This is my first build using this site, so I'm hoping it comes out as well as I think it will. Please leave any comments you have about the guide, or any critiques you have about it.

Malzahar was the first champ I really got to know when I started playing LoL. I saved my IP to but him and he quickly became my main. I average 4.0 with him if I mid against another mage or AP champ, 2.5 or 3 if I mid against AD champs. My most recent, and best game to date, was 17-0-15 using this exact build, so I hope it works just as well for the rest of you guys!

Alright, lets get to the guide! Enjoy!

Pros

Lots of harassment
Voidlings are awesome
No one picks him, leaving him always available
Not focused in team fights as long as you stay out of harms way
He floats, like a boss
Skill shot silence does great damage
His ult suppresses, allowing entire team to kill primary target easier
Decent gank potential

Cons

He's pretty squishy
This build has no defensive items
No mana = not helpful at all
Voidlings have no mind of their own
Not too good at soloing in a fight unless it's 1v1
Skill shot takes a bit to get used to
No good initiation abilities

The mastery page for Malz is very straight forward for building an APC. Ability power and damage. The utility build for him is focused around being able to get out voidlings as fast as possible, especially during team fights; and extra mana for early game since he tends to run out of it if you play him aggressively and harass whoever you lane against.

I'm seeing how big of a difference spellsword is making while laning, since many people will stay in a fight until they are very close to death, then flash out or use an ability to escape. So flashing after them and hitting them with one or two more basic attacks can mean the difference between an early kill, and having to lane against a full heath and mana opponent while you're still drained.

The item order I have listed can be changed to however you see fit depending on the situation. The void staff can also be switched out with abyssal scepter depending on the rest of your team and how many team fights you've gotten into. That magic resist reduction can really help if you have a lot of allies who deal magic damage.

I've gotten a lot of slack for using Spectral Wraith since Malz isn't a jungler. However, he benefits greatly from the cooldown and mana regeneration, especially early game in lane. Then as the game goes on it helps with getting the blue buff, or killing golems/wraiths for a small mana and heath boost after a team fight. It allows for a more versatile play style as him since it allows for ease in the jungle and getting buffs. The spell vamp is the most helpful obviously. Especially with his ult due to the huge amount of damage you do with it late game.

The deathcap and sorceror's shoes should be an obvious choice for and ap champ. I don't feel I need to go into much detail with it.

Tear of the Goddess/Seraph's Embrace is one of my favorite items. I had the issue with running out of mana while going from lane to a team fight and I was going back to base way too often. I decided to try tear of the goddess and that initial extra 250 mana helps a ton, and each spell cast just makes it better. Usually by end of game the extra ability power gained from it in this build is around 100, which increases to about 130 from the deathcap.

Liandry's Torment gives Malzahar just an obscene amount of harassment ability. Malefic Visions and Null Zone doing the most DOT with this item most of the time. Also pushing magic penetration up to 30, which is great when combined with the 35% from the void staff

Grabbing the Call of the Void first will get you a lot of **** with Malzahar, seeing as he has both AOE and DOT abilities. But, early game in lane, literally between level 1 and 2, its great. Take out a line of low life minions, getting you gold and extra mana from Doran's Ring. Also give your opponent a hard time if you can land the silence multiple times. (and 80 damage right out the gate isn't too shabby either). Maxing this last has worked best for me.

Malefic Visions being the second ability to get, and the second to max out, is great for replenishing mana. Hitting minions with it in lane and allowing it to get passed from one to the next, essentially leap frogging to your opposing champ, is a nice little surprise. If you lane with Malz correctly, you use Call of the Void 3 times, building up to a voidling cast. Level up to 2, grabbing Malefic Visions, hitting a minion with it and allowing your voidling to "level up" over time since its not near the other champ.

Null Zone is the third ability I grab, and the first one I max out. Getting it later helps with keeping any melee champ away from your minions, and is really helpful with farming. Dropping it first in a minion wave, hitting one with Malefic Visions, then Call of the Void just gets you massive gold, helps build tear of the goddess, and gets voidlings out on the field.

Grab his ult when you can, max it as soon as you can. This should be rule 1 when playing LoL

I mentioned before in the Pros that Malz has decent ganking options. If you can ride the river to top or bot and catch champs between the turret and you, you're golden. Or when they are running away from a 2v2/2v1 in lane, hit them with Malefic Visions and a basic and you can either pick up the kill, or get them low enough to force them back to base, rather than using a potion/letting the passive health regeneration go into effect.

If you're with team mates and retreating, lay down a Null Zone behind you, dealing damage to champs is always good, it builds up to voidlings, helps build into Seraph's Embrace, and can sometimes put a stop to the chase. Depending on who the champs are, using Call of the Void to silence your chasers is very helpful, especially because you can cast is while running, rather than having to stop and cast. Being able to put a stop to Garen or Blitz's speed boost is wonderful.

The range of Call of the Void is great for hitting a champ from behind a wall can help with initiation, depending on other champs on your team. Also very good at last hitting a runner in the forest if you can predict how they'd run away.

You're probably wondering why this isn't with the previous Team Work chapter. The simple answer: because I want it separate. But I will lay it out in a step by step fashion, it's how my brain works.

Rule 1: Never try to initiate with Malzahar. You will become the target and die very quickly if you do. Instead, try to have other champs be infront of you as you cast Call of the Void to silence, while still protecting yourself from skill shots, grabs, and other abilities.

Once the fight has begun:
Step 1: Lay down a Null Zone in the center of the fight, that'll do the most damage and help your team the most with the primary and secondary target. It also deters opponents from entering because taking a base 8% health over 5 seconds is a pain (that's 40% of their health, without adding the extra from ability power)

Step 2: Cast Malefic Visions on the main target, dealing immense damage to whoever your team is focusing on. Once killed, hopefully the Vision will jump to the next closest champ, who is already taking damage from the Null Zone.

Step 3: Start casting Call of the Void in the Zone, silencing champs while your teammates beat them down will earn you a lot of teamwork cred with your team, and allows them to not die.

Step 4: Your Malefic Visions should be available by now or very soon, cast it on the enemy ADC or anyone who is harassing your carry or tank.

Step 5: Hit that same target with your ult. It will suppress them for 2.5 seconds, dealing damage they can't escape from. Malefic visions dealing damage during this as well. Since you can start casting other spells while using his ult, aim Call of the Void behind the champ and use it right as his ult ends, this should either kill them, or deal enough for another champ to just basic them for the kill.

After these steps, focus on casting your Q and E mostly, because they do the most raw damage, and saving the W for ganks and for covering if you need to escape.

I'll add this as a side note. Don't get caught up in a fight. Don't be afraid to back off before recasting spells. You have a tank for a reason, let them take the damage. Give yourself time to size up what is going on before jumping back into it. Please don't read this as me telling you to let your teammates die for you, I'm not, I'm trying to keep you and your team alive, and if you're dead you can't help your team.

I never see Malzahar in play. So it's a nice surprise when you pick him and go 12-2-15. People don't expect him and thats the greatest reward when using him. Just be prepared for being KS'd a lot, because people see low health champs and wail on them. A lot of people don't realize that his ult suppresses either, so thats a cool surprise for your teammates.

I hope you enjoyed my guide and you learned something from it.

See you all on the Fields of Justice!