How to win lane as Malphite against Kennen · 46.74% win rate (674 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
He’s AP poke — build MR, your armor is useless.
Track: Kennen's E — Lightning Rush (10–6s cooldown). His escape. R-engage around it.
Read from Malphite's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Kennen.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Neither of us has a real level-1, but Thundering Shuriken reaches 950 to my Q's 625 and Granite Shield only buffers so much — I last-hit at max range and concede. |
| Level 2 | Kennen | At level 2 he can stack a second Mark of the Storm off Q plus an auto while I still have only Seismic Shard, so he owns any step-up to the wave. |
| Level 3 | Kennen | His level-3 Q-W poke plus a looming third-mark stun out-chips me before W and E are online to answer — I farm and eat it. |
| Levels 4-5 | Kennen | He still pokes me from outside my range and refills energy for free, but my W Thunderclap and Granite Shield now let me at least survive the wave. |
| Level 6 | Kennen | Slicing Maelstrom into a third Mark of the Storm stun-locks me, and his move speed means he never respects my R cooldown — this is his hardest window. |
| First item | Kennen | His first AP item pokes my low-economy frame down before my armor item matters, and he kites my short-range W/E splash all day. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | It evens out in teamfights — my R Unstoppable Force knocks up a committed Kennen and my E slow shreds his side, so I engage rather than duel him. |
Kennen owns the opening: he pokes with Q from outside my range and refills energy for free, so I have no mana-style attrition to punish — I just eat bolts. At level 1-2 I have no trade pattern at all, only Q Seismic Shard, so don't walk up to throw a single Q he can dodge while he autos me back. Last-hit at max range, let Granite Shield refresh between his pokes, and accept that I'm conceding the lane until my W and E come online. Never get marked-up to two stacks over a CS — a third Mark of the Storm is a free stun for him.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Malphite's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Malphite vs Kennen 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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Kennen, slightly — Malphite wins 46.74% of 674 games; winnable with the right plan.
Mostly — Kennen has a small statistical edge (53.26% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
No — if anything Kennen has the slight edge (Malphite wins 46.74%), though it stays close.
Malphite takes Grasp of the Undying on the Resolve tree with Demolish, Second Wind and Overgrowth, and Precision secondary (Triumph and Legend: Haste) vs Kennen.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Core component + boots (≈1300g). Build Iceborn Gauntlet / Frozen Heart first, then Thornmail / Abyssal Mask, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Kennen vs Malphite guide →
All Malphite top lane matchups →
More Malphite top lane matchups: vs Karma · vs Kassadin · vs Kayle · vs Kled · vs Lillia · vs Locke