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Introduction
Tahm Kench is a powerful champion in the League of Legends. He is a powerful mage that has a unique set of abilities, allowing him to control and manipulate the battlefield. He also has a wide variety of items that can be used to make him even stronger. His utility and fighting power make him a valuable asset to any team.
In this guide, we’ll talk about all of Tahm Kench’s abilities, his playstyle and how to best utilize him in a team.
Overview of Tahm Kench
Tahm Kench is a powerful champion in the multiplayer online battle arena game, League of Legends. He is a river demon that lives up to his title of ‘The Abyssal Journeyman’, by being able to navigate dangerous currents and waves in search of souls seeking his assistance. His incredible strength and adaptability are both incredibly useful for performing powerful spells, as well as for controlling laning phase through heavy poke and wave-clear capabilities.
Tahm Kench’s passive ‘An Acquired Taste’ allows him to gobble up any enemy forced into close combat with him and trap them in his belly for a few seconds before spitting them back out; allowing for various powerful uses in lane, such as oppressive one-on-one trades and escapes from gank attempts. His Q ability ‘Tongue Lash’ allows him to launch a lashing ribbon of tongue at enemies within range, slowing them severely while simultaneously dealing damage.
His W ‘Devour’ allows him to swallow minions or small monsters if desired, gaining a stack of An Acquired Taste per devour which can be consumed on allied champions via eating or dispelled by the enemy team through basic attacks or abilities while the shield lasts.
Finally, Tahm Kench’s ultimate ability ‘Abyssal Voyage’ channels right after cast and sends Tahm Kench and an ally he is currently devouring down into the depths of The Fathomless Pits, where they will be granted a difficult journey towards unknown locations on the map while entirely immune to any forms of crowd control. This journey requires precision from both players; especially from Tahm Kench himself who must predict where their enemies will be when they return so their exit point can be timed appropriately!
Abilities
Tahm Kench is an extremely versatile champion in League of Legends due to his unique abilities that give him a wide range of strategic options in combat. His abilities include Devour, Thick Skin, Tongue Lash and Abyssal Voyage.
Let’s take a close look at each of these abilities and examine how they contribute to making Tahm Kench such a formidable champion:
- Devour
- Thick Skin
- Tongue Lash
- Abyssal Voyage
Passive Ability: An Acquired Taste
Tahm Kench’s passive ability is An Acquired Taste. This passive grants Tahm Kench bonus attack range whenever he has enemy champions within 525 units of him. His basic attacks extend to a range of 800 for a maximum of three targets, but the effectiveness of his attack does not scale with the number of targets hit.
When Tahm Kench’s basic attacks hit an enemy champion, he heals him and the healing scales based on level. The heal also scales with his Ability Power (AP). The heals generated by this ability do not stack, they are instead refreshed with each subsequent attack enabling multiple small heal amounts over time.
The ability also gives Tahm Kench bonus movement speed inversely proportional to the toxicity held within his Stacks-of-Stress effect at all times as long as enemies remain in its range. This can enable him to quickly close with or escape from his opponents when necessary.
Q Ability: Tongue Lash
Tahm Kench’s Q ability, Tongue Lash, is a skill shot that deals damage and stuns the first enemy unit it hits. On cast the skill shot sends out a long tendril of tongues moving in a line towards your selected direction.
Tongue Lash deals magic damage that increases with Tahm Kench’s Attack Damage (AD); therefore, ad builds should maximize this ability’s output by having an item build full of attack damage items. In addition, Tahm Kench gains bonus attack speed after using Tongue Lash, making it an ideal combo starter and allowing early game dueling with ease.
Furthermore, using W Ravenous Hydra or Trinity Force will increase the range at which you can use Tongue Lash; this allows for easy engages and objectives attempts even if the opponents have vision around the target area. The core idea with using Tongue Lash is to use it often to maximize Tahm Kench’s output while also utilizing its stun to your advantage in ganks or teamfights when warranted.
W Ability: Devour
Tahm Kench’s W ability is called Devour. When cast, a mouth appears that moves forward or back in the direction Tahm Kench is facing, for a total of 500 units. If it hits an allied unit, including minions and pets, it consumes that unit, granting both Tahm Kench and the devoured ally health and magic resist per level. In addition, it grants Tahm Kench stealth for 0.5 seconds with the added bonus of resetting his auto-attack timer. Devouring an enemy minion or jungle monster grants Tahm Kench 20% bonus movement speed for 1 second and refunds half the mana cost.
When Devour is cast on an enemy champion, if they are hit by your tongue (for example Black Shield), they are stunned for 1 second then consumed. For each stack of An Acquired Taste on them (up to four), they lose additional maximum health until timed out or cleansed. Once devoured they are immune to all damage while in Tahm Kench’s belly and can be used as a powerful crowd control tool by positioning them away from allies or off-screen in order to become untargetable while eating away at their health bar.
E Ability: Thick Skin
Tahm Kench’s E Ability, Thick Skin is a self-shielding ability. A damage mitigation shield that reduces incoming damage from all sources by a percentage is applied to Tahm Kench for 3 seconds and regenerates his health depending on the amount of absorption. This shield makes it so Tahm Kench can shrug off large portions of incoming damage while also allowing him to sustain in fights and duels. The amount of health regeneration provided by this ability scales with Tahm Kench’s maximum health, providing valuable regeneration when his maximum health is bolstered by items.
As thick skin has a cooldown similar to his other abilities, positioning is key to get the most out of it. If used often either in fights or at crucial points during the game – such as escaping from a gank – going into a teamfight or securing objectives, this ability can give a huge advantage. It’s also important to note that since this ability has no cast time, dodging skillshots and shielding yourself from them in the process becomes much easier for Tahm Kench compared to other champions that don’t have shields like Thick Skin.
R Ability: Abyssal Voyage
Tahm Kench’s R Ability, Abyssal Voyage, allows him to target an allied champion to launch them away from danger and towards his location. Alchemist’s Blessing is then automatically cast on the ally after a 0.75-second delay. During this ability, Tahm Kench gains a shield and can travel anywhere he chooses as long as he remains within range of his target. Once the voyage ends, Tahm Kench and his target arrive in their destination location with bonus movement speed decaying over 1.5 seconds after arrival.
Abyssal Voyage has a wide variety of uses, including:
- Initiating fights
- Split pushing
- Diving turrets without taking turret aggro
It can also be used defensively by allowing Tahm Kench and his ally to escape quickly or teleport around the map quickly to respond to threats in other areas of the map. When used optimally, Abyssal Voyage serves as an invaluable addition to Tahm Kench’s kit by allowing him to initiate fights, pressure objectives or defend allies quickly over long distances across the map.
Playstyle
Tahm Kench is an all-rounded champion that can play in multiple lanes and styles. His ultimate skill is incredibly strong, offering a great amount of utility to your team. He is a great pick for beginners in League of Legends because he has high sustain and immense survivability in teamfights.
His playstyle is one that relies on the usage of his abilities to the fullest potential:
Best Lane to Play
Tahm Kench excels in both top and bottom lanes, due to his innate tankiness, crowd control, and support capabilities. In the top lane, Tahm Kench provides excellent protection for his carry and can help them snowball with key engages and Crowd Control (CC) when needed. In the bottom lane, his shield helps protect both himself and an ADC from being burst down quickly. His CC also helps setup kills for his botlane partner in critical moments.
Overall, Tahm Kench is a strong all-around champion that fits well into any composition depending on what your team needs. He is capable of filling multiple roles while still providing a huge utility to the team. Whether you’re looking to engage in fights as a tank or peel as a support in teamfights, Tahm Kench is safe pick if you want to set yourself up for success.
Best Team Compositions
Tahm Kench works best in two different contexts. In the first, he supports a team with a strong early game, in which case he should focus on ganking lanes and initiating fights. When supporting these teams, Tahm Kench should use his skills to counter enemy armor and support allied carries.
Alternatively, if the team is weaker in the early game but has a strong late game, Tahm Kench is better off playing a defensive role by protecting vulnerable teammates and soaking up damage while they establish their late game advantages. For teams relying on this strategy, Tahm Kench should be packed with defensive items like Frozen Heart and Warmog’s Armor instead of more offensive items.
In either case, it is important to note that Tahm Kench works best in team compositions with diverse abilities. Having several sources of crowd control as well as multiple area-of-effect spells will help make the most out of his kit’s unique abilities.
Best Items
When crafting the perfect kit for Tahm Kench, the best option is to ensure that all items address his need for tankiness and utility. The optimal combination of tanky items will provide additional defensive stats and crowd control capabilities. The combination of supportive items will enable him to be a powerful teamfighter and team support.
The ideal core build for Tahm Kench should include Locket of the Iron Solari, Thornmail, Mercury’s Treads and Spirit Visage. Each of these items provides much-needed resistances that help keep Tahm Kench alive even in late-game team fights. Additionally, Spirit Visage gives an impressive boost to Tahm Kench’s abilities—especially when combined with Devour—and its MR shred makes it an invaluable part of his kit.
Other great item choices include Randuin’s Omen, Iceborn Gauntlet, Frozen Heart or Dead Man’s Plate (depending on your needs). Choosing one or two of these defensive options should round out the optimal core build for this champion.
For supportive offensively oriented items you should consider Trinity Force, Zeke’s Herald or Knight’s Vow as part of your Tahm Kench build. These six slots are essential in any match; filling them with these diverse but specific options will enable you to play a better centered game.
Tips and Tricks
Tahm Kench is a formidable champion in League of Legends, who brings a powerful set of abilities to any team composition. With his resilient health pool and long-range crowd control, he can easily control the battlefield and protect his allies.
In this article, we’ll cover some essential tips and tricks for mastering Tahm Kench in League of Legends, so you can carry your team to victory:
Use Q Ability to Poke Enemies
Tahm Kench’s Q ability is called ‘Tongue Lash’. This is a basic ability with moderate range where he lashes out with his tongue, damaging enemies in a line. When used properly, ‘Tongue Lash’ can poke enemies, forcing them to back off or stay away from you. It also allows Tahm Kench to apply the ‘Devour’ debuff on enemies and reset the cooldown of his W ability, ‘Devour’.
When poking an enemy champion, aim for the lower half of their body as it will provide bigger damage than aiming for their head. In addition, if possible try and angle your Q so that you hit enemies on both sides at once to maximize your damage output. This can be especially useful in skirmishes or jungle fights when engaging multiple opponents at once.
There are several other uses for ‘Tongue Lash’. For example, using it right before Tahm Kench casts his ultimate will deal bonus magic damage and increase the range of the cast significantly. It is also good for clearing minion waves as it deals decent AOE damage while knocking back nearby units by a small distance. All in all, mastering this ability is key to playing Tahm Kench successfully!
Use W Ability to Eat Allies
Using the W ability to eat allies is an interesting and sometimes overlooked trick in some games. It can be risky, but when executed properly, it can give you a major advantage. This ability allows you to consume an ally that isn’t at full health and be healed, receive a buff for the duration of the ability, or convert their damage into health for yourself. This can often provide a great benefit in outnumbered situations as you take on multiple enemies without worrying about getting killed.
Before using this ability, make sure you are in a safe position as enemies may be nearby waiting for an opportunity to strike while you are preoccupied with consuming your ally. In addition, try to pick out an ally that won’t miss the healing or buff after they’re eaten – ideally one who is at low health and/or has just finished fighting off some enemies so they are unlikely to have much more of use before dying anyway.
Keep in mind that using W will also temporarily disable your weapons during its cast time, leaving you vulnerable during this moment – so try to use it only when there’s no danger from enemy fire or abilities. Finally remember that eating allies will hurt your team’s morale and may cause confusion if not used wisely!
Use E Ability to Mitigate Damage
Tahm Kench’s Devour (E) ability allows him to consume an allied or enemy champion and negate any damage they would have taken while under the effect of the ability. As Devour is a targeted ability, it does not hit minions or structures, but it is extremely powerful for all-in team engagements and for protecting allies from any kind of lethal burst damage as well as crowd control.
When Tahm Kench uses his E on an enemy champion, he will absorb all of their incoming damage without taking any of it himself. This can be especially useful in teamfights when enemies are focusing down your carries or for escaping certain death when you’re stuck in a bad situation.
In addition to its defensive applications, Devour can also be used offensively by:
- consuming low health enemy champions and dragging them back toward your turret or allies so they can be picked off easily.
- absorbing important crowd control abilities like stuns or silences that your team wants to prevent from being cast in teamfights, such as Mega Gnar’s Mega Giant Transformation ultimate.
Finally, when used on an allied champion, the target is able to cast spells and use basic attacks while still under the effect of Devour. This can work well with Evelynn’s invisibility-granting Passive power or if you want to allow a low Health ally safe access into a dangerous area on their way back to base.
Use R Ability to Escape or Chase Enemies
One of the main advantages of playing Tahm Kench is his excellent survivability. His W, Devour, allows him to consume an ally or enemy champion, granting himself a shield that absorbs damage.
In addition to this, his R ability (Abyssal Voyage) can be used to travel great distances across the map quickly, allowing him to escape dangerous situations or chase enemies with great speed.
However this ability should not be used solely for chasing and escaping enemies – it can also be used as a creative tactic when trying to engage in a fight! Tahm Kench can use his R ability by casting it right in front of fleeing enemies and instantly appear next to them for an ambush. This is especially useful when setting up ganks in lane since it will grant you the element of surprise – something which is essential if you want to secure kills with your team. Additionally, this also works incredibly well during teamfights since you can use your R between different lanes and quickly reach skirmishes without having to run directly into contested areas!
Conclusion
In conclusion, Tahm Kench is a powerful support champion that can provide teammates with great mobility and protection from damage. His unique passives and spells allow him to see when enemies are approaching, while his ultimate gives the team an incredible level of control over objectives and positioning.
He can provide vision with his Q ability and hand out crowd control with both his W and R abilities. Players who focus on mastering Tahm Kench’s kit will find that they are able to provide invaluable assistance to their allies, as well as destructive disruption against the enemy team.
As always, it is important to practice any champion before taking them into ranked play, so make sure to put Tahm Kench through his paces in unranked games before relying on him in your ranked matches!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Tahm Kench’s role in League of Legends?
A: Tahm Kench is a support tank champion in League of Legends, who specializes in providing crowd control and protecting his allies.
Q: What are Tahm Kench’s abilities?
A: Tahm Kench has several powerful abilities including Devour, which allows him to swallow an ally or enemy champion, and Thick Skin, which grants him bonus health and reduces incoming damage. He also has Abyssal Voyage, which allows him to teleport across the map, and Abyssal Grasp, which stuns enemies in an area around him.
Q: What items should I build on Tahm Kench?
A: Tahm Kench is best built as a tank, so items like Sunfire Cape, Randuin’s Omen, and Righteous Glory are great choices. He also benefits from items like Adaptive Helm and Knight’s Vow, which provide additional crowd control and protection for his allies.
