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Malzahar Build Guide by

Jnew's In-Depthy Mid Lane Malzahar Guide!

Updated on

9.2

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League of Legends Build Guide Author Jnewbringspain

Build Guide By

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78 Comments

122 12

2,475,172 Views

78 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Jnewbringspain

Malzahar Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (78) More Malzahar Guides

Runes:

Sorcery

Summon Aery

Manaflow Band

Transcendence

Gathering Storm

Precision

Presence of Mind

Coup de Grace

Bonus:

+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10% Tenacity/Slow Resist

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Starting Items

Core Items

Likely After Core

Situational Items

Ideal Full Build

Ability Order

Malzahar Passive Ability

More Malzahar Counters

Hello and welcome to my guide! I'm A1dsForEveryone (Formerly JnewFTW). I have been playing League since season 1 and I've reached Platinum tier in multiple seasons (Not so much lately, as I don't have time to play as much as I once did). Mid lane is my best role and I have learned a lot over the years. Hopefully I can share my knowledge and it will help you become a better player.

+ Very powerful mage. Deals a lot of damage.
+ Ultimate has suppress. Can NOT be cleansed.
+ gives you decent mana return.
+ Can take out a high-valued target out of the fight.
+ Fantastic farming/lane pushing ability.
+ Not easy to counterpick.
+ Passive gives a better version of .
+ Can 100-0 an enemy if you land the proper combo.

- No escapes, easy to gank.
- Requires a few items to be successful.
- Immobile. Can't help other lanes easily.
- Heavily countered by .
- Can struggle against quick gap closers.
- Can't build effectively.
- DoT damage makes it hard to secure a kill around allies, a lot of your kills will be stolen.

Flash

This is an absolute must with . This is your only escape, and you will also need to catch & combo enemies.

Ignite

Also a must in my opinion. Incredibly useful to do the damage needed while channeling
.

really only needs and . I see no other summoner spells benefiting more than these two.

I take . I don't think
benefits from sorcery keystones as much as other mages do, but I believe this to be the best option. If you use + properly, you can get Aery to proc twice.

Take next. This is an easy choice, as the other options here are bad. suffers from mana problems early in laning phase and this will help a bit.

Grab next, it easily beats out the other options. There is no cap on ability haste, and although doesn't need ability haste as much as most other mages, it still helps and the level 11 passive it gives is also nice.

Lastly I take . You could also go here, but the damage is pretty insignificant, particularly in late game. will easily pay off by the 20 minute mark, and it vastly dwarfs
further into the game.

I take because you are likely to run into mana problems early. This rune allows you to harass a little bit better while still maintaining your mana.

The final rune I take is . You will find yourself in a lot of situations where the extra damage on low health enemies is really helpful.

Take , here. doesn't need ability haste as much as a typical mage does, I find the extra damage to be more helpful.

Also, always take in this slot. Easily beats out a little armor or magic resist.

Take if your enemy is AP, take if your enemy is AD.

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

(Passive) - This passive is like a free shield. Because of this passive, you do not have to build as much HP and you can focus more on AP. During late game, the cooldown on this passive is quite short (Only 12 seconds at level 18) and should be abused if possible.

Q - gets maxed 2nd. This skill is fairly easy to land with practice, and the damage/silence is nice as well. It also refreshes , so you should try to land the skill towards the end of duration. Furthermore, this skill is fantastic for long distance poke in teamfights.

W - is maxed last. The voidlings prioritize enemies that have on them, so these skills go hand in hand. Make sure to not just blindly use this skill, as they will easily die to AoE attacks. Try to wait for the enemy laner to use their AoE abilities before using + on a minion wave. Make sure this skill is on quick cast, as the voidlings will spawn right on your feet anyway.

E - is maxed 1st. When an enemy has on them and they die, you get some mana return for every enemy it bounces to. It can now be refreshed if you land
or while the ability is going. Using this skill + on minions will allow you to push wave pretty easily after building .

R - like any ultimate should be maxed ASAP. This is your only reliable crowd control ability and can render almost any enemy useless as you suck the life out of them. *Be careful NOT to ult if your opponent built or is , ,
, , , or . These champions can cleanse any hard CC including suppress.*

is the standard starting item for most mages, if not all. I take this and x2 in every situation. Grab for your trinket.

Your first item goal is . This will help with the most important early game stats; mana, cooldown, and ability power. Always grab your as early as possible. I like to place it in red or blue jungle entrance. Always build , usually after you complete .

should always be your primary item. There is no other mythic that comes close to this. The damage over time goes perfect with your . is my next item. For a while, I went with as my 2nd item. After much testing, I have realized it is too redundant to build after . It does not provide much of a power spike. Deathcap is superior. You will want to build these two items every single game regardless of matchup.

I usually build next. This is particularly helpful with and your high AP values from . If you are dealing with an enemy that heals a lot, pick up . You don't want to finish until you've finished all other items though. If your lane enemy is AD, consider going or next. helps you survive a little longer with the HP boosts, and will help stop enemies from closing in on you or escaping because it inflicts slow.

Most games you'll build at least one situational item. is a decent option, as long as your lane opponent uses ability power. This item works well with your ultimate, helping finish off low health enemies over time. Take against , , or heavy AD enemy comp. Build if you are going against an unusually tanky team comp. The extra percentage hp damage will help. If you make it this far into the game, you'll always take after your final item is built.

Here's an example of an end game build for a standard game. PLEASE REMEMBER, most games you will replace 1 or 2 of these items based on your lane opponent, enemy team composition, and how well you are doing throughout the game. Don't be afraid to grab an item of two off the situational list if you need to.

These matchups are based on my personal experience. I did not listen to what the general population thinks is a counter or a difficult matchup. If a champion was not listed, I did not play against them enough to make a decent judgement. I will be adding video/.GIF examples periodically showing how to play against these champions.

5/5 DIFFICULT MATCHUPS

Spoiler: Click to view

4/5 HARD MATCHUPS

Spoiler: Click to view

3/5 MEDIUM DIFFICULTY MATCHUPS

Spoiler: Click to view

2/5 EASY MATCHUPS

Spoiler: Click to view

1/5 EZPZ MATCHUPS

Spoiler: Click to view

Generally speaking, benefits from long-lasting crowd control since he doesn't have the means to easily engage a fight.

Spoiler: Click to view

I wasn't going to include this section, but then realized that farming with takes more practice than your usual champion. Although has great farming ability, it can be difficult to master. You will have to account for + damage. It will take practice knowing when to auto attack to finish off a minion, and it's not a perfect science. You should always assume that will not kill the minion, so you should always try to last hit if possible. Remember that will prioritize enemies that have on them.

When you want to hard-push the lane, make sure you land on every minion to help push faster. This can be achieved by stepping to the side of the wave before casting. See example below.

Warding is important for all champions, but I think it could be argued that it is even more important for Malz, since he is immobile and has no escapes other than . Get a control ward whenever you have an extra 75 gold (Unless you already have one on the map). I like to place my control ward at red buff jungle entrance. This will help you, your jungle, and your top/bottom lane with vision. It also gives you a clear roaming route, since you know the enemy can't have vision in that spot. Here's a map of where I typically place my wards during solo lane phase.

Ward placement will change based on how the game goes. If you are winning and pushed towards the enemies' side of the map, you'll probably be warding deeper into their jungle, or vice versa.

At level one, don't even worry about using on minions. Even if you use it while auto attacking the minions, it probably won't die. You are better off using it against the enemy champion, or just saving your mana until level 2. Once you hit level 2, you can use + together if needed. It is recommended that you use this combo on your enemy, not the minions. At level 3, you can start using + to help clear our minion waves. Generally speaking, you will want to wait for your lane opponent to throw out their strongest skill before using . They are very easily taken out, even by AoE skills, so you will want to be careful about when you use it.

As you continue to gain levels, you should try to occasionally hit the enemy. You can use followed by an autoattack for some extra damage. Use when is 75% done. This will still land in time to refresh the duration, ensuring maximum damage. You can keep track of how duration by looking at the icon after you apply it under your enemy.

Generally if you can get the enemy champion to 50% health by level 6-7, you will be able to go for the kill if you have the mana. If you get them low, but they are playing it safe, try to land > > > > > combo. You should be able to get that combo off before the silence duration expires. Keep in mind that you CAN use while using without it interrupting as long as it's in range. If they are too far away, will be cancelled so be careful.

If your opponent starts getting aggressive with you, just back off and use > basic attack >
as soon as they turn around. This will often prove to be an even trade.

For the most part your opponent will have to stay in lane due to your lane pushing ability. In the case that your opponent leaves lane, it is often more helpful to just push to the turret and make sure you do your MIA call.
does sneaky strong damage to turrets when using correctly.

The correct time to roam is when you've pushed your enemy back into their tower with a big minion wave with time to spare before the next wave arrives. If I'm roaming bot lane, I like to take the route behind dragon. This route is far less likely to be warded compared to the river. Same goes for top roam. I prefer to go behind the baron pit.

especially excels mid-game. As you gain levels and have an item or two built, you will wear down your opponent with your constant lane-pushing and mana sustain. Stay on the offensive mid-game. Make your opponent sit under their tower and punish them anytime they are out of position. Just make sure you ward up.

also does quite well in team fights if positioned well. During team fights, it is more important to be able to land on multiple opponents. When team fights start, you should be quite powerful and should be able to really chunk squishies. Try to poke with this skill before fights begin. You can land some unique unpredictable skillshot angles.

If you and your team are pushing an enemy tower and they are sitting back on it, use right behind the tower. Most enemies will feel safe back there and they don't expect a skillshot to hit them.

It is often a good idea to SAVE your ultimate during team fights as it is easily interrupted, but it depends on the opposing team's comp. For example, if the enemy team has a , or an , I would definitely save your ultimate because those champions can very easily interrupt the channel.

Another strategy is to disrupt the enemy team's main engage. For example, if you see twirling his stupid stick running at your team, you can him before he can jump, or it will at least stop his jump halfway. You can do the same thing to mid jump, and other engage champions.

Remember... most of the time you want to save your ultimate until most of the crowd control abilities have been used. The end of the team fight is when thrives. At this point most of your enemies will be low and your will finish them off. You may even get lucky and it will kill an enemy, bounce to another, and kill them too!

Lastly, is very strong helping kill dragon/baron, or grabbing blue buff without needing any help from your jungler. The damage from is great against dragon/baron. Your allows you to grab blue buff without taking much damage at all from it.

Always use Call of the Void when you are at fountain to get Void Swarm stacks. Furthermore, you will want to keep those two stacks up at all times. When you come back to lane with 2 stacks, make sure you drop
before using your other abilities to push the wave. By doing it in this order, you will have two stacks more often.

My favorite trick to do with is to wait for to bounce to the caster minions, then use on them if the enemy champion is nearby. If you have a enough AP, it will clear the entire caster minion wave and your will automatically bounce to the champion.

helps kill turrets if you time the skill correctly. Turrets will prioritize your voidlings first, so make sure you use the skill after it starts attacking a cannon minion. If there is no cannon minion, wait for it to attack a melee minion.

is exceptional at killing baron/dragon. If you cycle skills correctly, you can solo dragon taking almost no damage.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't necessarily have to use directly on an opponent to do your combo. If your have traveled to the caster minions and there's 2 or less of them and your opponent is near them, you could then > > , and try to hit
if they survive. As shown in this video, I know that will kill the minions and bounce to my opponent, so I used the combo mentioned and eventually killed him. There are many ways to manipulate , so feel free to experiment.

Thank you to everyone who checked out my guide! I hope you found it useful. Comments & votes are greatly appreciated and help me a lot!

Spoiler: Click to view

8/12/21
-Another video example added
-More formatting corrections

8/9/21
-Added a sweet looking reworked Table of Contents

8/7/21
-Added video examples for matchup

8/2/21
-Removed dusty old "Legacy Editor"
-Fixed various formatting issues
-Updated ancient matchup video

7/5/21
-Added a "warding" section.
-Added various video examples.

6/24/21
-Item build order adjustment.

5/18/21
-Large matchups adjustment. Added many champions, readjusted others.

4/12/21
-Small adjustment to runes.

1/22/21
-Accidentally published guide too early. Whoops! More to come, basically reworked entire guide after a long LoL hiatus.

10/12/18
-New information added to items
-New addition to Pros & Cons

10/9/19
-Guide revamp. Updated pretty much everything.
-New item suggestions
-Matchups updated
-Pros & Cons updated
-Runes updated
-Abilities updated
-Synergy updated
-Solo lane updated
-Teamfight updated

7/26/16
-Removed old .GIF

7/21/16
Updated entire guide for Malzahar remake. Sorry it took so long! Update includes the following:

-New abilities order
-New item build
-Updated masteries
-Updated Pros & Cons
-Updated matchups. moves up a spot, moves down 1 spot.
-Updated info under Farming, Solo Laning, Teamfight, and Tips.

2/22/16
-Updated masteries for new season. Still need to add images and explanation!

10/23/15
-Updated new match history

10/19/15
-Shifted around some matchup difficulties. (, , .

7/18/15
-Added to matchups.
-Added to matchups.

5/20/15
-Added to matchups.
-Moved up on the difficulty scale.
-Added to situational items.

4/5/15
-Visual update.

2/28/15
-Added a new tip.
-Fixed the entire tips/tricks section.
-Added video example on .
-Took out and under matchups.
-Added "Pro" + Counters a lot of currently popular mid laners.

2/18/15
-Revamped entire guide layout.
-Created custom Table of Contents.
-Added video examples under Tricks & Tips.
-Added video example of when to a .
-Updated new runes.
-Removed DFG from item list.

1/16/15
-Added youtube link.

12/23/14
-Added "Match History"

11/11/14
-Added to the matchups.
-Demoted on the matchups difficulty scale.
-Took out entirely from the matchups section as she is almost always top lane now.
-Reorganized the matchups section.
-Reorganized the synergy section.
-Removed "no lane flexibility" from Cons.
-Added and as champions not to ult.
-Updated item purchase order with and .
-Made changes to the offensive mastery tree.
-Made changes to the defensive mastery tree.
-Added to abilities and provided useful information.