Astronaut Kennen

First game I played with Astronaut Kennen was around 3 AM on a Tuesday, right after it dropped in February 2023. Queued up ranked, locked in Kennen top, and something about the little space suit just made the whole lane phase feel different. Not mechanically, obviously. But vibes matter when you’re grinding Diamond and trying not to tilt. This skin has stayed in my rotation ever since, and I think it deserves more attention than it gets.

What Astronaut Kennen actually brings to the table

So the VFX are the star here. Kennen’s Q fires off this glowing space-energy shuriken that reads super clean against the Rift. Honestly not gonna lie, it helped me land poke in lane more consistently just because the projectile is easier to track visually. Could be placebo. Probably is. But still.

The W proc effect has this nice electric-space burst that fits the Astronaut theme without being over the top. E is where it gets interesting though. When you pop Lightning Rush, the trail effect looks like some kind of cosmic exhaust, bluish-white particles streaming behind Kennen as he zips through a teamfight. Clean stuff.

R is the big one. Slicing Maelstrom gets this orbital VFX ring thats got a space station vibe to it. Feels massive when you flash-ult into the backline during a dragon fight. Played maybe 40 games with this skin in ranked last season and the ult particles never got old. The recall animation is fun too. Little guy floats up with his space gear, very on-brand for the Astronaut line.

Base voice lines, no changes. Standard for a 1350 RP Epic tier skin. No new VO is expected at this price point and I dont think Kennen mains care much about that anyway. The model itself is solid. Helmet, space suit, the whole astronaut look works on Kennen’s small frame better than you’d expect. Some champs look weird in the Astronaut skins but Kennen pulls it off naturally.

The Astronaut line and where Kennen fits

Released February 24, 2023. Late season 13. Augusto Quirino and West Studio handled the artwork, and they captured the playful space explorer feel perfectly. The Astronauts skinline is one of Riot’s more consistent theme sets. You’ve got Astronaut Corki, Astronaut Bard, Astronaut Veigar in there. Good company.

Kennen fits the Astronaut vibe because he’s already this small energetic yordle-adjacent creature (sidebar for Kennen one-tricks: yes I know he’s a yordle, I just always forget). Putting him in a space suit is a natural extension of the cute-but-deadly energy he already has. The splash is gorgeous. Quirino went hard on it.

8 chromas total for this one. Obsidian is my personal go-to because the dark color scheme makes Kennen look like some kind of stealth operative in space. Amethyst hits different too, the purple reads well against Summoner’s Rift greens. Rose Quartz is surprisingly clean if you want something softer. Not gonna list every single one but the variety is there if you like options.

1350 RP. Shop has it. Permanent availability so no rush, no vault stress.

How it plays in actual ranked games

Been running this in Diamond for a while now and the skin feels good in practice. Kennen is one of those champs where you spend most of lane phase farming with Q and waiting for your moment to engage. The Astronaut VFX make that Q cs routine slightly more satisfying. Small thing. Matters over 200 games though.

Real talk though, the best part is the ult visual in teamfights. When you flash over a wall into their comp and pop R, the space-themed Slicing Maelstrom just looks right. Had a game last week where I caught their Jinx and Lux grouped near baron pit, flashed in with E into R, and the Astronaut particles made the whole play feel cinematic. Maybe just my experience but I think cleaner VFX help you read your own abilities better in chaotic fights.

One thing I noticed after spamming this for months: the auto attack animations feel slightly different in rhythm compared to base Kennen. Not actually different, I checked. Just perception. The space-themed autos have a crispness that makes last-hitting feel tighter. Kinda feels like Riot put extra attention into the attack particles here.

Should you buy Astronaut Kennen?

Verdict time. If you main Kennen or even have him as a secondary pick for top lane, this skin is worth the 1350 RP. The VFX upgrade across all abilities is noticeable, the model looks great, and the Astronaut theme suits the champion. Not sure if it’s just me but I think this is top two or three in Kennen’s skin catalog. Arctic Ops has been the default “good Kennen skin” for years, and Astronaut genuinely challenges it.

(Random aside: the Astronaut Kennen splash has been my Discord avatar since it came out and nobody has ever commented on it. Pain.)

Skip this if you already own Infernal Kennen and feel satisfied. But if you’re looking for something fresh, something that makes your ranked grind on Kennen feel new again, 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. Top pick for Kennen mains who want the cleanest VFX available on the champion right now. Been season 13, 14, and into 15 with this skin and I keep coming back to it.