How to win lane as Illaoi against Tahm Kench · 50.9% win rate over 943 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Tahm Kench | Tahm's level-1 Q poke and Thick Skin out-trade your unramped tentacles. |
| Level 2 | Illaoi | At level 2 your W-dash reset puts you on top and slamming tentacles. |
| Level 3 | Illaoi | Level 3 your tentacle field grinds him while his W self-peel is down. |
| Levels 4-5 | Illaoi | Levels 4-5 keep your all-in above his grey-health tank trades. |
| Level 6 | Illaoi | Level-6 R wall out-damages Tahm's Thick Skin conversion when he commits. |
| First item | Illaoi | First item plus tentacle uptime out-damages his tank build in a duel. |
| Two+ items | Illaoi | Late, your tentacle duel and split threat outweigh his ally-saving fights. |
Tahm Kench only leads at level 1, where his Q Tongue Lash poke and Thick Skin passive out-trade your not-yet-ramped tentacles; from level 2 onward your W-dash reset puts you on top and winning trades.
The full Illaoi vs Tahm Kench report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Tahm Kench vs Illaoi guide →
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