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Malzahar Build Guide by Rabid Duck

AP Carry Guide to Malzahar Mid S6

AP Carry Guide to Malzahar Mid S6

Updated on November 2, 2016
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Rabid Duck Build Guide By Rabid Duck 38,438 Views 1 Comments
38,438 Views 1 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Rabid Duck Malzahar Build Guide By Rabid Duck Updated on November 2, 2016
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Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Ghost

Ghost

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
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None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Introduction and a couple things you need to know!

Hi I'm a Malzahar mid lane main. My summoner's name is Crazed Ducky and I currently have a 65% win rate with Malzahar. I'm Silver I and I've been playing Malzahar since last season. This guide will cover basic and advanced techniques for playing Malzahar against any lane opponent.

A couple things to keep in mind as you read this guide are:

1) Call of the Void resets Malefic Visions if cast on a target afflicted with Malefic Visions.
2) Voidlings multiply automatically when attacking jungle camps, champions, and objectives. For Voidlings to multiply on minions it's a list hit or spell-caused kill by the Voidling or yourself (after the first Voidling minion kill) that causes another to spawn. Once three Voidlings spawn Void Swarm's passive ability is proc'd which speeds the Voidlings up. (Knowing when to spawn a Voidling can make a difference. Try to spawn a Voidling in to last hit an enemy minion. The timing takes a little bit to master but it's not too hard.)
3) Voidlings focus targets afflicted with Malefic Visions, otherwise they target what's around, even camps you may not want to target. In lane not using Malefic Visions can be a good way to freeze the lane, however to push you need to use Malefic Visions otherwise Voidlings will not do as much damage. Also, Voidlings speed up when chasing a target afflicted with Malefic Visions. If you have a lot of Voidlings ulting an enemy champion will cause all Voidlings to focus the champion even if another champion or enemy is afflicted with Malefic Visions.

End note: Malzahar's kit and play revolves around how you use Malefic Visions.
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Feel free to look me up on op.gg

http://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=Crazed%20Ducky
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Runes

I only have two rune page: an AD and an AP rune page. The runes I have are pretty standard for AP champs, but if you decide you need a little more cooldown, etc., it will probably work. The AP Quintessences are huge, as well as having armor and magic resist. Malzahar is squishy so having the extra defense is very nice. Other runes I have seen on Malzahar are scaling HP regular CD. Don't bother with scaling CD with Malzahar. Tip: Don't bother buying lower tier runes, the third tier is the best so focus on getting those. The real reason why I have the AP runes I have currently is because every now and again I'll play AP Soraka top and I was following a build:D BUT The Armor Runes are good for mid lane because it prevents auto-attack harass. You will out-trade opponents who auto you because of the armor, and out-trade or evenly trade with spells due to the magic resist.
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Masteries

Aside from the differences I already listed in the Masteries, I will say that expose weakness or any of the other mastery choices in that row are equally good on Malzahar. I prefer the far left choice (Double-Edged Sword) which is normally what you take on Assassins. In a way, it all evens out it just depends on how you utilize the build and masteries. These masteries are my play style so I encourage you to figure out what works best for you. You can find a list of highest win-rate builds and Challenger/Master Summoners who play Malzahar on op.gg (which I would strongly advise checking it out).
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Skill Sequence

Malefic Visions is important to max first because in a duel, getting Malefic Visions before and after Nether Grasp will result in a kill. I normally 1st cast Void Swarm, then Malefic Visions, then Nether Grasp, then Malefic Visions or Call of the Void depending on whether or not Malefic Visions is still active to finish them off. Note: Pre-six or after, when playing with melee junglers like Shaco, casting Call of the Void will prevent your opponent from flashing away for a couple of seconds. Even if a kill doesn't occur they will likely be pushed out of lane. This skill sequence is the one Bjergsen uses - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILRe4XZ4us Full Combo is W E Q R E Q. Poke Combo is E Q. Always cast W and E in lane for minions unless against a melee or a champ that keeps aa'ing you. Note: the full combo is only viable if E and Q are maxed. The normal combo is W E R E Q. Note: Most of the damage is CAUSED by Voidlings. Voidlings + Malefic Visions is what finishes most opponents.

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Spells

I normally take Flash and Teleport for my Summoner Spells because it allows me to carry the whole team. I can push the wave up, gank bot or top, and teleport back to mid before the wave comes under my tower so I don't miss out on any experience while getting my bot lanes and top lanes fed. Ghost is very viable as well, although I normally don't use it. Ghost is good against champions like volibear who have a lot of chase. When you have Rylai's that doens't matter as much because no one can catch you. HOWEVER, Ghost still gives a lot to Malzahar, from getting him in range to finish an opponent or to avoid being caught out. The worst nightmare for any Malzahar is a tanky jungler, etc., always focusing them. I played against an Akali and Trundle in mid lane and it was a horrible experience. If there are champs that you cannot get away from (like Trundle and Akali) don't bother with Ghost. Take Ignite for visibility on Akali or Teleport instead.

Spells:
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Ranked Play

I always try to end the game with around 200-300 minion kills (this is around what it should be for high silver and gold). If it's lower than 200 it was a tough game and lane opponent. Spells should not be used excessively to farm, so Malzahar, used correctly will never run out of mana in lane. I will stress that lane phase is super important for Malzahar because he's very item dependent. Make sure you stay in lane for a decent back every time. If you don't think you can against your opponent, hopefully you took teleport. Getting minion kills is one of the most important parts of winning in ranked matches. However, never sacrifice chunks of health for 15-30 gold. I'm going to re-post the video because Bjergsen is great. Pay attention to how he farms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILRe4XZ4us
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Pros / Cons

Malzahar's ultimate Nether Grasp has a really low cooldown so use it often (obviously use it wisely as well).

Malzahar is really good at zoning and dealing aoe (area of effect) damage especially with Rylai's and Deathfire.

Malzahar is very good for objectives, and oftentimes only need him and the jungler for baron and dragon. Jungle Malzahar can take dragon solo at level 3.

Malzahar can out-duel nearly anyone, and in many situations he can 1v2 or 1v3.

Malzahar is one of the few champions to have a pet.

Malzahar's ult is insta-cast meaning you can stop jumps like Lee Sin's (Q) before he can get to you.

Malzahar isn't banned most games, and because of his passive he is not easily countered.

HOWEVER

Malzahar is not mobile at all.

Once his passive is down he is very gankable.

His ult is very easy to stop if no one peels for him.

Champions with nukes can one shot his Voidling before more can spawn.

Malzahar doesn't have any weaknesses. ;)
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Farming

Try to stop waves from coming under your tower by using your Voidlings. I normally spawn a Voidling in to last hit a minion so I get a second Voidling right away. This helps make it so your opponent does not ruin your waveclear at the start. Always be careful when casting Malefic Vision because if the minion you're casting it on is attacking another minion with low hp, they may move out of range of other minions and space aids won't be able to transfer. Malzahar is really good at pushing waves because of his Voidlings. Always watch for when your E is going to transfer to an enemy champion, because if your voidlings are stacked it's a very good time to ult. I start with (E) because it's the lowest spell cost for farming, and is Malzahar's best tool to harass. I can't say how many times I've gotten kills on my opponent because they don't pay attention to where (E) is transferring to and its range.


READ THIS: If you're trying to push and no one is around to stop you, pay attention to the wave. If there's a siege cannon in the wave, wait for the tower to focus it. Once the tower starts shooting the siege cannon you can lay your Voidling down to either attack the tower or clear the wave. If you're clearing the wave, obviously cast Malefic Visions and maybe a (Q) or two to clear the wave. If there isn't a siege cannon your Voiding will be killed before it can wipe the wave.

This isn't advisable, but one game I ran teleport and my opponent's tower was low hp. Since I had recently killed them I wanted to take tower for the first blood tower bonus 400 gold. I didn't have enough minions to take the tower so I cast Void Swarm and Malefic Visions on the enemy minion wave and used my teleport on the currently targeted minion. I cleared the wave, took the tower, and died from the jungler. But hey, I got first blood on the turret right?
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Team Work

Malzahar excels at making picks and catching people out. Initiating with an ult isn't a bad idea because it suddenly turns a 5v5 into a 5v4. Sometimes it's better to save and come in after an initiation to ult their damage dealer (like Xin Zhao and Trundle, or Lux). Try to have Rylai's for team fights because Rylai's is a huge part of Malzahar's zoning, especially since Voidlings proc the slow. Also, try to ult the biggest threat to your carry. Malzahar can take enemy champions out of a fight so think about who you should use it on.
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Bush Camping

I love doing this as Malzahar, although it's a lot more fun on Annie. The skill sequence for Bush Camping is (W) (E) (R) (Q) (E). Cast Voidlings in the bush before the E. That way they don't know you're there and you can get the full combo. If you have max points in (Q) and (E) you may be able to get a (Q) in before (R) as well as a (Q) and another (E) after. Note: I will watch AIDS and if it's going to disappear before my (R) is done casting, I will break (R) to use (Q) again. The burst damage is worth it, especially against close-ranged burst champions like Brand.
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Roaming

If you're planning on roaming a lot, ghost or teleport is pretty viable. Teleport helps you get back in lane before you miss any cs and ghost helps you gank and finish killing. I will normally look at bot lane once I reach level six, and when my lane opponent backs if I'm not out of mana or low hp, I will push the wave and walk down river to bot lane. Only go bot if bot lane is above middle hp and they're not oom. Also, look at wave position. If the wave is under your teammates tower then absolutely gank if the opposing champions aren't backing. If river brush isn't warded, and the opposing champions are in the middle of the lane, (W) Flash (E) and ulting isn't a bad idea. I have secured a kill every time I have done that. If you don't get the kill take cs from the minion wave as a tax. If you do get the kill, help push the wave under tower without taking any cs.
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Useful tips

When playing against bursty champs like Fizz, stay close to your tower and stay on your own half of the lane.

If you want to climb, spam easy to play champs that you have high win rates with. Right now I'm spamming Pantheon top. He has the highest win rate and the 38th ban rate. I've played him 3 games and so far I've won all three and gotten an S every game.

If you cannot beat your lane opponent, focus on minion kills. CS is the number one way to get fed. Even if my lane opponent get kills on me I will still win lane because I end up with far more gold than them.

Find good junglers. If you can queue up with a very good jungler who plays a carry, you will win most of your games. my friend has an 86% win rate with rammus. Rammus isn't necessarily a carry but he is super annoying to play against.

If you have friends who are better than you try to challenge them to 1v1s. It's great practice and helps you learn laning phase a little more in depth.
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Conclusion

There's so much more to figure out on your own, and this is just a little bit of what I've learned. If you have any questions please comment, I check this every couple of days. If you want to 1v1 me, I'm on most nights Mountain Time from 7:00-10:00. If you'd like tips on climbing I do have a some pretty helpful tips. If you have any advice to improve my guide I'd love to hear it! Good luck!
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