A tough lane, but definitely not impossible. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite.
When you can't avoid Aatrox's sweet spots, use your E to reduce the damage taken.
Buy Boots of Swiftness early to help dodge his Q and W more easily.
Grievous Wounds isn’t that effective against him early on, so rely on Ignite to cut his healing until you get your first item.
Right after your first core item, don’t forget to pick up a Bramble Vest, it's a must-have against his sustain.
In the late game, make sure you’re not taking him on alone, you won’t win a 1v1. Always have a damage-dealing teammate around to bring him down
Akali
She can be annoying in the early levels, but overall it's a pretty simple lane.
Take Grasp and Ignite.
Play safe until you get Hollow Radiance - once you have it, you can bully her as much as you want.
Ambessa
This might sound funny, but I’ve never actually faced an Ambessa Top in a real game. Still, I can imagine what the lane would be like. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. Start with Plated Steelcaps as your first item. She’s quite an unbalanced champion early on, so avoid extended trades and play safe in lane.
Try to use your R to kidnap her and toss her under your turret. She’ll likely escape quickly using one of her dashes, so to prevent that, you can cast your W slightly behind her escape route to block her path. But be careful because that’s a risky move, and missing it could backfire badly.
If she has her shield up, don’t hit her she’ll reflect the damage back at you. Make sure to play around that and punish only when it’s safe.
Camille
How difficult the lane is depends on the type of Camille you're up against, but generally, she shouldn't be able to beat you. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. If she starts building lifesteal items early, feel free to pick up a Bramble Vest otherwise, it’s not necessary.
When the wave is pushed forward, avoid playing too close to walls. She can Hookshot in and unleash a burst combo that hurts. If her passive shield is active, try to disengage. She’ll almost always want to trade while her shield is up.
Once her shield expires, re-engage with Q and you should be able to win the trade comfortably.
Cho'Gath
If he builds tank, it’s a pretty easy lane. But if he goes full AP, things can get a little trickier. He’ll try to poke you with his Q and E, so make sure to pick up Boots of Swiftness to dodge his skillshots more effectively. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite.
If your health drops below 50% and his Flash is still up, recall immediately, even if the lane is in a bad state. Cho’Gath won’t hesitate to go for a Q + Flash + R combo, which can easily secure a kill. Going back to base is always better than giving him a free stack.
Darius
People often think Darius is a strong pick into Tahm Kench, but in reality, it’s a very manageable lane. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. Get Boots of Swiftness to dodge the outer edge of his Q and ignore his W slow more easily.
Focus on farming safely without pushing the wave. Once you hit level 6, repeatedly use your R to throw him under your turret - then spam CTRL + 4 for psychological damage. Repeat this as often as possible and avoid extended trades. If he stacks 5 Hemorrhage hits, he becomes unstoppable.
Dr. Mundo
His damage scales based on your current health - when you’re at full health, he hits harder, but as your health decreases, his damage decreases too. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. After baiting him and stunning to break his passive, you can safely throw him under your turret.
He probably won’t be able to kill you, so watch out for ganks. After your core items, picking up a Bramble Vest is a good choice.
Fiora
This lane depends heavily on the Fiora player - as long as you don’t die for free, you can absolutely win it. Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. Due to her overloaded healing, consider rushing Bramble Vest as your first item.
Don’t let her hit vitals, as her damage becomes incredibly lopsided when she does. Never use your W (Abyssal Dive) while her W (Riposte) is available — she can easily stun you and turn the tables. Only use your W after she’s used hers, or purely to escape.
When your passive reaches 3 stacks, don’t immediately follow up with Q or R — most Fiora players will expect that and try to stun you with W (Riposte.) Try to bait it out first.
If she uses her R (Grand Challenge) on you, try to position yourself with your back against a wall to block at least one vital. That will make it much harder for her to fully activate the ult. Alternatively, you can use W to escape the fight entirely.
Gangplank
It might seem like a bad matchup at first since he can dodge your ultimate with W, but here's the thing, he can’t really kill you if you don't feed. Take Grasp and Ignite.
Be careful not to take damage from his barrels, as that’s where most of his burst comes from. Once you get Plated Steelcaps, the lane becomes much more comfortable and safe for you.
Also, avoid using your ultimate while his W (Remove Scurvy) is available, since he can cleanse the suppression and escape easily.
Garen
This is actually a good matchup for Tahm Kench, but personally I just don’t get along with Garen.
Take Grasp and Ignite. When his health gets low, he’ll usually back off to heal - don’t let him.
He’ll most likely charge at you yelling “Demacia!” and spin like a Beyblade, but doing so leaves him exposed.
In those moments, you can trade back with:
3 Autos → Q → Auto → W → Auto
Then walk away. You’ll win the trade most of the time.
And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t stay in lane with low HP (I make this mistake all the time).
A surprise flash + Ignite + Justice sword from above will send you straight to the Death before you even know what hit you.
Gnar
Take Grasp, flash and ghost. Gnar is a tricky opponent, he can poke you from range, jump away when things get rough, and still become tanky later on.
Focus on farming and don’t take unnecessary trades. When he’s in Mega Gnar form, he’ll try to go all-in with melee trades. Be patient.
Right before Mega Gnar expires, look for your opportunity to Ult him, when he turns into Mini Gnar, he takes extra damage and becomes much squishier.
Watch out for his long-range CC combos. If the enemy jungler shows up during his transformation, you can be taken down very easily.
Gragas
This lane usually ends in a stalemate, neither of you can reliably kill the other. However, you’ll have way more impact in teamfights compared to Gragas later on.
Take Grasp of the Undying and Teleport.
For better mobility and to dodge his Q (Barrel Roll) more easily, go for Boots of Swiftness.
Personally, I don’t like staying in lane for too long in this matchup since there’s rarely any meaningful Fights.
Instead, I often roam to help other lanes and create pressure across the map.
Gwen
Against most Gwen players, I usually prefer going AP build, because the true damage she deals is absolutely ridiculous.
Take Grasp and Ignite.
Go for Boots of Swiftness to dodge her Q slashes and R needles more easily.
If you're going tank, build Hollow Radiance as your first core item.
Try to kidnap her under your turret with your ultimate and finish her off there.
Heimerdinger
A very annoying matchup, the best thing you can do is stay back, last-hit minions with Q, and wait for your jungler to help you.
Take Phase Rush and Teleport.
Since Hollow Radiance isn't very effective in this lane, it's smarter to go for Force of Nature to deal with the poke and magic damage.
Play patiently and avoid taking unnecessary damage from his turrets. This lane is all about survival until teamfights, where you can shine much more than him.
Illaoi
Illaoi is a very strong champion, which is why I respect her at all stages of the game and avoid unnecessary fights.
When I first started playing Tahm Kench, I honestly hated going against her. I felt like I could never win.
But after facing her enough times, I realized that she’s actually pretty easy once you understand how she works.
Take Grasp and Ignite, and start with a Doran's Ring and Swifties.
Use your Q from range to slowly poke her down. Once her HP is low enough, you can use Phase Rush to quickly R her under your tower, she has no real mobility, so she won’t escape.
If she catches you with E – Test of Spirit, use W to exit the tentacle zone immediately.
And if she’s near your turret when she catches you, that’s your chance — R her under tower and punish her for being greedy.
Also, keep in mind: if Illaoi casts her ultimate and you use your R at the same time, her ult gets canceled for 3 seconds. Remember that!
Irelia
Tahm Kench is definitely stronger than Irelia (as long as she doesn't get free kills.)
She falls behind both early and late game, so don’t interact with her too much. Just play safe and farm, she’ll eventually fall off.
However, once she gets Blade of the Ruined King (BotRK), she can start putting up a fight and become more annoying.
Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite.
Don’t forget to build a Bramble Vest to reduce the healing she gets from minions and items.
Jax
He comes to lane swinging a lamp, punish him for it.
Take Grasp of the Undying and Ignite. If you buy Plated Steelcaps, the lane becomes much easier.
If he’s a good Jax player, he’ll likely rush Blade of the Ruined King, and that’s when he becomes more of a threat.
As long as you throw him under the tower, though, he shouldn’t be able to kill you.
Keep in mind that he can leap out of your tower with his Q, so plan accordingly.
Also, don’t auto-attack him while his E is active, or he’ll return even more damage to you.
Jayce
I’ve never run into a truly good Jayce player and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. Jayce simply can’t kill Tahm Kench.
He’ll try to poke you from range with his enhanced Q, and when your HP gets low, he’ll attempt to all-in with burst damage.
But since we have a high health pool, his combo just doesn’t threaten us at all.
K'Sante
If the K’Sante player is skilled, the threat level can be very high, but overall, I don’t find him too difficult to play against.
Take Grasp and Teleport, and consider Swifties to dodge his skillshots more easily.
When he uses his ultimate, he becomes noticeably weaker, this is your window. If you can land a R + Q combo under tower during this time, he doesn’t stand a chance.
Be cautious when casting your ultimate or charged Q, since his abilities can make him unstoppable and allow him to cancel or avoid your CC.
Kayle
She’s an insanely strong champion in the late game. That is, if she survives your early lane bullying.
You can go for either Grasp of the Undying or Hail of Blades, depending on your playstyle. Take Teleport or Ignite, whichever suits your strategy.
Before level 6, do everything you can to farm her minions. If you land a Q, don’t hesitate to W onto her, she has no real escape tool besides a slight movement speed boost.
Kennen
Take grasp, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
A good Kennen player can easily dominate Tahm Kench, so use Phase Rush to escape in critical situations and wait for help from your jungler.
If you use W right after landing Q, he can escape by speeding up, so do not fall into that trap.
Kled
Take Grasp, Ignite, and Doran Shield.
Kled players can play in a very crazy and unpredictable way because of how their champion works, so it is hard to know what they will do.
After he gets knocked off his mount, use Ignite and then R. While he is burning, you can finish him with a R plus Q combo.
Overall, Kled is very strong, so I place him in the major threat category.
Malphite
Take Grasp, Teleport, and Doran Shield.
Malphite cannot beat you in lane unless you make big mistakes, but he can outscale you in teamfights. Before that happens, try to push him as far behind as possible.
Since he cannot win against you directly, he will often stay under tower and ask his jungler for help, so be careful about incoming ganks.
Mordekaiser
Take Grasp, Doran Ring, Flash, and Ghost.
You will not win any direct trades against Mordekaiser, so focus on staying alive. If possible, try to throw him under your tower and get a kill that way.
When he pulls you into his ultimate, use W to create distance by jumping over walls.
Survive the lane as long as you can, because you will have much more impact in teamfights later on.
Nasus
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
In the early game, bully Nasus as much as possible and deny him experience if you can.
Do not fight him while his ultimate is active, you will not win. Use W to escape instead.
In the late game he becomes a huge threat, so make sure to deal with him together with your team.
Olaf
Take Grasp, Doran Ring, Ghost, and Ignite.
Top lane Olaf players are rare, but they are usually completely crazy.
When he uses his ultimate, you can use Phase Rush movement speed or W to wait it out and avoid fighting him. Once his ultimate ends, you can look for a trade.
Olaf players often try to proxy farm. When he does that, you can use your R to throw him under your tower and punish him.
Just remember to respect him, or he will punish you instead.
Ornn
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
Ornn damage is absurdly high and it burns through your health very quickly.
When he uses his ultimate, you can use your own R to cancel it.
Other than that, do not fight him unless he makes a mistake. Respect him in lane.
Pantheon
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
Respect Pantheon until level 6, after that you can do whatever you want.
Do not force fights when you are low on health, because his Ignite and empowered Q can easily one shot you.
Poppy
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
Poppy deals damage based on your health, which makes her a difficult matchup for Tahm Kench.
Respect her and wait for her to make a mistake.
If you use your ultimate at the right time when she casts hers, you can actually fly away together.
Quinn
Take Hail of Blades, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
The Quinn matchup is extremely simple. Just respect her until level 6, or if you are confident on Tahm Kench, you can finish her with a Q plus W combo.
Renekton
Take Grasp, Doran Ring, Ghost, and Ignite.
Renekton is very strong against us. Because his E can break shields, make sure to use your E often. If you hold it and stack it, he can break all of it at once.
Other than that, do not hesitate to ask your jungler for help.
Riven
Take Grasp, Doran Ring, Flash, and Ghost.
A good Riven player can be very exhausting to deal with. However, after you get your first item in the early game, you can start punishing her. Before that, make sure to respect her.
Rumble
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
Not many people play Rumble, but the ones who do usually play very aggressively. Still, he is not a big problem for us, because after one magic resistance item he falls off.
When he pokes you while you are farming, hit him back and punish him, but be careful not to make mistakes.
Ask your jungler for ganks as much as possible, since he has no real escape tools and is easy to kill.
Sett
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
Sett is a big problem for Tahm Kench because he deals both true damage and percent health damage. Try to avoid trading as much as possible, because you cannot win extended trades against this disgusting champion.
When you throw him under the turret with your ultimate, spit him to the side, because he can escape by using his own ultimate.
Shen
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
He does not really do much. When he leaves lane with his ultimate, you can use Demolish to take turret plates and get free gold. Other than that, he cannot win trades against you.
Singed
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
Singed might be the most annoying and useless champion in the game. Since he likes to proxy, buying HallowRadiance is a good choice. Instead of wasting time chasing him, focus on teamfights.
Sion
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost, and Teleport.
Even though Sion is weak against you in lane, he can outscale you later in the game thanks to his passive. Try to stop him when he is proxy farming. If you are too late or too far away, just let it go, otherwise you will lose too much farm.
Teemo
Take Hail of Blades, Doran Shield, Flash, and Ghost.
Even though Teemo is annoying, this matchup is usually average. Second Wind is very important. Do not take unnecessary poke. Buy Swiftness Boots, wait for him to make a mistake, and you can easily take him down.
Trundle
Take Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost and Ignite.
Respect him while his ultimate is up and when he ults you try to run but do not use W immediately because his pillar can block you. Wait for him to use it first. If he does not you can R him and wait for his ultimate to expire.
Tryndamere
Grasp, take Doran Shield, Ghost and Ignite. He might be waiting in a bush early to cheese you so do not fall for it. Do not use your ultimate until he uses his. About two and a half seconds after he uses his ultimate, you can use yours to trap him inside and let him die.
Urgot
Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash and Ghost. It is a hard matchup because his passive deals damage based on your max health and his E gives him a shield. Jungle help is mandatory. Other than that just try to survive.
Vayne
Hail of Blades, Doran Shield, Flash and Ghost.
Clueless Vayne players think they have the upper hand against Tahm Kench, but thanks to Hail of Blades they are basically free loot. Just survive and farm until level 6, then go for mostly AP items and start the feast.
Vladimir
Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost and Ignite.
Vladimir is basically a big minion for us in this matchup. Grab Swifties and just run him down without mercy.
Volibear
Grasp, Doran Ring, Flash and Ghost.
Well well well, say hello to the most broken character in history. He stuns, he runs fast, he heals, he is tanky, he deals damage, he gets shields and he EVEN TURNS OFF TOWERS. And who is this lovely monster? Volibear, of course. You are not winning trades against this cursed champion. If you throw him under tower, he will just disable it. Usually after I toss him under tower, I back off, wait for my turret to turn back on, then W back to safety. You basically have almost no chance to win this lane. Do not try to trade, do not get greedy for farm, just focus on staying alive.
Warwick
Grasp, Doran Shield, Ghost and Ignite.
Even though Warwick is insanely strong in 1v1s, he completely falls apart in 1v2s. Respect him early and play with kiting in mind. If you drag things out and fight smart, he turns from a scary wolf into a very confused puppy
Yasuo
Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash and Ghost.
Once you buy an armor item, the Yasuo matchup becomes easy. Just be careful when there are minions around, since that is basically his entire mobility system.
Yone
Grasp, Doran Shield, Flash and Ghost.
Even though Yone is an average matchup, I put him in the major threat category because if he gets ahead, he snowballs hard. Do not use your ult on him while his E is active because he can snap back out of it. Instead, throw your W right as he is about to return. When he casts his ult he becomes unstoppable, but if you time it correctly you can interrupt his ult.
Yorick
Grasp, Doran Ring, Ghost and TP.
Beating Yorick is pretty hard, jungle help is basically required or you will not win. He will constantly try to split push, so make sure to shut that down. And never fight him while his Maiden is up.
Kindred
Thanks to Kindred ultimate, you can swallow someone who is about to die inside the zone and then kill them outside of it.
Xerath
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Brand
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Syndra
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Ziggs
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Viktor
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Synergies
IdealStrongOkLowNone
Kindred
Thanks to Kindred ultimate, you can swallow someone who is about to die inside the zone and then kill them outside of it.
Xerath
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Brand
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Syndra
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Ziggs
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Viktor
A champion who can deal a high amount of damage from the backline while you fight in the front.
Greetings, I’m Tension. I started playing League when I was just 5 or 6 years old and have been at it ever since. Of course, I took several long breaks along the way so yes, I do touch grass. I’m a casual player and my peak rank was Emerald. To be honest, rank doesn't mean much to me; I’m just someone who hops on for a game or two to have some fun and then heads out. In this guide, I’ll do my best to teach you everything I know about Tahm Kench.
PROS & CONS
PROS
+ Strong sustain in lane + Extremely tanky + Great at punishing mistakes + Can save teammates with R- Devour + Strong in 1v1 if played correctly + Strong mid game
Tahm Kench has a much more unique playstyle compared to other champions, which is what makes him feel so different. Thanks to his R- Devour ability, you can either save an important teammate in teamfights or completely remove a key enemy from the fight. Even if Tahm Kench falls behind, he can recover around mid game once he gets two or three core items. In difficult matchups, simply surviving the lane is often enough, because he plays a very important role in teamfights. He can both deal damage and absorb a huge amount of pressure for his team.
CONS
- Weak against % health damage - Can get kited easily - Relies on landing Q- Tongue Lash - Weak early vs some matchups - Not a fast pusher - Needs good positioning
Tahm Kench can truly struggle to survive the laning phase in certain matchups; in these situations, your main priority should be to avoid dying at all costs. If you give away kills and allow your opponent to snowball, it becomes extremely difficult to recover. Since his waveclear is quite weak, you should focus on constant teamfighting during the mid-game instead of trying to split-push. While building full Tank makes you susceptible to being heavily kited by ADCs, opting for an AP build can completely turn the tables.
The River King
Build Guide By TENSION019
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