How to Play Kennen Mid: Tips & Power Spikes (26.20)

Max order: Q > W > E
First item: Hextech Rocketbelt11.6 min
Gold vs lane at 15: +60
Win rate 1k gold ahead: 55.9%
Win rate 1k gold behind: 35.5%

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Kennen Power Spikes (Patch 26.20)

Mid

When Kennen Mid gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Kennen wins most.

Lv 3
All three basic abilities at level 3
Kennen's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
Lv 6
Ultimate rank 1 at level 6
The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Kennen hits it.
Lv 11
Ultimate rank 2 at level 11
Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Kennen can start or win.
Lv 16
Ultimate rank 3 at level 16
Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Kennen can start or win.
11.6 min
First item at 11.6 min
Hextech Rocketbelt is done — Kennen's first real damage or durability spike.

Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.

Kennen Mid Laning Plan

Kennen plays an even lane: no extreme in gold, leads or scaling, so the matchup decides how hard to push. On average Kennen Mid is 60 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 55% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 56% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 36%. Kennen averages 1.14 solo kills by 15 minutes.

Kennen win rate by gold at 15

1,000+ gold ahead55.9%
Ahead62.5%
Behind40.9%
1,000+ gold behind35.5%

Kennen Mid and Late Game

What Kennen does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.

Play to these strengths

Kennen wins 8.4 points more in short games than long ones: group, take objectives and end before the enemy scales.

These expert Kennen tips are generated by MetaBot's advanced analysis of thousands of Kennen games. Learn the best strategies, ability combos, and gameplay tactics to master Kennen and climb the ranked ladder. Follow these tips to maximize your Kennen performance.

Kennen has a greater attack range than most champions. Take advantage of this by poking with autos at max range whenever you get the chance, and back off to maintain that max range distance to maximize trades.
Kennen has more mana regen than most champions, making their playstyle optimal for aggressive trades in lane.
Kennen has a low base attack speed, which can make last hitting in the early game more challenging. It can also make percentage attack speed items scale less effectively than they do on other champions.

Playing Kennen

You can stun your opponents by inflicting 3 Marks of the Storm upon them.
Lightning Rush can be used to initiate fights with its Energy return component, allowing him to use other abilities afterward.
You can land an initial Mark of the Storm debuff on an opponent with Thundering Shuriken, and then add to it with Electrical Surge.

Playing Against Kennen

Consider playing a bit more cautiously around Kennen when you have a Mark of the Storm debuff. If he hits you with 3 Marks of the Storm, you will get stunned.
Kennen is flimsy by nature - turn and attack him if he gets careless with Lightning Rush.

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How to Play Kennen FAQ - Patch 26.20

When does Kennen power spike?

Kennen's spikes in a typical ranked game: All three basic abilities at level 3; Ultimate rank 1 at level 6; Ultimate rank 2 at level 11; Ultimate rank 3 at level 16; First item at 11.6 min.

Can Kennen come back from behind?

Kennen wins 41% of games when behind in gold at 15 minutes (over 66 games), against 63% when ahead — so a lost lane costs Kennen games, but it is not decisive.

What is Kennen's first item?

Most Kennen players finish Hextech Rocketbelt first, at a median of 11.6 minutes.

How do you play Kennen Mid?

From this patch's ranked data, Kennen wins by playing to these strengths: end the game early.

Kennen How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes