Hey guys, Malphite is the most underrated support player in Leagues right now, so as a diamond 1 Malphite main, I wanted to show people what they're missing. I was hesitant to put out this build because because I didn't want to shift the meta too hard, but I feel like it's time. Mobafire has taught be everything I know about Leagues and so it was time to give back to the community.

I have a ~75% win rate as Malphite, so you might say "I know my sh*t."

If you want to play AP Support Malphite like a man, this guide is for you.



If you want to let other people tell you what you can and can't play, you might as well leave now and play some weak-*** support.

Take these rules every single time. Sometimes I think about taking the 9 armor for my Glyphs, but then I quickly snap out of it and grab the extra 5 AP.

Always start out with:

+ + + + +

You're going to need all the mana for the non-stop q's to the ADC. Constantly wear them down.

On your first back, you should pick up:



I know, I know, you're going to build Luden's Echo first (obviously), but the extra AP in lane will get you all the kills you need to pick up Luden's next. However, if you've managed to get 3 or more kills right away (which happens often), you may want to switch things up and grab that Mejai's Soulstealer for some early stacks.

DO NOT BUY A SIGHT STONE

I see AP support players make this mistake constantly, and I cringe every time time I see it. THIS ITEM IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF GOLD (No AP). What people don't realize is that you don't need vision if you're dominating the map. Your team is going to ***** and moan about you not having it, but don't worry about it. They just don't understand how this build works. When they see all the kills rolling in, they'll change their tune.

DO NOT BUY BOOTS

The great thing about Luden's Echo is that it gives you just enough move speed so that you don't have to buy boots. You don't need movement speed when you've got your ult, so make sure not to waste your hard earned gold.

Here's what your full build should look like in a typical game:

+ + + + +

You've got PLENTY of AP with this build. Also, the Morellonomicon gives you cooldown reduction on your Ult (More Ults = More Kills) and you've got a good amount of magic penn. You can use the Zhonya's if you get yourself into trouble, but this rarely happens as you'll be able to burst down just about any enemy player with a combo.

The main thing to remember with your skill sequence is that your W is worthless. Max itONLY at the end because you have no other options. That will allow you to ramp up your e a bit earlier.

Laning Phase

During the laning phase you want to keep using your q to harass the enemy ADC the entire time. Chug those mana pots and keep them low. Once you've hit level 3, the ADC should be around half health. Upgrade your Q for the second time, then unleash your first combo: + + + and you've got your first kill. If the support is dumb enough to stick around, take that kill too. Sometimes your ADC will try and KS, so it's important to time your abilities so that you'll get the last shot. They already get plenty of gold from CS. If they want in on the assist that's cool, but make sure you get the kill. They might be a little pissed at first (ADC's can be SUPER entitled little pre-madonnas), but they'll thank you later when you carry the game for them.

Hitting 6

This is where the magic really starts to happen. Again, make sure you've got the enemy ADC (and support) poked down a bit. Right when you hit 6, it's point-and-click and bam, another 1-2 kills. No skill shots involved, no problem.

Mid-Game/Late Game

You'll want to stay in lane for the XP, but any time you've got your ult up, you want to get a kill. If there's no opportunity in lane, roam and find an unsuspecting victim. Each second your ult is up is a second wasted, so pay attention to your cooldown timer.

Team Fights

This is really important: DO NOT USE YOUR ULT TO ENGAGE A TEAM FIGHT. I see Malphite players making this mistake all the time. If you do, the enemy team can just turn on you and kill you because your team is stuck back aways (no gap closing qq...) and you've put all your resources into damage.

What you want to do instead is to let a teammate engage (which lets them take the brunt of the initial damage), wait until a couple of the enemies are getting low, and then Ult in to secure the kills. Your combo should look like this if done properly: + +

Your team will be amazed at how much damage you burst out and you will completely crush the enemy team's spirits. If you can do this one or two times early enough, you'll get a surrender at 20 for sure.

Why play this build as a support instead of top or mid?

For one, this build does a ton of damage. The bot lane isn't expecting it because it's an off-meta pick and so you can take them completely by surprise.

The other consideration is that CS'ing is hard. Do you really want to have to deal with that? Let your ADC worry about minions while you focus on kills.

Well that's it guys. Have fun out there on the rift playing AP Support Malphite - LIKE A MAN!