💖 TK ADC 💖

This section, and the next, are going to detail why I think Tahm Kench is better in duo-lane vs top, and then I'll explain my reasoning for ADC vs Support.

First, TK has no %HP damage on his basic abilities, which is something every other top lane tank besides Malphite has.

Because of this, it is very difficult to deal with the healthy targets you often face in top lane. Bot lane, however, typically features two squishy champions, which is perfect for TK's flat damage.

In terms of receiving damage, the only %HP damage you typically have to worry about is Vayne, Varus, and Kog'Maw, whereas in top-lane there is a ton more to worry about.

TK's grey health (E) is another reason I believe he is much better in duo-lane.

At rank 1 E, TK's gray health jumps from 15% to 42% when there are 2 or more visible enemies nearby. This legitimately causes 1v2 to be more preferable than 1v1 in some cases.

You might say, "wait a minute Numsies, isn't 15% to 42% a jump of literally 2.8x?............ I smile in pain.

And you might argue that you have to fight two champions instead of one. The thing is, not only do supports do less damage in general typically (and so do most ADCs if you consider how many top laners do %HP damage), but also:

You get a support yourself, and you get 2.8x, not just 2x, and that health goes a long way when you consider how much health you can recycle and snowball with doran's shield, second wind, E, Q, and especially if you have an enchanter. Also, if you get two people to attack you, that means they're not attacking your duo partner, which means this ability is carrying a lot of weight.

To carry on TK, you have to spike early and spike hard.

If you play him Support, I do believe Heartsteel is often still your best option, but you just get it so much faster as ADC role, and the earlier you hit that spike, the easier it'll be to pop squishies in the mid-game.

A support item doesn't give you the stats you need to pop squishies as well, so it is easier to become an ult bot for your team, and there are supports that can simply keep allies alive way better than that considering it's a pretty standard ult cooldown and you can tend to be useless while it's down (which I believe is the reason he isn't played much in pro-play).

The one downside is that you can end up with too much flat damage and/or AP, which can hurt in comparison to what you get with a marksman if there's a lot of health on the enemy team. I still don't think this weakness is typically as bad as his top and support weaknesses though. Perhaps it is different in GM+ though, unsure.

I believe TK works with any support.

Senna is the classic, as she provides AD and scaling, which kinda covers TK's weakness. I actually typically prefer Nami and Soraka to Senna though, especially if my duo has never played Senna, and sometimes I'll let my support know they don't have to play Senna if they don't want to.

Play safe until a good 1st back (typically at least a Giant's Belt and Dark Seal, which is gonna happen around level 4-5). Might be good to fill your support in on the game plan. (Also, sometimes it is better to wait even later to go in, or in very rare cases go in earlier. Judge based on the matchup, but usually play very safe early!)

I take TP and Ghost. I'm sure there are some other options worth weighing, but teleport helps with the rough level 1-3. I also recommend putting a point in your E when you hit level 2, to conserve health. I also take grasp, and build similarly to top lane honestly.