sling Maelstrom won't stop the effect.
• Do not under estimate how much damage this deals.
• Make sure to use this in the absolute middle of a team-fight for maximum effect.

Starting Items

Doran's Shield This is what you should start off with 90% of the time. It gives great sustain in lane and will make it very difficult to push you out. It will also mean you will come out on top in almost all harassing and poking situations.

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Boots of Speed & Health Pots Start off with this if you are up against a skillshotter like Ahri and Lux. This iwll greatly increase your chances of dodging the skillshots and hence greatly increase your chances of winning the lane.

Core Items

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Core item on AP Kennen. The reason I get this is because it is just such a great item. It allows Kennen to stay in lane forever and it is so cheap. Also the Aura is amazing and will help everyone on your team.

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Also another great item on Kennen as it gives him a much needed guaranteed CC. Makes it much easier to combo your skills. Also gives a fair amount of health and AP making it a great addition to Kennen.

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Boom Damage. You are going to be one scary little yordle in teamfights now. Your AP will shoot up and your damage will be ridiculous.

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Another great item on Kennen. The AoE Magic Resist de-buff is great and can turn the tides many many times. Also offers great amount of MR and AP for more damage and survivability.

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Awesome item in Kennen as your ultimate continues through you being invulnerable. Also if you use it whilst in Lightning Rush you turn into a golden ball of electricity which is cool ^^. Gives some much needed armor and also a lot of AP, not to mention the life-saving passive. Use your combo and Lightning Rush into the enemy team, try and hit everyone. Then use your ultimate and zhinya's hourglass for maximum effect.

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Boots

Sorcerer's Shoes You should get these when you are winning the lane and can afford to substitute defence for offence. The magic penetration is great and early game you will be dealing almost true damage.

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Merc Treads An awesome item which gives Magic Resist and tenacity. Tenacity is extremely useful against heavy CC teams ( Sion, Taric, Lux, Sona, Kog'Maw). Most of the time you should only get these when you are losing the lane you are in or generally losing the game.

Other Items to Consider

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Amazing item early game, if you find yourself struggling then pick up these for a slight boost.

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Another great item on Kennen. The active is one of the most powerful actives on any item in the game. You can chose either this or Zhonya's Hourglass, its a matter of choice.

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Also another great item if you find yourself struggling to stay alive. Your spell vamp will heal you up a lot and you also get some health, magic resist and CDR along with that. Get this mid-game and sell them out later for your Zhonya's Hourglass

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A fairly good item on Kennen although he does not need the AD bonus. This generally costs too much but it does work OK on Kennen

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Possibly the most over-looked item on Kennen. If you are rolling the enemy hard get this insetad of Quicksilver Sash. The passive will add ridiculous amount of damage to your already powerful combo.

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Also another really good item if the enemy are stacking Magic Resist. Gives decent amounts of AP as well.

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Laning

Start off with a Doran's Shield or Boots of Speed if up against Skillshot dependant carries. Farm farm farm. Early game Kennen is all about farm. Don't even worry about kills and all that just farm. If your opponent tries to hit on you ;) then send them crying by stunning them and comboing them down. Don't worry about a little over-extend just make sure you last hit a lot.

Once you reach about 1600 Gold recall and buy a Hextech Revolver and Boots of Speed. Just continuously farm and the kills will come soon enough. Do not get overly aggressive as you will usually get owned. Help out in team-fights if they occur and just generally keep an eye on the map.

Once you reach about another 1700 Gold recall and buy Will of the Ancients and improved boots. If you are winning your lane then get Sorcerer's Shoes and if you are losing get Mercury's Treads.

If you are well and truly farming well you should be finishing up on Rylai's Crystal Scepter by the time the laning phase wears off, maybe even starting on your Rabadon's Deathcap

SUMMARY:

10-13 Minutes:

15-18 Minutes:

20-25 Minutes:

First Recall:

1600 Gold for and

How to Combo and Team-Fights

Auto-Attack minions until the passive from Electrical Surge is up.

Lightning Rush through minions to target champion. Whilst in this state throw a Thundering Shuriken and immediately Electrical Surge. Quickly follow up with Slicing Maelstrom which should STUN them with the first hit. Lightning Rush through them and another strike from your ult + another Thundering Shuriken should stun them AGAIN. Your ult will strike one final time, use the Auto-Attack and the active from Electrical Surge to stun them a 3rd time. this combo + ignite is almost IMPOSSIBLE to survive.

tl;dr

-> (Active) -> -> -> -> -> -> (Active) -> (passive)

Team Fights

In team fights the general rule is to wait for your tank or the enemy to initiate, count to 2 and then rush in and use your combo. Make sure to hit as many people as possible with Slicing Maelstrom. Generally, with a Kennen on any team, if your team initiates it's almost always a win thanks to Slicing Maelstrom and Kennen's general AoE damage.

AD Kennen? -By Ego

No, AD Kennen doesn't compare overall to AP I feel. AD Kennen is far too squishy and needs to be in low range to actually take advantage of Kennen's kit which is not good for an AD champion. A proper AP build can do thousands and thousands more damage in a teamfight. AP also has more utility in his kit with rylai's and hourglass.

Also when facing against an AP Kennen if you're going AD you're just going to die instantly in teamfights and not be able to do anything. It's way too susceptible to burst and the superiority of AP really shows in a mirror match with different builds like that


AS Kennen is just bad because his stuns have diminishing returns and only last for 1 second.

I have played AD Kennen in 1800+ elo ranked games and won. I have also played AD Kennen in 2400~ elo normal games and won. AP Kennen is still better and overall more useful for your team than AD Kennen though.

NOTE: I am not saying AD Kennen is bad, I'm saying AP Kennen is better. I've played AD Kennen several times at 1800+ elo ranked games (because I was forced to.. not because I wanted to.) and did quite well. However, it's very easy to feel how AP is better when comparing his two builds.

This statement has nothing to do with AD Kennen's comparison to other AD carrys capabilities.

Giving Kennen anything but the best he can get is a direct insult to such an amazing young yordle's mind and body. Kennen deserves to be treated right and caressed attentively.

A-Z Enemies in Mid

Final Comments~ by Ego

Kennen is a conceptually complex champion that really rewards dedication and skill into his playstyle. A lot of playing a champion boils down to knowing exactly what you can do and when, and that only comes with practice. I can't explain everything I do or how I adhere to every situation, I can only lay the outlines down. It takes a certain type of dedication to truly master a champion, but once you do it can be very rewarding. I've got 860 more wins than losses on Ego ignaxio with almost exclusively Kennen.

For anyone who wants to see the version written by Ego himself it can be found here. :) Hope you enjoyed

ALL CREDITS TO EGO IGNAXIO