How to win lane as Nasus against Kennen · 58.71% win rate (356 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Eat the shuriken poke with lifesteal, wither the all-in, and out-scale his lane-bully phase into your stacks.
Track: Kennen's E — Lightning Rush (10–6s cooldown). His escape. Wither him when it’s down.
Read from Nasus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Kennen.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even-to-coinflip — his Q and Surge autos chip, but with no stun and your sturdier body neither side commits, so you just soak stacks. |
| Level 2 | Kennen | His second Q point plus Electrical Surge on-hit lets him stack three Marks and stun you off any Q you step up to last-hit — concede the wave here. |
| Level 3 | Kennen | He still owns the poke trade — his mark stun on your overstep chunks you before you can soak stacks safely, so take the safe farm. |
| Levels 4-5 | Nasus | You reclaim the hard-commit window — your sturdier body and Soul Eater lifesteal mean a pre-6 Kennen has to chip and respect rather than all-in you. |
| Level 6 | Kennen | Slicing Maelstrom plus an E-in stun-locks a pre-Wither you with no stacks — his single biggest spike and the one stage he flatly owns. |
| First item | Nasus | Your Sheen/Iceborn and maxed Wither answer his burst directly: you cut his move and attack speed mid-R, so his kite dies and your empowered Q lands. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | You out-scale hard — stacked Q, Spirit Fire shred and R lifesteal eat his squishy caster body the moment his Maelstrom is on cooldown. |
Level 1 is a coinflip you can stomach — Kennen chips with one Thundering Shuriken and Electrical Surge autos, but your body is sturdier than his and he has no stun yet, so just farm Q stacks and eat the poke. Levels 2-3 are genuinely his, though: with his second Q point and a W on-hit he stacks three Marks of the Storm and pops the stun the instant you walk up to last-hit, then chunks your HP before you can answer. Do NOT throw yourself into Q range to contest CS — take the safe stacks under tower, accept you concede this window, and remember his only real plan is to deny your farm before Wither exists.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nasus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nasus 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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Nasus — a 58.71% win rate vs Kennen in top lane over 356 games is a real advantage.
Not really — Nasus holds a real statistical advantage (58.71% win rate), so Kennen is the one working uphill.
Statistically yes — Nasus counters Kennen in top lane, winning 58.71% of 356 Emerald+ games.
Nasus takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Haste and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Unflinching) vs Kennen.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Sheen (≈900g) — every Q after this hits twice as hard. Build Trinity Force (Iceborn Gauntlet if you need the slow + armor) first, then Spirit Visage (MR + heal amp), with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Kennen vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →
More Nasus top lane matchups: vs Karma · vs Kassadin · vs Kayle · vs Kled · vs Lillia · vs Locke