How to Play Kennen: 5 Expert Tips to Dominate in LoL

Overview

How to play Kennen effectively requires mastering his energy-based kit revolving around applying Mark of the Storm stacks to enemies and triggering powerful stuns when three stacks are applied. The Heart of the Tempest excels with a strategic blend of poke, engage, and devastating area-of-effect damage through positioning, proper itemization, and perfectly timed team fight engages with his signature E-Flash-R combo.

Introduction to Playing Kennen

Learning how to play Kennen effectively can transform your League of Legends experience, turning you into a feared lightning-wielding ninja capable of game-changing plays. As one of the most versatile champions in the game, Kennen brings a unique blend of sustained damage, crowd control, and team fight dominance that can carry you through the ranks.

Kennen, the Heart of the Tempest, excels in the top lane but can also be played mid or even as an AD carry in certain metas. His energy-based kit and electrifying abilities make him an excellent pick for players who enjoy a mix of poke, engage, and devastating area-of-effect damage.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore five expert tips on how to play Kennen at the highest level. Whether you’re completely new to the champion or looking to refine your skills, these strategies will help you harness the full power of the Yordle ninja and dominate your matches.

Understanding Kennen’s Kit and Playstyle

Before diving into specific strategies, it’s crucial to understand what makes Kennen unique among League champions. His kit revolves around applying Mark of the Storm stacks to enemies and then triggering powerful stuns when three stacks are applied.

Kennen’s passive (Mark of the Storm) is the cornerstone of his playstyle. Each ability applies a stack, and upon reaching three stacks, enemies are stunned and Kennen gains energy. This interaction creates a rhythm to his gameplay that rewards skillful ability sequencing.

His Q (Thundering Shuriken) provides poke and applies a stack from a safe distance. His W (Electrical Surge) applies stacks to all nearby enemies and can also be used to trigger stacks on targets already marked. The E (Lightning Rush) transforms Kennen into a lightning bolt, granting movement speed and applying stacks to enemies he passes through. Finally, his R (Slicing Maelstrom) creates a storm around him that damages and applies stacks to enemies caught within.

Understanding how these abilities complement each other is essential to mastering Kennen. While some players may find success with Kayn’s versatile playstyle, Kennen’s strength lies in his ability to weave between poke and all-in strategies seamlessly.

Tip 1: Mastering Kennen’s Early Game

The early game is where you set the tone for your Kennen gameplay. Unlike Kayle who scales into late game, Kennen has a relatively strong early presence that you should leverage.

Focus on using your auto attacks and Q to harass enemies when they go for last hits. As an energy-based champion, you have an advantage over mana users in extended trades, but be mindful of your energy consumption.

Here’s how to approach the first few levels:

• Level 1: Play safe but look for opportunities to poke with auto attacks and Q.
• Level 2: Take E second for escape potential or W for more trading power.
• Level 3: With your full basic kit available, you can now look for short trades using the Q-AA-W combo to proc Electrocute.
• Level 4-5: Continue farming and poking, building toward your first item.
• Level 6: Your power spike with ultimate makes you a serious threat. Look for all-in opportunities or coordinate with your jungler.

Wave management is particularly important for Kennen. Try to freeze near your tower against difficult matchups, or slow push and harass under tower against champions you can bully. According to ProGuides’ champion analysis, proper wave management can increase your CS advantage by up to 20% in the early game.

Remember that your E provides a significant escape tool, but it also consumes a lot of energy. Save it for defensive purposes until you’re comfortable with the champion’s energy management. Many inexperienced Kennen players waste E offensively and find themselves vulnerable to ganks.

Tip 2: Optimal Itemization and Runes

Kennen’s build path is relatively flexible, allowing you to adapt to match situations. However, there are core items that significantly enhance his effectiveness.

For AP Kennen (the most common build), your core items typically include:

• Hextech Rocketbelt: Provides additional engage/disengage and magic penetration
• Zhonya’s Hourglass: Essential for team fights, allowing you to activate ultimate then become invulnerable
• Rabadon’s Deathcap: Amplifies your damage output significantly
• Void Staff: Necessary against teams building magic resistance
• Morellonomicon: Provides healing reduction against sustain-heavy teams

For runes, Electrocute provides burst damage that complements Kennen’s combo pattern, while Phase Rush can help with mobility. Your primary tree should be Domination or Sorcery, with secondary options depending on matchups.

Standard Rune Setup:

• Primary (Domination): Electrocute, Taste of Blood, Eyeball Collection, Ultimate Hunter
• Secondary (Sorcery): Nimbus Cloak, Transcendence
• Stat Shards: Adaptive Force, Adaptive Force, Armor/Magic Resist (based on lane opponent)

Unlike Katarina who rushes specific items, Kennen can adapt his build order based on game state. Against heavy AP, consider an early Banshee’s Veil. Versus AD-heavy teams, rush Zhonya’s before completing Rocketbelt.

For summoner spells, Flash is mandatory as it enables Kennen’s signature Flash-R engage. Your second spell can be Teleport for map presence or Ignite for kill pressure in lane. Some players even experiment with Ghost against kiting matchups.

Tip 3: Team Fighting Like a Pro

Team fighting is where Kennen truly shines, potentially outclassing even Karthus in AoE damage potential when played correctly. Your primary goal is to find the perfect moment to engage with your ultimate, stunning multiple enemies and creating opportunities for your team.

The basic team fight approach follows these steps:

• Look for flanking opportunities rather than frontlining
• Use E to position yourself near priority targets
• Activate your ultimate as you reach the backline
• Flash if necessary to reach optimal positioning
• Follow up with W to trigger stuns on marked targets
• Use Zhonya’s if you’re taking too much focus
• After Zhonya’s, clean up with Q and auto attacks

Timing is everything with Kennen. Engaging too early means the enemy team can disengage from your ultimate, while waiting too long might mean your team gets picked off. Communication with your team is key – let them know when you’re looking to engage.

One advanced technique is using vision control to set up flanks. OP.GG statistics show that Kennen players who purchase at least 2 control wards per game have a 3% higher win rate, highlighting the importance of vision for setting up engages.

Remember that you don’t always need to be the primary engage. Sometimes, following up on your team’s engage is more effective, as enemies will be distracted and less likely to immediately focus you down.

Tip 4: Positioning and Map Awareness

Proper positioning with Kennen is crucial, as he’s relatively squishy despite his disruptive capabilities. Unlike Kassadin who can rift walk frequently, Kennen has limited mobility options outside of his E and Flash.

In the laning phase, position to the side of the minion wave rather than behind it. This allows you to threaten Q poke while still farming effectively. Against melee champions, use your range advantage to harass when they approach for last hits.

Mid-game positioning revolves around objective control. Kennen excels at zoning enemies away from dragons and Baron with the threat of his ultimate. Position near chokepoints where enemies must funnel through to contest objectives.

Map awareness is equally important. Look for teleport opportunities to turn around bot lane skirmishes. A well-timed Kennen TP can result in multiple kills and secure early drakes for your team. Players who study Karma’s map presence can apply similar principles to Kennen’s global play.

For split pushing situations, Kennen can be effective but should maintain awareness of enemy positions. His wave clear with W and Q is decent, and his E provides an escape option. However, always be ready to group when important objectives spawn.

Ward placement should focus on river and enemy jungle entrances to track the jungler. This information is vital since Kennen becomes particularly vulnerable when his E is on cooldown.

Tip 5: Advanced Techniques and Combos

As you become more comfortable with Kennen’s basics, incorporating these advanced techniques will elevate your gameplay significantly.

The E-Flash-R combo is Kennen’s signature engage. By activating E first, you gain movement speed to close distance, then Flash for immediate positioning, followed by R. This gives enemies minimal reaction time and maximizes your ultimate’s effectiveness.

The Zhonya’s timing technique requires practice but pays dividends. Activate your ultimate, apply initial stacks with E and auto attacks, then use Zhonya’s at approximately 1.5 seconds into your ultimate. This keeps you safe while your ultimate continues to damage enemies, and you can follow up with W when Zhonya’s ends.

Energy management separates good from great Kennen players. Track your passive procs carefully, as they restore energy. Try to ensure you have enough energy for a full combo before engaging. This resource management is similar to how Kai’Sa players manage her plasma stacks.

Here are some advanced combos to practice:

• Q-E-W-R: For long-range engages when you need to apply stacks quickly
• E-R-Flash-W-Q: For surprise engages from fog of war
• R-Protobelt-Zhonya’s: For when you need to dive deep into enemy team
• Q-W (on mark)-E away: For safe trading in lane

Another advanced technique is using Kennen’s ultimate near walls to zone enemies into predictable escape paths. This forces them to either run through your ultimate or take a longer path, both beneficial outcomes for your team.

Finally, master the art of target selection. While Kennen’s abilities hit multiple targets, focusing your auto attacks and single-target abilities on priority enemies maximizes your impact. Unlike Kalista who focuses on single targets, Kennen needs to balance AoE disruption with focused damage.

Conclusion

Mastering how to play Kennen requires practice and patience, but the payoff is tremendous. A well-played Kennen can single-handedly turn team fights, secure objectives, and carry games through a perfect blend of damage and crowd control.

Remember that the key aspects of successful Kennen play include understanding your role in different game phases, managing your energy efficiently, finding optimal engage angles, and executing your combos flawlessly.

As you incorporate these five expert tips into your gameplay, you’ll see your impact grow significantly. From dominating the laning phase to executing game-changing ultimates in critical team fights, Kennen offers a high skill ceiling that rewards dedicated players.

Whether you prefer the top lane or mid lane, AP or AD builds, Kennen’s versatility allows you to adapt to various team compositions and enemy matchups. So grab your shurikens, channel the lightning, and start stunning your way up the ranked ladder!

With consistent practice focusing on how to play Kennen effectively, you’ll soon become the lightning-fast terror that enemy teams fear to face. The Heart of the Tempest awaits your mastery!

Frequently Asked Questions