I love to begin with the visions. but no Mercury's Treads -.-

Really sub-optimal way of playing Malz. Leveling W over Q is evidence enough.

Thank you. :)

Don't own Malza yet, but I'm considering buying him, and this guide was very helpful in helping me make an informed decision. Thank you, the guide was refreshingly short and concise while still packing in a load of useful tips that most guides just don't include.

If varying playstyles were available in the first place, then yes, I would agree. For example, the difference between playing AP and AD Kog'Maw vary greatly. But this isn't really the case with Malzahar, who (no matter how you look at it) just blows all his abilities to maximise his damage. The only real thing left to discuss would just be items and item order.

In my opinion, building at least 1 dedicated defensive item is a must... whether this is a Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil or Guardian Angel is up to you. But I would have thought to see at least one somewhere.

Depending on the situation, then yes, you're right.


You make a good point, but Q is much harder to hit, thus giving a pro to W in comparison.
Even if sub-optimal, it still deals considerate damage, is easier to land, deals more or less damage depending on the target.
So it's more a matter of skill versus ease in this case, I believe both are good options.


Depending on the situation, yes, everyone should roam.


In my situation, Landing E is better due to them running out of W before you reach them with E.
E is a key part in this build, and I assume it is in every Malzahar play.


Exactly, I foudn it offensive due to the sharpness of tone.
Accepted, downvote accepted aswell.

On a last side-note;
Guide's are in no way 'Read this & win'.
I believe people develop playstyles which work for them.
In my case, my guide works for me, it's the reason why I typed it.
Even if it's sub-optimal in damage, it's easier for me to play like this, I'm used to it and I win a lot with it.
If I'd go the Q build which top-rated guides, I'd fail probably, they build different and play different.
I do believe that playstyles, are in fact, a very relevant matter.

Say this again when you go soloq ranked and get teammates who rage at you for not following-up on an MIA/SS. Because they are actually right. But at least you acknowledge it's not optimal...



I'll talk about this combo in just a second, but suffice it to say, Q deals better damage for lower mana costs with a shorter CD than W. If you can't land your Q, that's just a skill problem.



So... roaming IS the way to go, then?



I don't downvote it because 'it's not the way I normally play', but rather because it's sub-optimal. W deals significantly less damage, cost more mana to use, has a higher CD... in every single way bar one (the hp% damage, but even then, Q deals more damage), Q is better. The proper combination isn't actually W/E/Ult. The proper combination is E/Q/W/R/E ( Ignite if necessary). The reasoning for this is that E has the shortest range and Q/W have the same range, but further than E. Even if you are unable to get the ulti, you'll deal significant damage. If you manage to latch the ulti, then it's a kill secured. This isn't a matter of 'my way' or 'your way'. Mine is more likely to deal more damage than yours. If that's so, why would I ever do it 'your way'? It's about what does the better job.



Something that is extremely valid is never uncalled for. If your reasoning is liable to be incorrect, then why would I ever trust that what you conclude is true? If you found it offensive, I apologise. I think it may have come across sharper than I intended.

I don't feel roaming is necessary, I usually play with 2 to 3 friends, mostly being top and jungle.
He's a good jungler, I have lane control and rarely get ganked.
I know this is not optimal and I feel your point is valid.


I know his Q is a nice nuke, but miss it when you lash out and you're left with your E and Ult, I feel that waiting for the E to jump over and then unexpectedly flash in, W and Ult him is a safer option.
You have a good point, but it's not what i'd do.


Will add this to the con list, valid.


Farming with E is simple as throwing it on a minion, then start roaming, I feel you're right about roaming.


But it does incur a discussion about the way I play, ofcourse it doesn't make it valid.
It does, however state that I don't play with a Q/E Malzahar, it states I play with W/E Malzahar, and I understand you don't agree with this approach, it does feel a bit unfair if you'd downvote the guide because it's not the way you normally play.


I get your point, I'll remove it.


A bit uncalled for in my opinion.

If you don't roam, you don't know how to play mid. I should know, because I was at that point once where I never roamed.

I said to max Q over W second. Please read what I actually write. The AP ratios on Q are tremendous and no idiot ever stands in W for long.

I just thought of another Con - whilst Malzahar uses his ultimate, he can't move without breaking the channel.

The point about you pushing the lane is nothing to do with you 'outfarming'. What it does do is expose you to ganks and prevent your jungler from ganking. In other words, you can farm, but you can't get kills. They can also farm under turret, but can still secure kills in other lanes. Since you've stated you don't roam, you can't say the same thing. And these things happen a lot. The Katarina you thought you were ahead of and outfarming? Just roamed and got kills.

And just because it's a guide about 'your' Malzahar playstyle, doesn't make it a valid guide to playing Malzahar.

You don't get low elo if you don't play ranked, you are merely 'unranked'. However, if you are a low elo, it means you HAVE played ranked and you also LOSE a lot. Even if you rarely play ranked, if you have a low elo, it's because you lose, not because you rarely play. Don't confuse the cause and the effect.

And if you don't play ranked with Malzahar, but you also have low elo, how am I meant to have any belief whatsoever that your playstyle even remotely works in a competitive setting?

I hate to argue to the person, but how would I even trust the reasoning of a person who has ****ty reasoning?

I don't quite agree with you Sirell.
This is how I play Malzahar, not as a roaming nuker, but as a passive agressive farmer using maxed out E.
When it's time to strike, I throw down W, E and R, landing my a kill almost always.
Though the Q being a counter, is why I take it at level 2.

About the cons,
Yes, he has low mobility, that's why I choose to build and play him like this.
The passive is one of the bigger sources of damage when E is on.
The con about being an easily pushable lane when leveling E is not the case for me either, I outfarm pretty much everyone so far.
And being mana dependant...
That's why I rush my Athene's when I have a hard time, meaning I need to spam more, or let my E give mana back.

This is a guide about my Malzahar playstyle, It's not written to be compared to other, nukey Malzahar's.

I never said I keep losing ranked and thus stopped, I said I have a low ELO because I barely ever play Ranked.
I haven't even played Ranked with Malzahar even.

Your points are valid, but I don't think they apply to my guide.
Once again I stress that this is a guide on my take on playing Malzahar as a passive agressive laner who benefits a lot from sudden lash outs securing kills and farming a ton with his DoT.

EDIT: C2V is now on, as suggested.
If you did downvote my guide based on your assumptions, I beg you to reconsider since I feel this is a good take on how to emphasize the farming skills of Malzahar, I tried writing this guide in order to think out of the box.
Let people see there's more to Malzahar than his Q nuke and Ulti.

You should turn 'comment to vote' on as well.

Runes are meh, Masteries are passable.

One of your cons is that he's very mana dependent and you don't think to get the points in Expanded Mind ?

Q should be maxed second, since most people aren't stupid enough to stand in Null Void and it's not great for farming minions. Q and E is enough to wave clear.

Your pros and cons sections isn't amazing.

Pros:

Malzahar has great roaming power, especially post-6.
Great farming ability.
Silence from Q is a natural counter to most mid-laners.

Cons:

Very low mobility.
Arguably useless passive.
Ridiculously easy to push lane when farming with E.

Another problem in your guide is the con that Malzahar is a squishy champ. Take a good look at your items and think about why that is. Virtually no defensive items. Not even a Guardian Angel.



You should amend this to 'When you play ranked, you lose and because I lose, I stopped playing ranked', or omit it entirely. I think you should omit it. No one wants to read a guide from someone who loses ranked in the positions he specializes in.