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Malzahar Build Guide by Jnewbringspain

Middle Jnew's In-Depthy Mid Lane Malzahar Guide!

Middle Jnew's In-Depthy Mid Lane Malzahar Guide!

Updated on August 16, 2021
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Jnewbringspain Build Guide By Jnewbringspain 122 12 2,472,653 Views 78 Comments
122 12 2,472,653 Views 78 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Jnewbringspain Malzahar Build Guide By Jnewbringspain Updated on August 16, 2021
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Runes:

Sorcery
Summon Aery
Manaflow Band
Transcendence
Gathering Storm

Precision
Presence of Mind
Coup de Grace
Bonus:

+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10% Tenacity/Slow Resist

Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Ignite

Ignite














Hello and welcome to my Malzahar guide! I'm A1dsForEveryone (Formerly JnewFTW). I have been playing League since season 1 and I've reached Platinum tier in multiple seasons (Not so much lately, as I don't have time to play as much as I once did). Mid lane is my best role and I have learned a lot over the years. Hopefully I can share my knowledge and it will help you become a better player.



+ Very powerful mage. Deals a lot of damage.
+ Ultimate has suppress. Can NOT be cleansed.
+ Malefic Visions gives you decent mana return.
+ Can take out a high-valued target out of the fight.
+ Fantastic farming/lane pushing ability.
+ Not easy to counterpick.
+ Passive gives a better version of Banshee's Veil.
+ Can 100-0 an enemy if you land the proper combo.

- No escapes, easy to gank.
- Requires a few items to be successful.
- Immobile. Can't help other lanes easily.
- Heavily countered by Quicksilver Sash.
- Can struggle against quick gap closers.
- Can't build Banshee's Veil effectively.
- DoT damage makes it hard to secure a kill around allies, a lot of your kills will be stolen.



Flash

This is an absolute must with Malzahar. This is your only escape, and you will also need Flash to catch & combo enemies.

Ignite

Also a must in my opinion. Incredibly useful to do the damage needed while channeling
Nether Grasp.


Malzahar really only needs Flash and Ignite. I see no other summoner spells benefiting Malzahar more than these two.






I take Summon Aery. I don't think
Malzahar benefits from sorcery keystones as much as other mages do, but I believe this to be the best option. If you use Malefic Visions + Call of the Void properly, you can get Aery to proc twice.

Take Manaflow Band next. This is an easy choice, as the other options here are bad. Malzahar suffers from mana problems early in laning phase and this will help a bit.

Grab Transcendence next, it easily beats out the other options. There is no cap on ability haste, and although Malzahar doesn't need ability haste as much as most other mages, it still helps and the level 11 passive it gives is also nice.

Lastly I take Gathering Storm. You could also go Scorch here, but the damage is pretty insignificant, particularly in late game. Gathering Storm will easily pay off by the 20 minute mark, and it vastly dwarfs
Scorch further into the game.
I take Presence of Mind because you are likely to run into mana problems early. This rune allows you to harass a little bit better while still maintaining your mana.

The final rune I take is Coup de Grace. You will find yourself in a lot of situations where the extra damage on low health enemies is really helpful.

Take Adaptive, here. Malzahar doesn't need ability haste as much as a typical mage does, I find the extra damage to be more helpful.

Also, always take Adaptive in this slot. Easily beats out a little armor or magic resist.

Take Tenacity and Slow Resist if your enemy is AP, take Shield if your enemy is AD.


Ability Sequence
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18









Void Shift (Passive) - This passive is like a free Banshee's Veil shield. Because of this passive, you do not have to build as much HP and you can focus more on AP. During late game, the cooldown on this passive is quite short (Only 12 seconds at level 18) and should be abused if possible.


Q - Call of the Void gets maxed 2nd. This skill is fairly easy to land with practice, and the damage/silence is nice as well. It also refreshes Malefic Visions, so you should try to land the skill towards the end of Malefic Visions duration. Furthermore, this skill is fantastic for long distance poke in teamfights.


W - Void Swarm is maxed last. The voidlings prioritize enemies that have Malefic Visions on them, so these skills go hand in hand. Make sure to not just blindly use this skill, as they will easily die to AoE attacks. Try to wait for the enemy laner to use their AoE abilities before using Malefic Visions + Void Swarm on a minion wave. Make sure this skill is on quick cast, as the voidlings will spawn right on your feet anyway.

E - Malefic Visions is maxed 1st. When an enemy has Malefic Visions on them and they die, you get some mana return for every enemy it bounces to. It can now be refreshed if you land
Call of the Void or Nether Grasp while the ability is going. Using this skill + Void Swarm on minions will allow you to push wave pretty easily after building Lost Chapter.


R - Nether Grasp like any ultimate should be maxed ASAP. This is your only reliable crowd control ability and can render almost any enemy useless as you suck the life out of them. *Be careful NOT to ult if your opponent built Quicksilver Sash or is Gangplank, Alistar,
Rengar, Tryndamere, Dr. Mundo, or Olaf. These champions can cleanse any hard CC including suppress.*


Doran's Ring is the standard starting item for most mages, if not all. I take this and x2 Health Potion in every situation. Grab Stealth Ward for your trinket.


Your first item goal is Lost Chapter. This will help with the most important early game stats; mana, cooldown, and ability power. Always grab your Control Ward as early as possible. I like to place it in red or blue jungle entrance. Always build Sorcerer's Shoes, usually after you complete Liandry's Torment.


Liandry's Torment should always be your primary item. There is no other mythic that comes close to this. The damage over time goes perfect with your Malefic Visions. Rabadon's Deathcap is my next item. For a while, I went with Demonic Embrace as my 2nd item. After much testing, I have realized it is too redundant to build after Liandry's Torment. It does not provide much of a power spike. Deathcap is superior. You will want to build these two items every single game regardless of matchup.


I usually build Void Staff next. This is particularly helpful with Liandry's Torment and your high AP values from Rabadon's Deathcap. If you are dealing with an enemy that heals a lot, pick up Oblivion Orb. You don't want to finish Morellonomicon until you've finished all other items though. If your lane enemy is AD, consider going Rylai's Crystal Scepter or Zhonya's Hourglass next. Rylai's Crystal Scepter helps you survive a little longer with the HP boosts, and will help stop enemies from closing in on you or escaping because it inflicts slow.


Most games you'll build at least one situational item. Abyssal Mask is a decent option, as long as your lane opponent uses ability power. This item works well with your ultimate, helping finish off low health enemies over time. Take Zhonya's Hourglass against Zed, Talon, or heavy AD enemy comp. Build Demonic Embrace if you are going against an unusually tanky team comp. The extra percentage hp damage will help. If you make it this far into the game, you'll always take Elixir of Sorcery after your final item is built.


Here's an example of an end game build for a standard game. PLEASE REMEMBER, most games you will replace 1 or 2 of these items based on your lane opponent, enemy team composition, and how well you are doing throughout the game. Don't be afraid to grab an item of two off the situational list if you need to.




These matchups are based on my personal experience. I did not listen to what the general population thinks is a counter or a difficult matchup. If a champion was not listed, I did not play against them enough to make a decent judgement. I will be adding video/.GIF examples periodically showing how to play against these champions.



5/5 DIFFICULT MATCHUPS

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4/5 HARD MATCHUPS

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3/5 MEDIUM DIFFICULTY MATCHUPS

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2/5 EASY MATCHUPS

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1/5 EZPZ MATCHUPS

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Generally speaking, Malzahar benefits from long-lasting crowd control since he doesn't have the means to easily engage a fight.
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I wasn't going to include this section, but then realized that farming with Malzahar takes more practice than your usual champion. Although Malzahar has great farming ability, it can be difficult to master. You will have to account for Malefic Visions + Void Swarm damage. It will take practice knowing when to auto attack to finish off a minion, and it's not a perfect science. You should always assume that Malefic Visions will not kill the minion, so you should always try to last hit if possible. Remember that Void Swarm will prioritize enemies that have Malefic Visions on them.

When you want to hard-push the lane, make sure you land Call of the Void on every minion to help push faster. This can be achieved by stepping to the side of the wave before casting. See example below.




Warding is important for all champions, but I think it could be argued that it is even more important for Malz, since he is immobile and has no escapes other than Flash. Get a control ward whenever you have an extra 75 gold (Unless you already have one on the map). I like to place my control ward at red buff jungle entrance. This will help you, your jungle, and your top/bottom lane with vision. It also gives you a clear roaming route, since you know the enemy can't have vision in that spot. Here's a map of where I typically place my wards during solo lane phase.



Ward placement will change based on how the game goes. If you are winning and pushed towards the enemies' side of the map, you'll probably be warding deeper into their jungle, or vice versa.



At level one, don't even worry about using Malefic Visions on minions. Even if you use it while auto attacking the minions, it probably won't die. You are better off using it against the enemy champion, or just saving your mana until level 2. Once you hit level 2, you can use Malefic Visions + Call of the Void together if needed. It is recommended that you use this combo on your enemy, not the minions. At level 3, you can start using Malefic Visions + Void Swarm to help clear our minion waves. Generally speaking, you will want to wait for your lane opponent to throw out their strongest skill before using Void Swarm. They are very easily taken out, even by AoE skills, so you will want to be careful about when you use it.


As you continue to gain levels, you should try to occasionally hit the enemy. You can use Malefic Visions followed by an autoattack for some extra damage. Use Call of the Void when Malefic Visions is 75% done. This will still land in time to refresh the duration, ensuring maximum damage. You can keep track of how Malefic Visions duration by looking at the icon after you apply it under your enemy.

Generally if you can get the enemy champion to 50% health by level 6-7, you will be able to go for the kill if you have the mana. If you get them low, but they are playing it safe, try to land Call of the Void > Flash > Void Swarm > Malefic Visions > Nether Grasp > Ignite combo. You should be able to get that combo off before the silence duration expires. Keep in mind that you CAN use Ignite while using Nether Grasp without it interrupting as long as it's in range. If they are too far away, Nether Grasp will be cancelled so be careful.


If your opponent starts getting aggressive with you, just back off and use Malefic Visions > basic attack >
Call of the Void as soon as they turn around. This will often prove to be an even trade.


For the most part your opponent will have to stay in lane due to your lane pushing ability. In the case that your opponent leaves lane, it is often more helpful to just push to the turret and make sure you do your MIA call.
Malzahar does sneaky strong damage to turrets when using Void Swarm correctly.

The correct time to roam is when you've pushed your enemy back into their tower with a big minion wave with time to spare before the next wave arrives. If I'm roaming bot lane, I like to take the route behind dragon. This route is far less likely to be warded compared to the river. Same goes for top roam. I prefer to go behind the baron pit.


Malzahar especially excels mid-game. As you gain levels and have an item or two built, you will wear down your opponent with your constant lane-pushing and mana sustain. Stay on the offensive mid-game. Make your opponent sit under their tower and punish them anytime they are out of position. Just make sure you ward up.



Malzahar also does quite well in team fights if positioned well. During team fights, it is more important to be able to land Call of the Void on multiple opponents. When team fights start, you should be quite powerful and Call of the Void should be able to really chunk squishies. Try to poke with this skill before fights begin. You can land some unique unpredictable skillshot angles.

If you and your team are pushing an enemy tower and they are sitting back on it, use Call of the Void right behind the tower. Most enemies will feel safe back there and they don't expect a skillshot to hit them.


It is often a good idea to SAVE your ultimate during team fights as it is easily interrupted, but it depends on the opposing team's comp. For example, if the enemy team has a Wukong, or an Alistar, I would definitely save your ultimate because those champions can very easily interrupt the channel.


Another strategy is to disrupt the enemy team's main engage. For example, if you see Jax twirling his stupid stick running at your team, you can Nether Grasp him before he can jump, or it will at least stop his jump halfway. You can do the same thing to Lee Sin mid jump, and other engage champions.


Remember... most of the time you want to save your ultimate until most of the crowd control abilities have been used. The end of the team fight is when Malzahar thrives. At this point most of your enemies will be low and your Malefic Visions will finish them off. You may even get lucky and it will kill an enemy, bounce to another, and kill them too!


Lastly, Malzahar is very strong helping kill dragon/baron, or grabbing blue buff without needing any help from your jungler. The damage from Void Swarm is great against dragon/baron. Your Void Swarm allows you to grab blue buff without taking much damage at all from it.



Always use Call of the Void when you are at fountain to get Void Swarm stacks. Furthermore, you will want to keep those two stacks up at all times. When you come back to lane with 2 stacks, make sure you drop
Void Swarm before using your other abilities to push the wave. By doing it in this order, you will have two stacks more often.




My favorite trick to do with Malzahar is to wait for Malefic Visions to bounce to the caster minions, then use Call of the Void on them if the enemy champion is nearby. If you have a enough AP, it will clear the entire caster minion wave and your Malefic Visions will automatically bounce to the champion.




Void Swarm helps kill turrets if you time the skill correctly. Turrets will prioritize your voidlings first, so make sure you use the skill after it starts attacking a cannon minion. If there is no cannon minion, wait for it to attack a melee minion.




Malzahar is exceptional at killing baron/dragon. If you cycle skills correctly, you can solo dragon taking almost no damage.



Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't necessarily have to use Malefic Visions directly on an opponent to do your combo. If your Malefic Visions have traveled to the caster minions and there's 2 or less of them and your opponent is near them, you could then Void Swarm > Nether Grasp > Ignite, and try to hit
Call of the Void if they survive. As shown in this video, I know that Malefic Visions will kill the minions and bounce to my opponent, so I used the combo mentioned and eventually killed him. There are many ways to manipulate Malefic Visions, so feel free to experiment.



Thank you to everyone who checked out my guide! I hope you found it useful. Comments & votes are greatly appreciated and help me a lot!


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League of Legends Build Guide Author Jnewbringspain
Jnewbringspain Malzahar Guide
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