After playing malphite over & over again I have found that getting a Dorans shield or ring just doesnt cut it. Plus your waisting your beginning gold. You Need to get Catalyst fast, as well as either Mercury Treads or Swiftness. It just depends on what you are facing atm. Starting off with sapphire crystal will give you more mana & help you spam your "Q" at level 3. If your having a hard time farming use your "Q" specifically for last hitting creeps. Shouldnt be too hard. Next amazing thing to get for Malphite after boots is Catalyst. I cant tell you how great it is to stay in lane so long & have the mana I need to end other heroes fast. You have your hp & your mana to stay in lane! Not to mention typically you will level if you get into an early team fight and if you level it drastically helps you tank for your team. Because when you level you get a certain amount of HP & mana back. Thats always nice :D

After getting catalyst & either swiftness or mercury treads depending on the other team that will determine your next item. If the team is completely composed of AP heroes I would suggest Banshees then Force of Nature. If its a mix, then get randuins starting with heart of gold. After Randuins I usually get Banshees. And after that i'll get Thornmail if im dealing with any kind of dps. Next I would recommend any items I have listen above. As I said, It all completely depends on the enemy team. Use your judgement to figure out what is doing the most damage. Another hint is to pay attention if you die & see where all the damage is coming from that way you can counter it easier. So many ppl just dont even look at that & it is very important. Time & time again I have been complimented on my amazing malphite! Its not just the item build but skill & knowing when to engage & when to play more defensively! Once you practice up with malphite you will realize how amazing he is & how powerful he can become. I have tested this build against MANY other malphites & it wrecks! I promise you wont be dissapointed :]