Lick the competition with pro tips for Tahm Kench
Tahm Kench the River King won't be cooking up a storm in the LCS until Week 9, but a few pros have already begun testing the waters with League's hungriest new champion. CLG's Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black and Gravity's Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell are here with a few Tahm tips that will help you send your Solo Queue opponents down the waterway.
Setting the Table
Before you can invite your team to join you for dinner, you've got to decide where you're going to go. Tahm Kench can be played as a tanky top laner or he can swim down to the bottom lane to support.
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"I think he's going to be played more support mainly, just because of his Devour (W) factor. You can eat your teammates and be an initiator," says Aphromoo. "He's also another tanky champion, which I think the support champion pool was lacking a lot in."
With few wave-clearing abilities and the potential to use your Devour to get your AD carry out of tough situations, Hauntzer also suggests taking Tahm support over top. "I think his Devour is a lot better used in a duo lane," he says. "It's a lot better for saving AD carries instead of using it on minions top lane."
Eat 'Em Up
Devour allows Tahm Kench to swallow an ally (or minion) and regurgitate their drool-covered body either towards a fight or away from one. If Tahm can manage to hit an enemy three times and apply his An Acquired Taste passive, he can also chew them up and take them for a ride in his oversized belly.
It'll depend on the situation at hand if you should eat a teammate or enemy, but Aphromoo found it useful for saving his allies, especially against champions with time delayed skill shots, like Leona. "When Leona would Zenith Blade in, I'd just eat my teammate and it was pretty funny," he laughs. "Even if Leona ultimates, I can Devour my teammate as long as I stay back."
"Devour is for saving people in danger, because you get move speed once you eat someone and walk towards enemy champions," Aphro explains. It sure feels good to save your teammates from floating down river, but thanks to Tahm's Abyssal Voyage (R) and the slow of his Tongue Lash (Q), he's also great for engaging.
"If you eat a tank and your teammate is inside you, you can Abyssal Voyage behind them with your initiator so you can get an easy flank opportunity off, so that's really cool," Aphromoo says. Remember that the enemy team will be alerted to where you and your tank are going to emerge, so plan your meal accordingly!
A tanky treat
Once you're in a fight, Tahm's Thick Skin (E) makes him an incredible tank too. "He's super tanky because his Thick Skin gives him another health bar if you take a lot of damage," Hauntzer says.
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"If you know [the enemy team] is going to commit, let's say you go for an all in. Then it's really good to at least get down to half life or 40% from full life and then use your shield," Aphromoo instructs. "That way you have the extra health advantage over them so that you can maybe turn it around."
To increase your tankiness, the pros suggest you build towards more health, resistances, and cooldown reduction. In general, you're going to want to start with a Targon's Brace and build it into a Face of the Mountain. After that, go for an Aegis of the Legion for the magic resist aura and health regen. "Or you can go Righteous Glory, so that you can eat all those people," adds Aphromoo.
Tahm Kench has only been simmering in Solo Queue for less than a week, so his competitive viability still remains to be seen. But with his innate tankiness, mobility, and abundance of ways to change up a team fight, he's sure to make a splash. He'll be available in the LCS in a few weeks, but until then, let us know how you're making the most of League's newest river demon in the comments.
Leah Jackson is a web content editor at Lolesports. She loves Gnar! Feel free to follow her on Twitter @Leahbjackson.
