How to win lane as Kennen against Graves · 57.17% win rate over 927 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Kennen | You out-range his shotgun autos at level 1 — chip with Q and Electrical Surge while he has no E to close the gap. |
| Level 2 | Kennen | A second Q point plus W on-hit lets you land a real poke trade his shotgun can't return from outside his range. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | His E dash comes online and lets him reposition behind your marks to shotgun-burst — neither of you owns this cleanly, so play the range game. |
| Levels 4-5 | Kennen | You keep the Q poke edge while he can't all-in without his E, so chip him down and respect the dash window. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Your R stun-locks him but his E dash and W-blind can answer it — it comes down to your flash timing versus his escape, so it reads even. |
| First item | Kennen | Hextech Alternator/Rocketbelt turns your three-mark stun into a kill, and your magic damage ignores the armor he stacks. |
| Two+ items | Kennen | Your first-item burst still blows up a tanky-ADC Graves before he gets two crit items — close it here while marks and R win the all-in. |
Graves wins the trade if you walk into shotgun range, so poke him only with max-range Q (Thundering Shuriken) and let Electrical Surge autos chip when he steps up to last-hit. His True Grit gives him resistances stacking in combat, but your magic damage cuts through it, and at levels 1-2 you out-range his shotgun cone — keep throwing Q on cooldown and don't chase, because his E dash punishes overextension. Bait his Smokescreen (W): once that blind is down, your autos and marks land clean.
The full Kennen vs Graves 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.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Graves vs Kennen guide →
All Kennen top lane matchups →