Interview with Kehnee: "Every player should play to improve, not to win"

Kenneth "kehnee" Rann is one of Team Dignitas' newest streamers, mostly playing League of Legends. Kehnee has recently joined our family and is now entertaining his viewers with his great gameplay and charisma. We wanted to know more about him and the game he plays, and he was happy to answer our questions!

Hi, Kehnee! Welcome to the Team Dignitas streaming team. Can you tell us how that happened?

Kehnee: Thank you for the warm welcome! Sui had contacted me through my stream and reached out an invitation to be part of the Dignitas family! He has been very welcoming and accommodating in this transition. 

Tell us how you got into gaming, what was your first gamin experience?

Kehnee: My dad and I grew up playing console games together. Being a part of a big family, my dad frequently brought me over to my cousin's house and they would always be playing Counter-Strike 1.6. It was my first real experience watching an FPS game and ever since then I've been hooked! The experience of getting my own computer and being able to create a team with my friends in CS1.6 is one of my more memorable experiences when it comes to gaming.

You've said that Counter Strike 1.6 is what got you into the gaming. What made you switch to League of Legends, from FPS to MOBA?

Kehnee: I had moved game to game with the same group of friends, so they had finally introduced me to League of Legends and ever since that it's been a done deal for me. FPS and MOBA games do have their differences, but they share the competitive aspect of gaming that I truly thrive in. I do play CSGO from time to time, but League of Legends is my go-to game now.

 

You've been a part of the League of Legends community since the very beginning. What were your favourite and least favourite changes Riot has made to the game?

Kehnee: My favorite changes that Riot has made to the game definitely have to be the Mid-Season patches that happen every year. The Mid-Season patch is integral in keeping the League of Legends scene fresh and it forces players to either adapt or fall off from their own play. Adapting to new environments is necessary for growth and to be sure that players are flexible enough to adapt.

My least favorite change that Riot has made was taking away the Ranked 5's system. This was probably the change I disliked the most because it removed the ability for new teams to grow and to tap into the amateur scene of League of Legends. Flex Queue was introduced to act as an in-between, but it does not really satisfy anyone who is looking for something more competitive than solo-queue.

How about future changes, do you have any recommendations?

Kehnee: I feel that Riot is doing a great job with the current patches they have been introducing. They are currently focusing on changes and small tweaks to champions that will bring them into the limelight. Hopefully, for future changes, they stop rolling massive nerfs to champions and instead bring other roles/champions to more competitive states. I think League of Legends is probably in the best place it has been in a long time, so it has a bright future for the E-Sports scene.

Top lane is where you find yourself playing most of the time. Why toplane?

Kehnee: Contrary to popular belief, top lane is one of the more impactful roles in the game. The conversation of toplane being an island is one that should be long and gone. It is the most pivotal role in League of Legends and your pressure in the lane will dictate whether or not you have a chance of scaling into mid/late game. The map is controlled by teleport and by having a proper understanding of wave manipulation, toplane is the best role to practice these mechanics. Also, it does help that the lane is extremely snowbally in solo-queue! :D

In the current meta, who do you think is the best toplane champion and why?

Kehnee: When it comes to this meta of champions, what I would consider to be S-tier, I don't think there is particularly one champion that would be considered king. It all depends on compositions and what strengths you would like to provide for your team. S-tier toplaners, as of this meta, would definitely be Galio, Gragas and Rumble. The reason why these champions have been relevant and continue to be so strong is due to the fact of their scaling and how much early game pressure they provide for their team.

Galio and Gragas fit into their own category of being close to impossible to kill; with the meta of the triple doran rings they have high mana sustain on top of having good utility to avoid from getting killed during laning phase. Rumble is great in his early game pressure with the constant Q harass and not having to worry about running out of resources is important to his strengths. Also, he provides engage for his team while not having to frontline, which is very rare for most top laners to have that particular win condition.

What are the most important tips you could give to someone who wishes to improve his toplane gameplay?

Kehnee: When it comes to improving top lane, you have to first come to the understanding of how the lane works. Learning the fundamentals is integral for every single player in League of Legends. Being able to CS properly, learning how to manipulate the minion wave and playing to their own individual strengths is how you'll improve. Watching VoDS of Ssumday or any world class top laner is great in trying to understand their perspective and why they play the way they do. My belief is that every player should play to improve, not to win. Sticking to one or two champions instead of having a wide pool is necessary as well.

How about the ranked ladder? What is the key to climbing up all the way to high Diamond?

Kehnee: Once you can hone in and have your mentality be all about improvement, you'll climb the ladder. Take it one game at a time and understand that not every game in solo-queue is winnable, but understand that you can learn something from every game you play. There is no secret when it comes to climbing because it will always come down to the fundamentals. Stick to one or two champions that are relevant in the meta, focus on improving your csing and learn the matchups for those two champions instead and out. Also, knowing when to dodge is extremely important; don't put yourself in a bad situation when someone in your team is already being toxic or if your team composition is sub-obtimal.

Higher ranked people such as you often tell us that raging keeps us down. However, we all know League of Legends community can sometimes be hard to deal with. How do you deal with saltiness and keep yourself away from the rage?

Kehnee: The League of Legends scene is still fairly new, so people can be extremely hard to deal with. I'm not perfect and on occasion, I'll let the saltiness get to me, but I do my best to remember that I'm playing League of Legends for myself and not anyone else. As soon as I start to get emotional, I know that my own gameplay will be affected, so I try my best to refrain from being emotional. Muting people as soon as they start to be toxic and reminding myself that I'm here to improve and that winning is simply just a product of that improvement. I try to chalk 20% of my games up to variance and to things I have no control over, so it doesn't bother me so much when there's toxicity or afkers in my games. For me, remembering to take it one game at a time is helpful too; as soon as I see that Victory or Defeat screen that game is over and I need to move on.

You don’t allow any sort of rage on your Twitch channel and always try to keep it as fun as possible. What are your streaming goals, is streaming something you could see yourself working long-term?

Kehnee: This is the first year and a half that I've taken streaming seriously and so far, I feel that I've given streaming my all and I will continue to do so. My streaming goal has never changed; to provide safe space for a community to grow and foster into something positive while providing high-quality content. With Dignitas' support and the community's support, I believe that our community will continue to grow and I will continue to pour everything I have into my stream for as long as possible.

Anything you’d like to say to your viewers, fans, … Any shotouts?

Kehnee: I would like to thank my family and loved ones for their continued support in the pursuit of what I love. I would like to thank my viewers and the mods who helped me create this wonderful community that continues to grow. My stream is the way it is now because of all their love! Thank you to Team Dignitas for believing in my dreams too, it truly means the world to me! Ask, believe and receive!

Make sure to click the follow button on Kehnee's Twitch.tv channel, Twitter and Facebook account!