Hello! I'm a summoner from NA in Gold. I'm not too high up there, but at a decent point. I have over 160k mastery points with Tahm Kench as of 3/27/2017.

Why should you trust me with your Tahm? You should definitely be iffy, but my win rate with Tahm as of today is 60+% with a level 7 mastery.

My summoner name is Gaxel if you would like to look at my match history, I mainly play tanks. Tahm is my most played.

Here are some recent games:

Tahm Kench is listed as a support. However, one can make an argument that he's not optimal for that role. Why though? His damage is immense early. He cannot get close during laning in the bottom lane due to most likely them having a ranged ADC and a ranged support. You will still get the utility of Tahm when it matters late game with him laning top.

Up top with teleport, Tahm can basically go anywhere he pleases once he hits 6, helping any lane while also taking care of his own. Couple that with the fact that one ability alone does 20-32% of a victim's max hp, though it is situational and requires 3 stacks of acquired taste, you most likely landed 1 q before the devour and another one after it if played correctly. The result in damage is tremendous, no matter how much HP the opponent has. As the game goes on however, Tahm starts to lose his viability after 30 minutes USUALLY. Late game he just becomes a peeling champion that relies on keeping his carries alive.

Low elo makes a good pick for Tahm because he's not too common and he packs a punch without peoples' knowledge. Sadly, you can't count on him to carry late.

Close range (the optimal combo): AA > Q > AA > W (hold them in there until Q refreshes) > Q (This is the fastest combo, supplying the best burst damage)
Too far for above combo: Q > AA > AA > W > Q
Team fight face tank: AA > AA > AA > Q save W for peel, use it only on an enemy if everyone is safe

1.) You have 2-3 heavy carries you need to take care of with peel (maybe even 4 if you have a greedy support).
2.) You play against a lane abuser, Tahm thrives off of aggression in lane.
3.) You have a slow start jungler that you don't expect much until they're at least level 6 (Warwick, Shyvana).
4.) Lockdown is not needed.

Pros:
+Tank
+Lane abuser
+HP-based damage
+Basically 2 layers of health if bursted, otherwise, it comes back as regen
+A moving Zhonya's
+Teleport + R makes him be everywhere at the same time.
+Amazing disengage

Cons:
-Poor team fight
-Damage falls off late
-Situational lockdown so in certain cases, there are better top tanks such as Maokai or Nautilus.

Tongue Lash (Q) - It's a magic damage spell that will help during your laning. Why do you max this first before W? Because the cost-benefit ratio is quite higher due to the fact that Devour requires 3 stacks of Acquired taste. Your Q being maxed first does quite heavy damage early.

Devour (W) - This is a double edged sword a lot of the time and what separates a good Tahm from a bad Tahm. Make sure to know the differences you'll get in a team fight from eating an enemy vs eating an ally. This is a good tool during laning to damage your opponent based on their max HP.

Thick Skin (E) - Make sure to be careful when to activate this ability. A lot of the time, the regeneration you get after combat is better than the shield you get to soak up the damage.

Abyssal Voyage (R) - This is the ability you'll use early-midgame to help your other laners. Very helpful to gank other lanes and get them fed as you cannot do much yourself late. Late game this can be used to contest certain areas rather than gank, can be used to make important picks as well as make swift escapes with a teammate.

It's very important to keep in mind that Tahm beats most top laners early if played properly. The laning process is very important to Tahm because he has the opportunity to shut his opponent down early. Can't do that? Thankfully he has his ult and teleport to help others. I strongly advise to be wary of using Devour to push, the cooldown is long and it can do high single target damage to champions. Make sure to ward properly as well, Tahm has horrible escape and is slow, a proper ult from the top brush can get him out of a scary situation however. If you get outbullied, you can't do much so be sure to at least intimidate the opposition.