League of Legends Kennen Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Kennen is a powerful AP top laner in League of Legends known for his mobility, consistent poke, and game-changing AoE stuns. With the right build and rune setup, he can dominate lane and turn teamfights with one well-timed ultimate. Whether you’re looking to bully your opponent early or make huge impact plays in mid-to-late game fights, this guide covers the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you master Kennen and carry your team.

Kennen Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Kennen’s kit is built around speed, poke, and powerful crowd control. His passive, Mark of the Storm, applies a mark each time his abilities hit a target—at 3 stacks, it stuns them briefly and restores energy. His Q, Thundering Shuriken, throws a skillshot that deals magic damage to the first enemy hit. His W, Electrical Surge, passively enhances every fifth auto attack to deal bonus magic damage, and actively zaps all nearby enemies marked with his passive. His E, Lightning Rush, turns him into a ball of lightning, gaining movement speed and the ability to pass through units while damaging and marking those he touches. His R, Slicing Maelstrom, summons a storm around him that deals multiple waves of AoE magic damage and can quickly stack his passive for massive teamfight stuns.

Best Summoner Spells For Kennen

The best summoner spells for Kennen are Flash and Teleport. Flash is essential for repositioning, escaping danger, or making aggressive plays—especially to land a surprise ultimate combo. Teleport gives you strong map presence, letting you split-push or join fights quickly. For more aggressive kill pressure in lane, you can swap Teleport for Ignite, but Flash is always a must-have on Kennen.

Best Runes For Kennen

The best runes for Kennen focus on maximizing poke, mobility, and teamfight impact. Here’s the optimal setup:

Primary: Sorcery
• Electrocute (for burst damage in lane) or Summon Aery (for safer poke and harass)
• Nimbus Cloak – Boosts movement speed after casting summoner spells, great for chasing or escaping.
• Transcendence – Gives ability haste and scales well into mid-game.
• Scorch – Adds burn damage to your poke, making your early trades stronger.

Secondary: Inspiration
• Magical Footwear – Free boots and bonus movement speed.
• Cosmic Insight – Reduces cooldowns on items and summoner spells, which is perfect for Kennen’s playstyle.

Bonus Stats
• Adaptive Force
• Adaptive Force
• Armor or Magic Resist (based on matchup)

This setup helps Kennen dominate lane with constant poke and lets him scale into a huge teamfight presence with his ultimate.

Best Kennen Build

The best build for Kennen in League of Legends focuses on burst magic damage and teamfight utility. Here’s a strong core build:
• Hextech Rocketbelt – Great for gap-closing and adding burst to your all-in combo.
• Sorcerer’s Shoes – Boosts your magic penetration for stronger poke and teamfight presence.
• Zhonya’s Hourglass – A must-have for diving with your ultimate safely and surviving enemy focus.
• Shadowflame – Increases burst damage, especially against shielded or low-magic-resist targets.
• Rabadon’s Deathcap – Massive AP boost for scaling your damage into the late game.
• Void Staff – Essential for shredding through enemies stacking magic resist.

This build gives Kennen high mobility, survivability, and the damage needed to turn teamfights around with a single ultimate.

Best Combos To Learn For Kennen

For Kennen, mastering quick and impactful combos is key to winning trades and dominating teamfights. A basic trading combo is Q (Thundering Shuriken) → W (Electrical Surge) to poke safely from range. For an all-in, use E (Lightning Rush) → Flash → R (Slicing Maelstrom) → W → Q to engage, stun, and burst your enemies—this is Kennen’s signature teamfight combo. Always look to enter fights from fog of war or flank with E + Flash + R for maximum surprise and value. Proper timing with Zhonya’s Hourglass right after R ensures you stay alive while your ult keeps damaging and stunning everyone caught in it.

Conclusion

Kennen is a powerful pick in League of Legends thanks to his strong lane control, mobility, and game-changing ultimate. With the right build, runes, and combos, you can dominate teamfights and catch enemies off guard with deadly flanks. Whether you’re split-pushing or diving into the enemy backline, mastering Kennen’s combos and timing your ult with precision will make you a serious threat on the Rift.