Garen vs Tahm Kench

Garen
vs
46.4%

over 491 games

Tahm Kench

Skill matchup

Very tankyHeavy AP damageHigh sustainSplit push

Build vs Tahm Kench

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Garen: Stridebreaker, Phantom Dancer, Mortal Reminder, Berserker's Greaves, Dead Man's Plate, Youmuu's Ghostblade, Black Cleaver, Executioner's Calling.

Starting items

Doran's Shield
Health Potion

Core build

Stridebreaker
1
Phantom Dancer
2
Mortal Reminder
3

Standard

Berserker's Greaves
4AS
Dead Man's Plate
5

Summoner spells

FlashDot93%
FlashTeleport3%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Dead Man's Plate
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Black Cleaver
Executioner's Calling
Serpent's Fang
Force of Nature
Lord Dominik's Regards
Infinity Edge
Sterak's Gage
Spear of Shojin
B. F. Sword
Serrated Dirk
Voltaic Cyclosword
Tiamat
Trinity Force
Hullbreaker
Randuin's Omen
Death's Dance
Guardian Angel
Chempunk Chainsword
Jak'Sho, The Protean
Bramble Vest
Spirit Visage
Thornmail
63.9% WR97 games
PrecisionPrecision
ConquerorConqueror
TriumphTriumph
Legend: HasteLegend: Haste
Last StandLast Stand
SorcerySorcery
Axiom ArcanistAxiom Arcanist
CelerityCelerity
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Tahm Kench's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

An Acquired Taste (P)

Tahm Kench puts the heft of his immense body behind his attacks, gaining extra damage based on his total health. Damaging enemy champions builds stacks of An Acquired Taste. At three stacks, he can use Devour on an enemy champion.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
37s21s3s–
66s21s3s0s
95s20s3s0s
115s19s3s0s
165s17s3s0s
185s17s3s0s

Playing as Garen

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Silence, spin, back off

    Trade with Decisive Strike (Q), then Judgment (E), and back off: the Decisive Strike silence stops your opponent from answering with spells.

  2. Stay closest to your opponent

    During Judgment (E), stay closer to your opponent than to their minions: the nearest enemy takes extra damage.

  3. Back off to regenerate

    After a trade, back off until Perseverance (passive) kicks in: without recent damage taken, you regenerate part of your health every second.

  4. Courage just before impact

    Activate Courage (W) just before the bulk of the damage: you first gain a shield and tenacity, then a longer damage reduction.

  5. Save your R to finish

    Save Demacian Justice (R) to finish: its true damage grows with the target's missing health.

Playing against Tahm Kench

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Don't give him three stacks

    Back off before he stacks An Acquired Taste (passive) three times on you: Tongue Lash (Q) would stun you, and Devour (R) could swallow you.

  2. Trade after his shield

    Take a trade right after the Thick Skin (E) shield: by activating it, he gives up the healing his stored damage would have given him.

  3. Get out of his dive zone

    Leave the area where Abyssal Dive (W) will make him reappear: the impact knocks every enemy in it into the air.

  4. Focus him when he swallows an ally

    When he swallows one of his allies with Devour (R), focus him: he can't attack or cast any spell other than Abyssal Dive (W).

  5. Interrupt his dive

    If you have CC, use it during Abyssal Dive (W): he channels before reappearing, and an immobilizing effect cancels the dive.

Patch 16.21.1