Kennen vs Nasus
Skill matchup
Build vs Nasus
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kennen: Hextech Rocketbelt, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Hextech Gunblade, Oblivion Orb, Stormsurge, Void Staff.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Nasus's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Nasus drains his foe's spiritual energy, giving him bonus Life Steal.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7.5s | 15s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 5.5s | 15s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 3.5s | 14s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 3.5s | 13s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 3.5s | 11s | 12s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 3.5s | 11s | 12s | 1m20 |
Playing as Kennen
Tips to maximize your impact
- Harass melees with Q
Against a melee champion, harass with Thundering Shuriken (Q) from your range: the shuriken flies far and applies Mark of the Storm (passive).
- Three marks to stun
Hit the same target with Thundering Shuriken (Q), Lightning Rush (E) then Electrical Surge (W): each spell applies Mark of the Storm (passive), and the third stuns.
- Trade with your 5th auto
Take your trades when your 5th auto is ready: Electrical Surge (W) adds magic damage and a Mark of the Storm (passive) to it.
- Engage into the middle of the group
To engage, rush into the group with Lightning Rush (E), Flash if needed, then cast Slicing Maelstrom (R): its repeated hits apply marks and stun.
Playing against Nasus
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Deny his farm early
Early on, take a trade whenever he steps up to last-hit a minion: each kill with Siphoning Strike (Q) increases its damage for the whole game.
- Freeze near your tower
Freeze the wave near your tower: to farm with Siphoning Strike (Q), he then has to step up and expose himself to ganks.
- Wait out his storm
Once he hits level 6, don't engage during Fury of the Sands (R): for 15 seconds, he gains health and resistances, and his area damage scales with your max health.
- Hit him while backing off
In teamfights, if you're ranged, hit him while backing off: he has no dash, only Wither (W), a slow that grows stronger over time.
Other Kennen matchups
Patch 16.21.1