This guide was created to throw up on and to satisfy my hunger for explaining stuff. I will come back to this Guide to update matchups, info, or general things (like making it look more nice and presentable). Also, PLEASE check out Balori's guide on Tahm Kench as the Experienced Kench rune page is heavily inspired and built upon his rune page.

The link to his guide is right here: https://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/my-immortal-tahm-kench-build-all-lanes-top-mid-jungle-bot-574530

My name is Crazyfails, I'm not anything special, but I have a love for Tahm Kench top and thought I could possibly make a guide to help those in need of assistance.

Pros:
Extremely versatile against players who don't know he exist in the top lane
Tanky
Good Damage
Easy 1v2 opportunities
Early 1v1/Skirmish dominator

Cons:
Slow = Kitable
If behind, won't be much besides a W bot
Kit takes a while to master

P - An Acquired Taste

Tahm's passive is your bread and butter to trading. You'll abuse this passive to its fullest and become a beast once you have a solid amount of tank items at a point in your game.

Q - Tounge Lash

Once you're level 9, you're going to get a 70% slow every 5 seconds. It's gorgeous.

W - Devour

Good form of hard CC, also great peel. This ability next to E can show the mastery of a Kench main.

E - Thick Skin

50/50 ability, I personally see this ability as a noob trap as people will use the shield active right before dying. However, a good Kench will know when to use the shield (Where you can tank the damage and not lose out on a bunch of health from the active).

R - Abyssal Voyage

Don't get this level 6. It's better to upgrade W or E. Wait till 10 & 11 to upgrade your ultimate, so it becomes viable to use and not pointless.

~ Resolve ~

- Grasp of the Undying -

We take this rune because of what it does to Tahm. First, it allows Tahm to scale throughout the game. Two, it heals him and gives him FREE MAX HEALTH. Thirdly, with grasp, it also does a percentage of your max health as damage, so the rune only gets stronger the later you are in the game.

- Shield Bash/Demolish -

I'll start with Shield Bash. Only take this rune if you're experienced with Tahm enough where you know you'll gain value when using this rune. I've seen many Tahm's use this rune, take almost lethal damage, get a massive shield for two seconds, and then just die. However, if appropriately used, this rune can become a monster and deal heavy amounts of damage.
Demolish is an overall helpful rune for champions who build health and like to split. Tahm can use this rune very nicely as he needs to build health to utilize his passive to the fullest. And since Demolish does a percentage of your max health as damage to the tower, it's the number one option to take if you're not using Shield Bash.

- Second Wind -

We take Second Wind due to the nature of our role and the utility of it. Since we'll be front lining most likely or just taking damage in general, we practically turn into a Sett with a high amount of regen the lower health we are. This rune can be great for clutching up fights or surviving dangerous encounters.

- Revitalize/Overgrowth -

Revitalize works wonders for Tahm Kench and primarily the Experienced Tahm rune page. It does nothing but buffs your shield and heal power by 5%, which can be seen and will do noticeable changes. However, it truly becomes online once you reach below 40% max health as it will turn from 5% to 10% boost to shield and heals. This. Is. Insane. You basically become a Warwick but are incredibly tanky and are most likely healing up the damage they've done or is migrating a good portion of it. I only encourage you to use revitalize if you use the Experienced rune page but do you.
Overgrowth is a good secondary option if you opt out of revitalize. It acts like grasp in the sense that it makes you scale well and gives you free max health.
(NOTE: Unflinching is an option, but only if you need lockdown for the enemy team comp and want tenacity)

~ Domination ~

- Cheap Shop -

As Tahm Kench, your kit has a solid amount of hard cc you use to interact with your opponent in lane. While looking weak in damage, this rune can stack up big time due to the cooldown on it and the 5-second cd on your Q. It overall is useful for damage, but it can be opted out for Taste of Blood on your preference for the matchup.

- Ravenous Hunter -

By far the most bizarre and confusing rune for Tahm Kench. Why would you use this? Well, it's fairly great for sustain, and as you do a lot of damage and have a lot of healing power with Revitalize and Spirit Visage, you'll be healing a good amount.

~ Precision ~

- Legend: Tenacity -

Tenacity is important for Tahm as he is easily kitable, and cc will only do him less of a service. This rune is only truly important to use if the enemy team has a good amount of cc to lock you down with, and in that situation, you always want to opt for Tenacity.

- Last Stand -

The last rune for Precision is entirely up to preference. I personally like to roll with Last Stand to ensure that close duels are winnable or damn near winnable. If you like to go Triumph, then go Triumph. However, I haven't really tested Overheal yet, but from the looks of it, you'll never really get a shield in the middle of a battle but more from farming and then going into one.

~ "good" Mini Rune Combos ~

- Attack Speed/Armor/Armor -
This is your typical mini rune combo going to the top lane against an AD laner. The attack speed will help with stacking quickly, while the resistance should help negate some damage from your lane.

- Attack Speed/Magic Resist/Magic Resist -
This combo can be used when going up against a laner that most of their damage is AP. Of course, this can also be used as just a general combo for the enemy team comp if their damage is majority AP.

- Attack Speed/Armor/Magic Resist -
Bit of a hybrid of resistance, but the point stays the same—attack speed for helping applying stacks and resistances according to your lane or enemy team comp.

~ Early Game ~

I consider the early game to be from 0-16 minutes. In this time frame of level, you should be looking for duels as mostly no one can match your dueling stength unless you play it bad. In that case, look to impact mid or help jg contest scuttle and hearld. You use should in general help with pressure but you #1 objective is to get a kill or get ahead. By the end of the early you should hopefully have your completed Mythic and starting to build another item.

~ Mid Game ~

Mid game is 17-25 minutes, around this time you should look to roam with ult, or split push and hopefully rack up more kills.

~ Late Game ~

In the late game which is 26+ you become what most tanks become and that is a meat shield. However, Tahm has the ability to do a lot of damage due to his sheer amount of health and overall tankiness.

Overall, I love Kench. He is a blast to play. I also know this guide is terrible, and because of that, I will take constructive criticism :).