Tryndamere vs Tahm Kench Counter Pick

Thick Skin turns a slice of every hit Tahm Kench absorbs into a temporary shield, a rough matchup for any duellist who relies on burst and critical strikes. Tryndamere lands his damage in a tight window while Fury is stacked, and a shield fed by that same damage gives the trade back. Patch 16.13.1 shows him winning 45.5% of 444 games.

• Damage type: Tahm Kench’s magic damage runs into 32 base magic resist, so the armor most top lane matchups call for is wasted here.
• Resistances: Growing from 39 base armor to 118.9 directly shuts down physical critical strikes.
• An Acquired Taste ties his damage to total health, which rewards the same defensive items that already soften the duel.

Both champions share a 175 attack range, and Tryndamere opens with the edge in offence: 66 base attack damage to 56, and 696 base health to 640, so the early levels are his. Later, Tongue Lash heals Tahm Kench on every champion it hits, Abyssal Dive launches a target into the air on landing, and Devour pulls an enemy out of the fight altogether, including to rescue an ally who has already committed. Undying Rage makes him hard to finish, yet staying alive does not equal winning the trade, and Grievous Wounds taken early hurts more than a drawn-out duel. Both use mana, both have a difficulty rating of 5, and his 335 move speed against 345 is the one lever Spinning Slash has for forcing the fight at all.