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How is Kennen not a t1 VGU candidate

Moody P·11/1/2019, 11:13:28 AM·54 votes·15,802 views

he hits just about every hallmark of a garbage design and yet far less offensive champions are put through the grinder first

Kennen is low interaction with his degenerate trade patterns of right clicking, stunning and running away. Hes low counterplay with a single spell that you can do anything to avoid. He's not only known to fuck up the game when he's good, he's the posterboy of shitting up top lane at least once a year when he wiggles his way back to viability. Visually, he's hideous, but that's just a given with Y*rdles since they're a hideous species.

Add to all that, his actual dedicated player base is nonexistent. Any time Kennen isn't able to easily abuse his laning phase for a free pass against some unlucky melee, you'll see him maybe 3 times a year. This champion has a demographic that is completely dependent on him being bullshit.

When is this guy going to get put on the chopping block?

92 Comments

Vlada Cut11/1/2019, 1:16:19 PM30 votes

Udyr Nocturne Are we a joke to you?

KABLUMP11/1/2019, 4:25:22 PM9 votes

Breaking news: Top lane Darius main makes forums post about one of the four champions he doesn't instantly win lane against MORE AT ELEVEN

CasterGilgamesh11/1/2019, 1:59:16 PM8 votes

MonkeyKing Tryndamere Udyr DrMundo

Wild Geese11/1/2019, 7:36:36 PM8 votes

You sound a bit more frustrated about Kennen than thinking he genuinely needs work.

His gameplay is unique and not bad either, and yeh sure there's not much a melee can do about him but there's not much he can do either. Compared to most ranged tops he has some of the lowest kill pressure so he's not really an abusive champion. His powerspikes also involve him leaving lane making him lose lane in the long-run to splitpushing.

Not saying he couldn't use work, his visuals are pretty bad by today's standards, but much like Amumu,Riven, Teemo, Jax, and so on this year they gave them a VFX update instead as their vgu/mini-vgu's are being pushed back since at least their gameplay still works fine.

Jerry SeinfeId11/1/2019, 3:34:29 PM8 votes

cuz his kit genuinly doesn't need heavy changes to be modernized?

ezreal/xin zao tier rework would be fine. just cuz he beats the shit outta the one archetype you play doesn't mean he's that bad.

his model is outdated but aside from that his visual design isn't inherently bad. blood moon even looks amazing tbh and an update should probably follow the shapes of the super kennen skin but with more ninja visuals..

he's got a 3.2% pickrate. that's far from the worst in the game.

SoryInAdvance11/1/2019, 3:47:52 PM6 votes

You ask for a champion model graphics update and then only complain about the kit? Very odd post.

Chembaron Yamada11/1/2019, 2:15:24 PM4 votes

Kennen got mentioned as a candidate for an Ezreal type of rework, alongside Jax and Blitzcrank. Meaning that he would just get slight kit adjustments and a complete visual overhaul. Seems Riot considers his gameplay to be fine.

When this will happen, we will see. We don't currently know of any plans to continue doing the Ezreal-treatment.

DuskDaUmbreon11/1/2019, 12:31:16 PM3 votes

I'm curious as to who these "less offensive" champions are.

Kennen's bad, but the only champion that's been reworked that I'd say was less problematic would be Akali.

GripaAviara11/1/2019, 4:48:58 PM3 votes

Kennen actually has a great kit. About the low interaction, just take half the mages. Ryze: run stun shield run away, Ekko: dash stun run away, etc. Kennen rework of E actually made him pretty interesting.

He's also very interesting as a bot choice

As for VGU, he deserves one, but he's a rat in a ninja suit, not much they can add

Yenn11/1/2019, 7:22:25 PM3 votes

Kennen could use a VGU.

However, his lowest win rate match ups are all melee except for Heimer, so saying he has a free pass against melee is totally wrong. Even some of his high win rate match ups are because of wrong builds. Most of the top tier melee champions can beat Kennen in lane, aside from Riven and Fiora.

i.e. Darius has 52% win rate, but it goes up to 60% if he takes Phase Rush. Nasus has 46% win rate, but it goes up to 58% if he maxes E first.

Teémò11/1/2019, 6:55:16 PM2 votes

" degenerate trade patterns of right clicking, stunning and running away" Sounds more like you have no idea how to trade against him despite him receiving a vgu update that was recent enough.

But like wow total hate to all yordles too. "Visually, he's hideous, but that's just a given with Y*rdles since they're a hideous species."

Take a chill pill bro you got beat by a midget. He's one of the easiest champions to itemize against. [slayer-pantheon-popcorn]

ViperVenom11/2/2019, 7:34:04 AM2 votes

Kennen is viable in both competitve and solo q, hence his design is not bad. Lots of champions are in a much worse state cough Udyr Skarner

Shrek Luigi11/1/2019, 3:14:44 PM2 votes

after reading this, I think I will play some kennen, thanks for reminding me about this cool champion xd

Sexy Jack Rabbit11/1/2019, 4:31:24 PM2 votes

Because his Kit is fundamentally fine if not a little bland?

He's like Anivia in that they haven't been meaningfully changed in over 10 years because they don't need it.

Troll Slaiyer11/1/2019, 9:30:08 PM2 votes

how about a VU . drop the G. he is in dire need . reason i never gave him a chance.