Kennen Top Build

Bill3/17/20253 min
Top Lane Icon
Kennen

Kennen Champion Guide

Role: Mage

Lane: Toplane

Table of Contents

    The best build for Kennen Top includes Hextech Rocketbelt, Sorcerer's Shoes, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Rabadon's Deathcap. The most effective rune setup consists of Summon Aery, Nimbus Cloak, Transcendence, and Scorch in the primary tree, along with Taste of Blood and Ultimate Hunter in the secondary tree.

    Kennen Champion Abilities

    Mark of the Storm

    Mark of the Storm

    Kennen's abilities apply a stack for 6 seconds. At 3 stacks, enemies are stunned for 1.25 second and Kennen gains 25 energy.
    P
    Thundering Shuriken

    Thundering Shuriken

    Kennen throws a shuriken, dealing 75 / 125 / 175 / 225 / 275 (+75% of ability power) magic damage to the first enemy hit.
    Q
    Electrical Surge

    Electrical Surge

    Passive: Every 5th attack deals an additional 35 / 45 / 55 / 65 / 75 (+35% of ability power) (+0.8 / 0.9 / 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2% per bonus attack damage) magic damage.

    Active: Kennen sends out a blast of electricity, dealing 70 / 95 / 120 / 145 / 170 (+80% of ability power) magic damage to nearby enemies affected by Mark of the Storm.
    W
    Lightning Rush

    Lightning Rush

    Kennen turns into a ball of lightning, gaining 100% movement speed, dealing 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+80% of ability power) magic damage to enemies he passes through, and becoming ghosted for 2 seconds. If Kennen damages at least one enemy, he gains 40 Energy.

    After this ability ends, Kennen gains 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% attack speed for 4 seconds. Kennen can recast to end this ability early.
    E
    Slicing Maelstrom

    Slicing Maelstrom

    Kennen unleashes a magical storm, dealing 40 / 75 / 110 (+22.5% of ability power) magic damage to all nearby enemies every 0.6 seconds, and gaining 20 / 40 / 60 armor and magic resist for 3 seconds. Successive hits deal 10% increased damage for each hit the enemy has already suffered.
    R

    Kennen Summoner Spells

    Flash

    Flash

    Flash is a location-targeted summoner spell that causes your champion to blink to the location in range of your cursor.
    Teleport

    Teleport

    Teleport is a unit-targeted summoner spell that blinks your champion to the target allied unit after a few seconds of channeling.

    Teleport transforms into Unleashed Teleport after 10:00.

    Kennen Runes

    Kennen Runes

    Kennen Items

    Kennen Items

    Kennen Ability Order

    Q
    3
    4
    5
    7
    9
    W
    2
    8
    10
    12
    13
    E
    1
    14
    15
    17
    18
    R
    6
    11
    16

    Kennen Matchups Overview

    Strong against

    Volibear Volibear
    Wukong Wukong
    Maokai Maokai
    Yone Yone
    Jax Jax
    Aurora Aurora

    Weak against

    Zac Zac
    Yorick Yorick
    Nasus Nasus
    Gragas Gragas
    Heimerdinger Heimerdinger
    Dr. Mundo Dr. Mundo

    lol boosting

    Kennen Tips and Tricks

    Kennen thrives by using his range advantage to bully melee champions during the laning phase. By staying at max range, you make it difficult for them to trade back effectively. When playing against champions with disengage or peel, position yourself in a way that allows you to flank during team fights. This ensures you can use your Ultimate to its full potential, catching multiple enemies in a well-timed engage. Kennen is flexible in his build path; he can be played either as an AP champion or with an on-hit style, depending on what your team needs and what damage types will benefit you the most.

    Best Build, Runes, and Items for Kennen Top

    For summoner spells, Flash and Teleport are ideal for positioning and map control. When selecting runes, Summon Aery is the go-to keystone, followed by Nimbus Cloak, Transcendence, and Scorch in the primary tree for increased mobility and damage. The secondary tree offers Taste of Blood and Ultimate Hunter to sustain in lane and reduce your ultimate's cooldown. When it comes to rune shards, Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense will help you adapt to various matchups.

    For your items, start with Hextech Rocketbelt for mobility and burst damage. Sorcerer's Shoes follow to maximize magic penetration, and Shadowflame provides extra power and penetration for your abilities. To scale into the late game, build Zhonya’s Hourglass for survivability, Rabadon’s Deathcap for a huge AP boost, and Void Staff to pierce through enemy defenses.

    Alternative Build

    In an alternative approach, you can opt for Liandry's Torment as your first item to maximize damage over time. Follow it with Sorcerer's Shoes and Shadowflame to keep up the pressure in fights. Finish your build with Zhonya’s Hourglass for extra protection, Void Staff for magic penetration, and Rabadon’s Deathcap for a significant damage increase. This build also focuses on maximizing your power through damage amplification.

    Off-Meta Build

    For a unique playstyle, you can go with First Strike as your keystone for additional gold generation and burst damage. Combine this with Magical Footwear, Time Warp Tonic, and Cosmic Insight for better mobility and cooldown reduction. Build Hextech Rocketbelt as your first item, then Sorcerer's Shoes for speed and penetration. Follow with Shadowflame and complete your build with Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void Staff to scale effectively through the game.

    Situational Kennen Runes and Items

    Your build may change depending on the context of the game. Take a closer look at your team composition, the enemy's champions, and your current lane matchup. For example, if you need more durability, consider adjusting your rune shards to include Armor or Magic Resist based on the champion you are facing. Similarly, adjust your itemization to suit the situation; defensive options or more penetration may be necessary as the game progresses.