Kennen is an AP based character that can be built several ways, even as an attack-speed based champion. He is capable of doing insane burst area damage and can greatly sway the outcome of team fights. He is also a very powerful 1v1 champion with massive damage output as well as ways to escape if the fight goes poorly. In this guide I will be showing you a full blown AP play-style with a hint of that attack-speed build.

*If you didn't get the name its a pun on Keenan and Kel.

Pros
+Energy-user and therefore can sustain himself longer in lane.
+Good AP ratios especially after being buffed recently.
+Moves quickly in fights and has stuns up often.
+Auto-attacks deal some magic damage as well.
+Has insane area effect damage.

Cons
-Lowest CD move is a skill-shot.
-Can run out of energy if you spam your more expensive moves.
-Kind of squishy for someone who has to be in the fray.

Mark of the Storm (passive)

Kennen's abilities add Marks of the Storm to opponents which last for 8 seconds. An opponent is stunned for 1 second upon receiving 3 Marks of the Storm. Also, Kennen receives 25 energy. The stun has a diminished effect if applied more than once within 7 seconds.

Mark of the Storm is like a faster version of Annie's passive. This is applied to the target by any of your abilities as well as every 5th auto attack. Now a 1 second stun isn't that great but you can stun multiple targets at once as well as frequently. This doesn't really make Kennen a very viable AD/attack-speed champion though. If anything go AP/attack-speed.

Thundering Shuriken

Kennen throws a fast moving shuriken towards a location, causing damage and adding a Mark of the Storm to any opponent that it hits.

Thundering Shuriken is Kennen's spam move. It's on a low CD and does good damage. It can be used to quickly kill minions if you're hanging back and just trying to harass. It's your safest harassing move and once you get good at it your enemies in laning will become annoyed quickly.

Electrical Surge

(Passive): Every 5 attacks, Kennen deals extra magic damage equal to a percentage of his attack damage and adds a Mark of the Storm to his target. (Active): Surges electricity through all nearby targets afflicted by Mark of the Storm, dealing magic damage and adding another mark.

Electrical Surge is another reason why some people choose to build Kennen with decent attack-speed]]. It's passive gives you nice extra damage as well as the active being your main finale to any move combo. This move will typically be applying the stun and you should try to use it when you can stun with it.

Lightning Rush

Kennen gains his base movement speed again as a flat movement speed bonus, as well as increased Armor and Magic Resistance, and the ability to pass through units for four seconds, but he is unable to attack. Lightning Rush deals magic damage and adds a Mark of the Storm to any hostile unit he passes through; deals half damage to minions. Kennen is refunded 40 energy if he passes through an enemy while using this spell, but can only gain this effect once.

Lightning Rush allows Kennen to quickly move as well as apply a mark to many enemies at once. This combined with Electrical Surge gives great minion-clearing power as well as good area effect damage without even using your ultimate.

Slicing Maelstrom

Kennen summons a magical storm that deals magic damage to a random enemy champion near Kennen every few seconds. The storm hits several times, increasing with level, and cannot hit the same target more than 3 times. A Mark of the Storm is applied to enemies each time they are hit.

Slicing Maelstrom is one of the biggest area effect damagers in the entire game. By following with Electrical Surge you're looking at a team stun as well as massive area effect damage and will greatly aid your team in fights.

Kennen is a particularly tricky champion to choose masteries for. Utility overall is his most beneficial tree but you will have to pick up some points in things that aren't really too ideal. Overall though masteries won't play too much into your game play and you will be fine going 9/0/21.

I typically don't add a "Runes" section to my guides but on a quick note there wasn't an option to choose the energy regen runes. These runes are perfectly acceptable to grab. Otherwise the runes I have listed give Kennen a little extra health and ability power to compensate for buying boots first.

Teleport
I choose to use Teleport to enable me to effectively mid as well as get items when I can get a major upgrade. With every AP item you will find drastic increases in Kennen's damage and its worth it to have Teleport especially since you might be stuck with Spatial Accuracy .

Flash
I can emphasize enough how important Flash is for seriously play. It allows escapes, better engagements, and better positioning. For Kennen specifically, people will target you first. Flash will allow you to position yourself better to use your combo of abilities to deal the most damage and not die.



Other Viable Spells
* Exhaust is decent to pick up if you see your enemy will feature a lot of AD/attack-speed champions. Otherwise its not that great of a pick up for a burst champion.
* Ghost is alright I guess but since you have an escape mechanism in Lightning Rush its better to go with Flash.
* Ignite is typically what I use when not using Teleport. This will allow you to finish off champions that elude death from your burst.

Early-game
I typically try to mid as Kennen. You can harass as well as easily clear minions. I grab Boots first to line up your Thundering Shuriken. With your runes you are able to have a well-balanced start. As an energy user, you can sit back and kill minions easily with Thundering Shuriken, which I max first. At max-rank with just a little AP you can easily one-hit minions and put out decent damage every time you land one on your opponent. I like to rush Hextech Revolver for some quick spell-vamp for lane sustainability. Many players rush Needlessly Large Rod which is in fact needless at that point. Will of the Ancients is barely more and gives you spell-vamp so why not buy it first? Work on constantly harassing your opponent whether you're mid or in a lane. If you have them under control you can use Lightning Rush and Electrical Surge out in the open to clear minions as well as try and hit your opponent. If they have you under control harass with Thundering Shuriken and save the previous combo for clearing by your turret.


Mid-game
I like to acquire Malady around this time to top of my 1v1 potential. The attack-speed will allow you do more damage between CDs as well as apply your marks faster. When team fights begin is when you make a decision. If you feel you're too squishy build a Rylai's Crystal Scepter first. If your team is doing well build a Rabadon's Deathcap next. Your job in team fights is to do massive area-effect damage as well as stun several enemies. Do not engage first. By engaging first you won't be able to get all your moves off before they focus you. Use Lightning Rush to engage quickly once the fight is underway. Upon hitting an enemy you will have enough energy to unload. Use Slicing Maelstrom once you think you can hit a maximum number of enemies. Immediately after use Electrical Surge to apply stuns to anyone who isn't already stunned from your ultimate. These three moves are your main source of team-fight damage. After you unload if you're in danger of dying Flash out and use your moves accordingly as they come up.

Late-game
There's not much to say late-game because its primarily managed by team-positioning and awareness. If you're doing well your opponents will have some magic resist so capping your build off with a Void Staff can give you a way to counter that.

Core
Sorcerer's Shoes are you only real buy for boots as Kennen. Rabadon's Deathcap and Void Staff are the biggest two AP items you will be building as far as damage output is concerned.

Finishing Your Build
* Will of the Ancients - arguably one of the best mage items. It allows for survivability and since Kennen does not use mana you can spam moves conservatively while you regain lost health.
* Rylai's Crystal Scepter - not a must buy but a very good item. It's slow combined with the extra health make you a very dangerous champion especially since you can hit enemies from ranged.
* Malady - what's better for Kennen than this hybrid item? It gives you a big boost in attack speed as well as some ability power.
* Zhonya's Hourglass - most people build this as Kennen but realistically is it worth it? You lose your combo potential with the 2 seconds of inactivity where-as without it you can use your moves quickly and deal more damage. If you're engaging properly than you shouldn't be dying. It's an alright item but I don't build it personally.
* Abyssal Mask - build if you need magic resist.

Quadra Kill as Kennen
Play Video

Kennen is a great mage to play with area-effect damage and mass stuns. He can sustain himself in any lane for a long time and is a blast to play. I strongly recommend playing Kennen if you're looking for a really fun champion to play in normal games.