Despite the nerf to his ability damage in patch 9.15, Kennen is still a champ that has tons of potential in a Yordle or Elementalist build. The strength of his ability and his ability to be used in a variety of compositions make him strong but giving him the right items is the real key to unlocking his potential. With that in mind, here are the top five items to consider giving Kennen in TFT.
A priority in any Kennen build should be to get a Morellonomicon as quickly as possible. Because Kennen’s ability affects so many different enemies, canceling their healing and applying a 5% burn damage is absolutely worth it. This item is made with a Giant’s Belt and N.L.R. which also contributes to Kennen’s overall health and spell damage, two important factors when building the champ. Using Kennen with Morello means that Kennen needs to be protected but also in the action, to a degree. With an Elementalist build, hopefully, the golem will take some of the heat off of him. For a Yordle build, ideally, his shiftiness will be enough to keep him going but also consider a Phantom Dancer in either situation for extra survivability.
As mentioned above, this item is solely to keep Kennen alive and hitting quickly. With him being a relatively flimsy frontline unit, Kennen needs something like a Phantom Dancer to prevent him from being taken down by an unsuspecting critical hit. Made using a Chain Vest and a Recurve Bow, this item also serves to give Kennen a quicker build to his ability and a tinge more resistance to overall damage. If RNG and the carousel allow it, definitely make a Phantom Dancer a top priority for Kennen. If not, go for a Thornmail or Hextech Gunblade to help keep him alive.
[Related: The Three Best Gnar Builds in Teamfight Tactics]
Third on the list, built with a B.F. Sword and Tear of the Goddess, is Spear of Shojin. This item is great in a Kennen build because, simply, it allows him to do what he does best more quickly. Kennen is a champ that thrives when he is using his ability as often as possible, which means he needs to 1) survive long enough to use it and 2) have a way to quickly restore mana. That is where this item comes in. After each ability, Shojin gives Kennen 15% of his max mana back in an instant and, because it’s built using a Tear, he starts off with a good bit from the beginning.
[As a note, Seraph’s Embrace is a good substitute for Spear of Shojin if another Tear of the Goddess is available over the B.F. Sword. Both do effectively the same thing in resorting mana.]
As was mentioned earlier, Hextech Gunblade is an excellent alternative to a Phantom Dancer to help keep Kennen alive but it is also effective in addition to it. Because his ability deals such a massive amount of damage and he is using it often, Kennen is able to benefit greatly from the healing of the Hextech. Made using a B.F. Sword and a N.L.R. makes Kennen hit even harder to make the healing effects even that much better. All in all, if the RNG calls for it and all you can get is a Hextech, it is absolutely a solid item for Kennen and should be considered anytime he is being used.
[Related: The 5 Best Items to Give Veigar in Teamfight Tactics]
This item goes in a slightly different direction than the rest of the ones on this list but is still an extremely deadly option for Kennen. Rather than keeping him alive or helping him to get to his ability faster, Rabadon’s makes Kennen’s ability an absolute killer. Giving Kennen’s Spell Damage 50% AP, combined with the two N.L.R.’s it takes to build, makes his ability so deadly that using it fewer times is not as detrimental. In the end, still look to favor the other items in the list but always keep Rabadon’s in the conversation when building.
For building these, or any other builds, be sure to check out the latest champion and item tier lists from The Game Haus, as well as all of our other coverage of TFT.
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