Champion Stats
| Role | Tank / Support |
| Difficulty | |
| Blue Essence | 2400 BE |
Why High-Elo Players Smurf with Tahm Kench
Low elo players do not understand when to stop chasing. They will dump all their cooldowns into Tahm Kench, only for him to pop E (Thick Skin) and gain a massive shield, effectively wasting their entire rotation. In the top lane, melee champions often underestimate his passive damage and Grasp procs, allowing him to stat-check them to death. As a support, enemies will overcommit to killing your ADC, forgetting that you can just eat them (R) and waddle away to safety, leaving the enemy with no cooldowns and no kills.
The Level 1 Cheese
First Blood Strategy
Top Lane Cheese: Start Q (Tongue Lash). Walk up to the enemy melee champion. Auto-Q-Auto. Your passive (An Acquired Taste) adds magic damage to your attacks, and Q heals you. You win almost every melee trade Level 1 if you land the Q. Support Cheese: Hide in the lane brush. When they walk up, Q them. The slow is significant and sets up easy follow-up for your ADC. Just don't take too much minion damage.
The 'Pay-to-Win' Skin Advantage
'High Noon Tahm Kench' is nice. 'Master Chef' is classic. 'Arcana' is very red (pay to lose visibility sometimes). 'Coin Emperor' is solid.
When They Ban Tahm Kench
Backup Pick: If Tahm is banned,
Braum is the shield wall.
Thresh has the lantern save.
Shen for the global save.
Rune Setup
Best Runes: Grasp of the Undying (Top) or Guardian (Support). Shield Bash is mandatory because of E. Approach Velocity helps you stick to Q targets.
Skill Priority
Order:
Q → W → QE > W (Top). Max Q first always. W second for engage. E last.
Mastering Tahm Kench's Kit
Tongue Lash. Licks target. Slows. Stuns at 3 stacks. Heals Tahm.
Abyssal Dive. Dives under ground and knocks up upon surfacing. Long range engage.
Thick Skin. Stores damage as grey health. Active: Turn grey health into massive shield. Passive: Heals grey health over time.
Devour. Eats ally (gives shield) or enemy (requires 3 stacks, deals damage). Spit them out!
Matchup Tips
Easy. Shield his burst. Poke him down. Eat him if he ults.
Stalemate. You save whoever she engages on. She can't kill you.
The Ego Check
WARNING: Stop eating your teammates when they are dealing damage! Devour (R) is a defensive tool (or offensive reposition), but if your
Lucian is ulting and you eat him, you just cancelled his damage. Only eat them if they are CC'd, about to die, or need a gap closer. Also, manage your E. Do not press E shield when you are at 80% HP. Wait until you are low HP to convert the maximum amount of grey health into a shield. Popping it early wastes your potential sustain.
When to Queue Dodge
Dodge Vayne. % Max HP True Damage. You are a health bag to her. Gwen is also bad.
Teamfight Role
In teamfights, you are a bodyguard. Stand on your ADC. Q enemies to slow/stun them. If an assassin jumps in, R your ADC immediately. If you are Top Tahm, W into their backline and try to eat their Carry (3 stacks required).
The 'Disrespect' Build
Kidnapper Kench. Phase Rush + Swifties. Eat someone (Enemy) and run them under your tower. Or eat ally and run away at mach 10.
Power Windows
Level 6 (Devour unlock). Level 9 (Q max). Heartsteel completion (Top lane/ARAM).
Tilt Factor
Spam the 'lick' emote. Type 'Dinner is served'. Eating the enemy carry and holding them for 3 seconds while your team wait to kill them is brutal.
Recent Patch History
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
| V13.22 | Nov 8, 2023 | NERF | P nerfed |
| V13.21 | Oct 25, 2023 | BUFF | P buffed, W buffed |
| V13.12 | Jun 14, 2023 | ADJUST | and adjusted |
| V12.23 | Dec 7, 2022 | BUFF | P adjusted, Q buffed, W buffed |
| V12.19 | Oct 5, 2022 | BUFF | Q buffed, W buffed |
Safety Tips
Safety isn't an accident. It's a deliberate process. By the time you log in, the account is already 'cleared' by Riot's systems.
