Tahm Kench Top Build

Tahm Kench Champion Guide

Role: Tank

Lane: Toplane

The best build for Tahm Kench Top includes Heartsteel, Plated Steelcaps, Unending Despair, Thornmail, and Spirit Visage. The most picked runes for Tahm Kench Top are Grasp of the Undying, Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Unflinching in the primary tree, with Legend: Alacrity and Triumph in the secondary tree.

Tahm Kench Champion Abilities

An Acquired Taste

Attacks deal 6-48 (+1.5% ability power per 100 bonus health) (+4% of his bonus health) bonus magic damage. Against champions, they add a stack of An Acquired Taste for 5 seconds, up to 3 times.

At 3 stacks, Tongue Lash and Devour become empowered against that champion. P

Tongue Lash

Deals 75 / 120 / 165 / 210 / 255 (+100% of ability power) magic damage to the first enemy hit and slows them by 50% for 2 seconds. On champion hit, heals Tahm for 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 plus 5 / 5.5 / 6 / 6.5 / 7% of his missing health and applies a stack of An Acquired Taste dealing 8−60 (+2.5% of his bonus health) as extra magic damage (depending on level).

If that champion already had 3 stacks of An Acquired Taste, they will also be stunned for 1.5 seconds, consuming the stacks.

Activate Devour while your tongue is in midair to devour enemy champions who already have 3 stacks of An Acquired Taste from a distance when you hit them. Q

Abyssal Dive

Dive down and then re-appear at target location, dealing 100 / 135 / 170 / 205 / 240 (+150% of ability power) magic damage and knock up all enemies in an area for 1 second. Hitting at least one enemy champion refunds 40 / 42.5 / 45 / 47.5 / 50% of the cooldown and mana cost. Devoured allies can be taken along for the ride (but can always hop out early). W

Thick Skin

Passive: 15 / 23 / 31 / 39 / 47% of damage Tahm Kench takes is stored by his Thick Skin, increased to 42 / 44 / 46 / 48 / 50% if there are at least 2 nearby enemy champions. If Kench has not taken damage within 4 seconds, Thick Skin will rapidly be consumed to heal Tahm for 45-100% of its value (depending on level).

Active: Convert all your stored Thick Skin into a shield, lasting 2.5 seconds. E

Devour

Tahm Kench devours a champion for a few seconds. He can re-cast to spit them out.

Enemy Champions: Require 3 stacks of An Acquired Taste. Are devoured for up to 3 seconds and take 100 / 250 / 400 plus 15% (+7% per 100 ability power) of their max health as magic damage. Tahm Kench is slowed by 40% and grounded during this effect.

Ally Champions: Are devoured for up to 3 seconds and are granted 650 / 800 / 950 (+100% of ability power) shield which decays by 50 health every 0.25 seconds after Devour has ended until it's gone. Allies can also choose to exit early. Tahm Kench is grounded during this effect, but can cast Abyssal Dive and gains 40% movement speed for 3 seconds. R

Tahm Kench Summoner Spells

Flash

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

Ignite

Ignite is a unit-targeted summoner spell that burns an enemy champion for a few seconds, dealing periodic true damage, applying healing reduction, and revealing the target over the duration.

Tahm Kench Runes

Tahm Kench Items

Tahm Kench Ability Order

Tahm Kench Matchups Overview

Strong against

Kled

Yasuo

Irelia

Quinn

Sion

K'Sante

Weak against

Aatrox

Warwick

Renekton

Gangplank

Yorick

Riven

Tahm Kench Tips and Tricks

Activate your E during fights to make it harder for enemies to take you down, as they’ll need to burn through your health bar twice. Use it before the enemy tries to disengage. If your carries are strong, prioritize using your R to peel for them, as keeping them alive in late-game fights is crucial for victory. Keeping the wave near your side of the map in the early game allows you to farm safely and reduces the risk of enemy ganks.

Best Tahm Kench Builds, Runes and Items for Top

Most Popular Build

For the top lane, take Flash and Teleport as your Summoner Spells. Use Grasp of the Undying as your keystone, along with Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Unflinching in the primary rune tree. In the secondary tree, Legend: Alacrity and Triumph provide additional sustain. Rune shards should include Attack Speed in offense, Health Scaling in flex, and Health Scaling in defense. Build Heartsteel first, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Unending Despair. The remaining items are Thornmail, Spirit Visage, and Riftmaker. Max Q first, followed by W and E.

Optional Build

Another viable setup also uses Flash and Teleport. This build takes Grasp of the Undying, Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Unflinching in the primary rune tree, with Legend: Alacrity and Triumph in the secondary tree. The rune shards remain the same, with Attack Speed in offense, Health Scaling in flex, and Health Scaling in defense. Start with Hollow Radiance, then build Mercury’s Treads and Heartsteel. Complete the build with Unending Despair, Thornmail, and Jak’Sho, The Protean. Ability max order is Q - W - E.

Alternative Build

For another variation, Flash and Teleport remain the Summoner Spells of choice. The rune setup mirrors the previous builds, with Grasp of the Undying, Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Unflinching in the primary tree, and Legend: Alacrity with Triumph in the secondary tree. Attack Speed, Health Scaling, and Health Scaling are the recommended rune shards. Build Sunfire Aegis first, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Unending Despair. Finish with Thornmail, Spirit Visage, and Bloodletter’s Curse. Stick to Q - W - E for ability maxing.

Situational Tahm Kench Runes and Items

Adjust your build depending on your matchup, the enemy team, and the state of the game. Consider taking Armor or Magic Resist in your rune shards depending on the damage type of your lane opponent. Be flexible with item choices to maximize your impact in each game.