Overview
A long time staple in pro play, Tahm Kench has been reworked time and again because of his dominance there. This has trickled down into Solo Queue play, where he remains a strong pick that provides both engage options and peel options -- he’s one of the best supports in the game when you need a champion that can save a carry. Click here for the latest data on his best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more.
Keys to Remember About Tamh Kench
Devour [R] is a versatile skill that can be used either offensively or defensively. Picks are very good for your team but as the game progresses, they'll be harder and harder to find, so using it defensively on your carries to help focus down enemies who overextend is often the better way to use it late game.
Kench has good playmaking potential early thanks to Abyssal Dive [W] and should be looking to either make plays in his own late or roam to often to help on plays around the map. He's not really a sit back and wait champion despite his ultimate being a great peeling tool.
Strengths
Devour [R] is one of the most interesting ultimate abilities in the game thanks to you being able to use it on either an ally or an enemy champion. This means you can either kidnap an enemy to generate a pick or eat your own ally to keep them safe in your stomach depending on what the game situation calls for. And when combined with Abyssal Dive [W], that means you can either quickly run away after devouring someone or use it to jump next to them to eat them. Kench also comes with a lot of built in durability thanks to Thick Skin [E], which means he has no issues with jumping in and out of fights.
Weaknesses
Like all other melee support champions, he can be bullied a bit in lane, which will force him to look for engages to level out the playing field. But once he commits to a fight with Abyssal Dive [W], he’ll have no way to back out. He may be tanky, but he’s still only tanky as a support rather than as a full fledged tank coming from top lane, for example. This means enemy teams can still burst him down, especially if he doesn’t time Thick Skin [E] properly.
Game Plan
Early Game: Play safe -- you have some kill potential if you’re able to land Abyssal Dive [W] on enemies, but in general you’re pretty weak before level 6.
Mid Game: You can look to roam with your ultimate up -- you can either use it to help find picks or countergank enemies to save your allies.
Late Game: Come team fights, it’s almost always better to save your ultimate to Devour [R] an ally -- it’s best used to negate a big enemy combo or CC chain onto your carries.
