Hi, this is my second guide on MobaFire, and I'll be showing you the ropes to becoming the invincible split push Malzahar. I used to main Malzahar back in early season 6 until the mid-season mage changes. At first I thought they had ruined him, given him an entirely new playstyle, and I was right. With the disappearence of death fire grasp, malz and several other mages will have a hard time finding a spot again in the preseason, but I think malz will still be the annoying suppression bot he always was.

This build maximizes Malzahar's stickiness and innate tankinss with his passive Void Shift. Despite the support item, Frost Queen's Claim in the build, you should still be going mid with this. Support doesnt give you enough gold. I like the new rune, ultimate hat because it allows malz to ult more and more as the game goes on.

Pros
Very sticky, high kill potential against unsuspecting foes
Hard to kill if you have gotten a few of the tanky items
Good at split pushing with his waveclear and Zz'Rot Portal
Very fun to play at full items

Cons
Builds a support item early on, even though he can't full utilize its passive
Lacks damage for a while, as he doesn't build much AP until Morellonomicon
Like any Malzahar, immobilizes himself when he ults, leaving him vulnerable to multpile enemies

Ghost

Most common spell in midlane. Use it to catch up to foes or to run away.

Flash

For obvious purposes. Escape or chasing. Very helpful for the flash into Nether Grasp.

Summon Aery

After playing malz for a bit, Summon Aery is definitely the best rune on him. His maelific visions might proc aery twice in a fight, on a single target.

The Ultimate Hat

By far the best rune to get on Malzahar, as 80% of your who kit revolves around your ultimate ability, Nether Grasp. With The Ultimate Hat you can use it more and more as the game goes on.

Transcendence

The good thing about this runes is the ability to overcap on your CDR without too much harm. Free AP never hurted anyone.

Scorch

Scorch is the closest to poor old deathfire grasp. It has a 20 second cooldown, but is great for chunking people down with just one ability.

Cheap Shot

Dealing more damage while I outplay them with Nether Grasp? I'm fine with that.

Ingenious Hunter

With Ingenious Hunter, the more kills you get, the lower the Frost Queen's Claim's active CD will go down, allowing for more plays.

Doran's Ring

Normal starting item for mages in the midlane. Give mana sustain a little bit of AP

Health Potion x2

What else would you buy with 100g

Frost Queen's Claim

Frost Queen's Claim seems like it should only be used for support, but that's not necessarily true. It's active is similar to a free rylais proc. The new update to the support items also allows you to get Bandit from the procs. This should be your first big item purchase.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

CDR boots to cap out your CDR and to make your Ghost and Flash cooldowns shorter.

Morellonomicon

This item does not need to be bought after the Frost Queen's Claim.It is for some more AP and CDR. Only build it as your second item if you're already ahead.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Rylai's Crystal Scepter is very important on this build. It allows Malzahar to stick on a champion after hitting them with only one ability. Build it as a second item if you want some more utility.

Zz'rot Portal

This strange item gives Malzahar a few unique traits. Firstly, it makes him much tankier in both armor and magic resist. It also gives him the ability to rush down a tower if given free time with it. Build Zz'Rot Portal as a third item, after either Rylai's Crystal Scepter or Morellonomicon.

Zhonya's Hourglass

Build this as one of the later items. With Zhonya's Hourglass and Void Shift active, most champs will hesitate on whether or not to jump on Malzahar, as they would have to break through the spell shield from Void Shift and then get through your stasis from Zhonya's Hourglass all the while being attacked by your Malefic Visions and Void Swarm. The effectiveness of Zhonya's Hourglass compared to the old version of Guardian Angel is a a little lackluster, but you can still make do.

Banshee's Veil

Who doesn't need more spell shields? Build this if you are behind in an AP matchup, it'll give you two free spell dodges before you start taking damage.

Randuin's Omen

Build this if you're behind in an AD matchup. It gives you a little bit more stickiness if you're standing close enough to utilize Randuin's Omen's active.

Liandry's Torment

Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Liandry's Torment pair together nicely with the percent health burn. Build this item when you want more damage or if there is a tank that you need to get rid of.