Tahm Kench
View on Wiki
Good (7.5/10)
Rare Relics OK
Low Investment
Tahm Kench is widely considered a 'solid' and 'fun' champion who excels in specific niches (like monthly challenges with ping damage). However, he is often described as 'slow' and struggles in high-tier Nightmare adventures where enemies scale too fast for his capture mechanic to keep up. With the right setup, particularly specific Epic relics, he jumps to A-tier power.
The Cruel King
The definitive 'Best in Slot' for Tahm Kench. It deals damage to your board (triggering his Star Powers and Berserker's Buckle immediately) while granting Overwhelm and Impact to your units.
Synergizes perfectly with Cruel Experiments and Tahm's natural playstyle, granting massive stats every time he survives damage.
Provides Fated for scaling, and critically unlocks Regeneration, Challenger, and Overwhelm once Tahm reaches 10 power, solving his sustain and finishing issues.
Strategy
This build transforms Tahm Kench into an aggressive engine. Cruel Experiments kickstarts his scaling on turn 1 by damaging him to trigger his passive and Buckle. Chosen by the Stars ensures he heals back up and can pull key threats or push for lethal.
Mega Kench
Doubles the stats from all your buffs, making Tahm grow exponentially faster.
Creates copies of 'An Acquired Taste' (via his champ spell) and allows for consistent spell spamming to fuel Secret Technique.- Essential for the Keywords (Regen/Overwhelm) and Fated triggers.
Strategy
A spell-heavy variant that focuses on spamming 'An Acquired Taste' and other buffs to leverage Secret Technique for massive stat growth.
The Unkillable Demon (Rare Only)
- The core scaling engine. Taking damage grants +2|+2, allowing Tahm to out-scale almost any enemy.
- A second copy doubles the scaling speed, making him grow fast enough to tank large hits.
Mandatory for sustain. Without regeneration, Tahm cannot survive the repeated self-damage required to scale.
Strategy
The classic 'stat-check' build. Use Tahm to block and eat units; he gets bigger every time he gets hit and heals to full every round start. Note: If you lack Warmog's Armor, 'Troll King's Crown' can be used for Overwhelm, but you must be careful with his health.
Other Relic Options
Can be used to ramp mana and play Tahm or his support units earlier, though requires a secondary relic like Luminous Orb to activate.
A strong alternative to give the whole board Overwhelm, ensuring your massive units don't get chump-blocked.
Allows Tahm to eat his own allies to consolidate stats and clear board space, triggering Fated or other ally-death synergies.
Enables Plunder effects and helps clear early boards, though less synergistic with Tahm's core gameplan than other options.
Constellation
Tahm Kench is a fan-favorite who operates on a unique 'Endurance' engine. His base kit at 3-stars is solid enough to clear most content, but he suffers from a slow startup. His 2-star power is a point of contention, often cluttering the hand with cards you cannot afford to play.
Glutton for Punishment
When an ally survives damage, grant it +1|+1.Review
Provides the core scaling mechanic. It's functional but slow without relics that self-damage.
Long-Term Contract
+1 Starting Mana. When you capture a unit, create a copy of it in hand. It cost 1 less.Review
Guarantees access to his removal spell, 'An Acquired Taste'. While useful for control, players frequently criticize this power for filling the hand with 'trash' if you cannot play the generated cards fast enough.
Glutton for Punishment II
When an ally survives damage, grant it +2|+2.Review
A powerful upgrade to his endurance engine. +2/+2 on surviving damage allows him to scale out of control quickly, especially when combined with Berserker's Buckle.
Gameplay Tips
Mastering the Munch
Tahm Kench's removal tool, An Acquired Taste, is powerful but slow. In high-difficulty adventures (like Nightmares), enemies often start with too much health to eat efficiently. Avoid trying to eat full-HP giants early; soften them up first or focus on eating key utility units rather than raw stats.
The Regeneration Necessity
Tahm Kench's health is his most valuable resource. Because his scaling requires him to take damage, running a source of Regeneration (Warmog's Armor or Chosen by the Stars) is non-negotiable for sustained runs. Without it, he will eventually be whittled down.
Counter-Pick Specialist
Tahm is the ultimate counter to 'Ping' adventures (where enemies deal 1 damage to everything). He turns that chip damage into massive stat buffs. Conversely, avoid him in adventures with 'Mortal Mark' (set unit health to 1) or 'Kill all damaged units', as these hard-counter his entire kit.
Self-Damage Synergy
Relics or powers that damage your own units are actually buffs for Tahm Kench. They trigger his Star Power and relics like The Berserker's Buckle without requiring the enemy to attack, allowing you to scale proactively during your own turn.