How to win lane as Kennen against Nautilus · 50.95% win rate over 842 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | His only engage is Q (Dredge Line) and you both poke softly level 1 — last-hit at range and dont give him a hook angle. |
| Level 2 | Kennen | Your second Q point plus W on-hit out-pokes his single-target hook before his HP bar or root matter. |
| Level 3 | Kennen | You chip his big health bar with ranged Q-W marks while he can only threaten if his Q hook lands. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | He hits his level-3 hook-into-E-AoE combo and your squishy body loses if you get pulled into melee, so respect the engage here. |
| Level 6 | Kennen | Slicing Maelstrom plus your three-mark stun-lock answers his hook all-in — drop R when he Q-pulls in and burst him before his R knockup chains. |
| First item | Kennen | Hextech Alternator/Liandry's turns your Q-W-R into real burst that punishes every hook he lands on you. |
| Two+ items | Nautilus | A fed tank with MR survives your R and his Q hook plus point-blank R knockup is a free pick on your squishy body — group and dont sidelane into his engage. |
Nautilus has one engage button and it's Q (Dredge Line) — if it misses, the hook goes on a long cooldown and you get a free window to step up and poke. At level 2-3 your second Q point plus W on-hit lets you chip his huge HP bar without ever entering his auto range, where his passive (Staggering Blow) roots you. Last-hit at max Q range, never walk into hook range to throw a shuriken, and respect that even one landed Q pulls you into his whole E-AoE-into-melee plan.
The full Kennen vs Nautilus 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? Nautilus vs Kennen guide →
All Kennen top lane matchups →