Tahm Kench Abilities, Build, Runes & Guides in LOL

Tahm Kench can be flexed between top lane and support. You can either start a team fight or protect your teammates with a broad range of skills. If you are new to this champion and want to know more about it, we have prepared the best guide for you. Here is everything you need to know about Tahm Kench in League of Legends!

Tahm Kench abilities in League of Legends

Here are all of Tahm Kench’s abilities:

Passive

Tahm Kench puts the heft of his immense body behind his attacks, gaining extra damage based on his total health. Damaging enemy champions builds stacks of An Acquired Taste. At three stacks, he can use Devour on an enemy champion.

Tahm Kench's attacks deal extra damage based on his total health. When he damages enemy champions, he builds stacks of "An Acquired Taste." Upon reaching three stacks on an enemy champion, Tahm Kench can use his devour ability to cause significant effects.

Q - TONGUE LASH

Tahm Kench lashes out with his tongue, damaging and slowing the first unit hit and healing himself if he strikes an enemy champion. Applies a stack of An Acquired Taste to enemy champions. If the champion already has 3 stacks of An Acquired Taste, they are stunned and the stacks are consumed.

This ability allows Tahm Kench to lash out with his tongue, dealing damage and slowing the first unit hit. It also heals him if he hits an enemy champion. Moreover, it applies a stack of "An Acquired Taste," and hitting a champion with three stacks will stun them.

W - ABYSSAL DIVE

Dive down and then re-appear at target location, damaging and knocking up all enemies in an area.

Tahm Kench can dive and reappear at a target location, dealing damage and knocking up all enemies in the area. This ability showcases his mobility and crowd control capabilities.

E -  THICK SKIN

Passive: Tahm Kench stores a percent of the damage he takes and heals based on it while out of combat. Active: Convert all stored damage into a temporary shield.

This ability has two components: passively, Tahm Kench stores a percentage of the damage he takes, and heals based on it when out of combat. Actively, he can convert all stored damage into a temporary shield, providing him substantial survivability.

R - DEVOUR

Tahm Kench devours a champion for a few seconds, dealing magic damage if they are an enemy, or shielding them if they are an ally.

Perhaps his most iconic ability, Devour lets Tahm Kench swallow a champion for a few seconds. If the swallowed champion is an enemy, they take magic damage; if an ally, they are shielded.
Best Tahm Kench build

Support Tahm Kench is a popular pick but when it comes o this role, tank champions pretty much build very similar items. When it comes to top lane, things get a little different there. That is why we will concentrate on the top lane Tahm Kench build!

For the top lane, start with the summoner spells Flash and Teleport for mobility and map presence. Build your runes and items as follows:

• Runes:
  • Grasp of the Undying: Increases health and damage during trades.
  • Shield Bash: Enhances your shielding capabilities.
  • Second Wind: Provides recovery during trades.
  • Unflinching: Offers tenacity and slow resistance.
• Items:
  • Heartsteel: Adds health and enhances auto-attack damage.
  • Plated Steelcaps: Provides armor against physical attacks.
  • Sunfire Aegis: Increases health and burns nearby enemies.
  • Thornmail: Useful against healing champions.
  • Spirit Visage: Boosts healing received.
  • Unending Despair: Offers health and crowd control effects.

How to play Tahm Kench support

Playing Tahm Kench as a support means you need to be smart about where you stand, when to use your abilities, and how to protect your teammates. 

Early Game

• Position Yourself Wisely: Stay between your carry and the enemies to protect and control the lane.
• Use Abilities Smartly:
  • Tongue Lash (Q): Poke and slow enemies, making it hard for them to approach or farm.
  • Thick Skin (E): Activate to reduce incoming damage and increase your survivability.

Mid Game

• Vision Control: Maintain vision around objectives like Dragon and Rift Herald.
• Protect Your Carry: Use Devour (R) to shield your carry from damage or crowd control.

Team Fights

• Initiate or Peel: Use Abyssal Dive (W) to disrupt enemies or protect allies.

Tahm Kench counters

Tahm Kench can be countered by champions who can either bypass his tankiness or exploit his relatively low mobility:

ZYRA

Zyra is a challenging opponent for Tahm Kench because she can control the battlefield with her plants. Her range allows her to poke at Tahm Kench from a safe distance, making it hard for him to close in without taking significant damage. Her plants can also block his Tongue Lash, reducing his ability to engage or disengage effectively.

TARIC

Taric can be problematic for Tahm Kench due to his sustain in prolonged fights. Taric's heals and shields make it difficult for Tahm to finish off targets, especially in team fights. Moreover, Taric’s ultimate can nullify the burst damage from Tahm Kench’s Devour, making it hard for Tahm to secure kills during critical moments.

BRAUM

Braum’s defensive skills are particularly effective against Tahm Kench. His shield can intercept Tahm's Tongue Lash, preventing Tahm from applying stacks of An Acquired Taste. Braum can also jump to his allies with his Stand Behind Me ability, providing them shields and blocking further damage from Tahm. In team fights, Braum's ability to protect his team and disrupt Tahm Kench’s positioning makes him a solid counter.

Tahm Kench voice lines

Tahm Kench is known for his rich and sometimes dark sayings like, "Call me king, call me demon. Water forgets the names of the drowned." There are many more lines and here are some of the most popular ones:

• "Call me king, call me demon. Water forgets the names of the drowned."
• "You're duller than a broken sandwich."
• "Let us peruse this establishment's fare."
• "It is the heart from which the darkest water flows."
• "This buffet exceeds repugnance!"
• "I refuse to succumb to culinary degradation!"
• "The only real sin is to deny a craving."
• "My diet is expensively unique."
• "All shall drown in my magnificence."
• "A depth of flavor is what I covet."
• "Anything of depth is deceitful."
• "All the world's a river, and I'm its king."
• "All creation is born famished and starving."
• "Everyone ends downriver... eventually."
• "Nothing escapes hunger."
• "To covet is to starve."
• "Misery has a delectable taste."
• "Gluttony is impossible."
• "Now we shall gluttonize."
• "Every heart has its own hunger."
• "We all gourmandize from time to time."
• "No true hunger can be abated."
• "From suffering, my banquet is born."
• "That aroma seduces..."
• "Idiocy is often mistaken for innocence."
• "Your empire? I look upon your works and despair."
• "If you want to clean up the city, don't you need to understand where that dirt comes from?"

Tahm Kench voice actor

Pat Duke, an American actor, is the voice behind Tahm Kench. His deep voice fits Tahm Kench perfectly, adding to the character's personality in the game.

Tahm Kench release date

Tahm Kench joined "League of Legends" on July 9, 2015. He has been a popular choice for players who like a strategic and protective way to play. He had a few changes since he first hit the store but mostly remained the same.