Tenacity is one of the more complex stats in League of legends, reducing the duration of most crowd control (CC) effects. While it may seem simple on the surface, there are multiple types of tenacity, each interacting differently. Understanding how tenacity stacks and which forms of CC it affects can be the key to countering heavy-CC compositions.
Note: This is old content that’s obsolete by 2025.
What is Tenacity in League of Legends?
Tenacity is a stat that reduces the duration of most incoming crowd control effects. However, it does not work against certain types of CC, including:
- Airborne (Knockups, Knockbacks, Knock-asides)
- Drowsy
- Nearsight
- Stasis
- Suppression
For all other CC effects (such as stuns, slows, roots, and fears), tenacity reduces their duration, but there is a minimum duration limit of 0.3 seconds.
Sources of Tenacity in League of Legends
Tenacity can be obtained from various sources, including:
- Items: Mercury’s Treads, Silvermere Dawn, Iceborn Gauntlet, Anathema’s Chains
- Runes: Legend: Tenacity, Unflinching
- Summoner Spells: Cleanse
- Abilities: Garen’s W (Courage), Chemtech Soul, Mosstomper Seedling (Jungle Buff)
- Dragon Buffs: Chemtech Drake Buff
While they all provide tenacity, they do not stack additively unless they belong to the same type.
Types of Tenacity & Stacking Rules
There are five different types of tenacity, and they stack differently depending on their category:
| Tenacity Type | Examples | Stacking Method |
|---|---|---|
| Type A | Mercury’s Treads, Silvermere Dawn (Active), Iceborn Gauntlet, Anathema’s Chains (Debuff) | Additively |
| Type B | Elixir of Iron, Unflinching (Rune) | Additively |
| Type C | Garen W (Active), Chemtech Drake Soul, Mosstomper Seedling, Game Mode Modifiers (ARAM, URF) | Additively |
| Type D | Summoner Spell: Cleanse | Unique (Does not stack) |
| Type E | Legend: Tenacity (Rune) | Additively |
How Tenacity Stacks
- If multiple sources are from the same type, they stack additively.
- Example: If you have Elixir of Iron (25%) and Unflinching (10%), you get 35% total tenacity.
- If multiple sources are from different types, they stack multiplicatively.
- Example: If you have Mercury’s Treads (30%) and Legend: Tenacity (30%), the formula for stacking tenacity is:
This means that even though both sources provide 30% tenacity, you will not get 60% tenacity. Instead, you receive 51% due to diminishing returns from different types.
Max Tenacity in League of Legends
Currently, the maximum tenacity achievable is 100%, meaning all CC (except those that cannot be reduced) is completely negated. In the past, it was possible to exceed 100% tenacity, but Riot fixed this interaction.
The highest practical stacking combination today includes:
- Mercury’s Treads (30%)
- Legend: Tenacity (30%)
- Unflinching (10-30% based on missing HP)
- Elixir of Iron (25%)
- Chemtech Soul (15%)
- Garen’s W (60% for 0.75s)
With the right combination, CC durations can be reduced to near-instant levels.
Tenacity & Anathema’s Chains Interaction
Anathema’s Chains applies a negative tenacity debuff (-20%) to its target when fully stacked.
How Does Negative Tenacity Work?
- If you have Mercury’s Treads (30%), but you are affected by Anathema’s Chains (-20%), the tenacity calculation is:
- 30% – 20% = 10% Tenacity (Additive since both are Type A).
- However, if your tenacity sources come from different types, they follow the multiplicative stacking formula, leading to different final values.
The best way to counter Anathema’s Chains is to build tenacity from a different type than the one it reduces.
Conclusion: How to Optimize Tenacity
- Stacking the same type of tenacity is better for efficiency.
- Stacking different tenacity types can help reach higher values but has diminishing returns.
- CC duration cannot be reduced below 0.3 seconds.
- Anathema’s Chains can negatively impact tenacity, but using other types of tenacity can mitigate this effect.
- Tenacity does not affect airborne, suppression, drowsy, nearsight, or stasis effects.
Understanding these mechanics will help you counter CC-heavy teams effectively and optimize your tenacity build.
For more in-depth guides and League of Legends insights, visit LoLNOW.gg!
What does Tenacity do in League of Legends?
Tenacity reduces the duration of most crowd control effects, except Airborne, Suppression, Nearsight, Drowsy, and Stasis.
How does Tenacity stack?
Tenacity stacks additively if from the same type and multiplicatively if from different types. This results in diminishing returns when combining multiple tenacity sources.
What is the maximum Tenacity in League of Legends?
The maximum tenacity is 100%, meaning CC effects (except unreduceable ones) have no effect. However, Riot has fixed interactions that allowed it to exceed 100%.
Does Tenacity affect knockups and suppressions?
How does Anathema’s Chains affect Tenacity?
Anathema’s Chains applies a -20% Tenacity debuff to its target. If a player builds Tenacity from the same type as Anathema’s debuff (Type A), the values stack additively. If from different types, they follow the multiplicative stacking formula.
