Zoe vs Tahm Kench Counter Pick

A 37.8% win rate across 127 support games on patch 16.13.1 is grim, though the sample is small enough that it should be read as a strong hint rather than a final verdict. The cause, however, is visible in how the two kits fit together.

Zoe wins by peppering enemies with chip damage from 550 range, and Thick Skin turns that chip damage into something useful for Tahm Kench. He banks a share of all damage he absorbs, heals that bank once he is out of combat, and converts whatever remains into a shield when he chooses. The poke that would normally push a 175-range support back to base feeds him instead. Each time Tongue Lash hits an enemy champion it restores his health, so every trade he comes out ahead on pays off twice.

His kit also targets the very spots Zoe needs. Abyssal Dive launches him at a chosen location and knocks enemies airborne on arrival, undoing the distance that Portal Jump helps her maintain. Devour can either pull her carry out of the fight or save his own ally, and it works whether or not a Sleepy Trouble Bubble landed first. He starts with 640 health and 39 armor compared with 630 and 21, and reaches 2,391 health and 118.9 armor at level 18. An Acquired Taste bases his damage on maximum health, so every defensive item he builds also makes him more dangerous. Contesting waves and setting up roams works far better than trying to win a straight duel against him. See the Tahm Kench profile.