Darius vs Kennen
Skill matchup
Build vs Kennen
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Darius: Youmuu's Ghostblade, Force of Nature, Dead Man's Plate, Mercury's Treads, Stridebreaker, Sterak's Gage, Death's Dance, Spear of Shojin.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Kennen's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Kennen stuns enemies he hits 3 times with his abilities.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 13s | 10s | – |
| 6 | 5.5s | 13s | 10s | 2m |
| 9 | 4s | 11.25s | 10s | 2m |
| 11 | 4s | 9.5s | 10s | 2m |
| 16 | 4s | 6s | 8s | 2m |
| 18 | 4s | 6s | 6s | 2m |
Playing as Darius
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hit with the edge of your axe
Aim the outer edge of Decimate (Q): only the blade heals you and applies Hemorrhage (passive). The handle, in the center, deals less damage.
- All-in at five stacks
Go all-in when your target has five Hemorrhage (passive) stacks: you gain a massive AD bonus, and Noxian Guillotine (R) hits harder with each stack.
- Save Apprehend for runners
Save Apprehend (E) to pull back an enemy who retreats, not to start a trade: it's your only pull, on a 26 to 16 second cooldown.
- Execute to recast your R
Cast Noxian Guillotine (R) on the lowest-health target: its true damage ignores armor, and if it kills, you can recast it right away.
Playing against Kennen
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge his shurikens
Dodge Thundering Shuriken (Q): each spell that hits you applies Mark of the Storm (passive), and on the third, you're stunned.
- Back off when he rushes in
Back off as soon as he rushes at you with Lightning Rush (E): it's his engage, often followed by Slicing Maelstrom (R).
- Spread out from your allies
When he has Slicing Maelstrom (R), spread out from your allies: the storm hits every enemy around him, and its repeated hits end up stunning.
- Fight back after his storm
Wait for Slicing Maelstrom (R) to end before you fight back: during the storm, he gains armor and magic resist, then the spell has a 120-second cooldown.
Other Darius matchups
Patch 16.21.1