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Malphite General Guide by GSG9KillJoy

Newbies Guide to Malphite (Tanking/Crowd Control + Farming)

Newbies Guide to Malphite (Tanking/Crowd Control + Farming)

Updated on April 12, 2012
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League of Legends Build Guide Author GSG9KillJoy Build Guide By GSG9KillJoy 8,146 Views 0 Comments
8,146 Views 0 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author GSG9KillJoy Malphite Build Guide By GSG9KillJoy Updated on April 12, 2012
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Important info (READ THIS FIRST)

I tried to Highlight Important info for those of you who are "TL;DR's", but to get the most out of this guide, reading ALL of it would be best.

FIRST OFF I am NOT a pro player. Thus why I am making this guide for NEWBIES. I didn't see any guides online for newer players, so i decided i'd share what works for me. I was able to get 3 different accounts to levels 13;10;8 within 2 days using the "system/ guide/ w.e." I will be sharing with you. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS EXACTLY TO DO WELL. I will explain what SHOULD be left alone, though. I tried to make this as "usable" as possible, meaning I left some things I personally do out so that people of any level can read this and possibly/ hopefully adjust it to their liking.
IF this guide helps you, but you feel that you could adjust it to make it better, go ahead. I just want to help people. Read the ENTIRE guide if you aren't to familiar with some features or if you would like more in-depth explanations on how to get the most out of them.

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Table Of Content

I. RUNES + MASTERY TREE: (Skip this if you're confident with the runes/masteries you picked, as went further into detail with picking them as a whole)

II.SKILL SEQUENCE

III.ITEM PURCHASE

IV.GETTING THE MOST OUT OF MALPHITE: Strategies, working with others, Laning, etc.

V.Extra Info/ Tip's
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I.

Runes and Mastery's may not give as big of bonus's as the items you purchase in-game, but knowing which ones to pick DEFINITELY help early on, and as you level up more mastery points/ rune slots become available, further boosting your player.

If you do not want to use the runes/ mastery's I have chosen, think about the following:
    What role am i trying to play?
    Can I get these effects quickly enough from in-game items?
    What does my character lack/ Should I add more to my characters strong points?
    How will these effects help me early on/ late game?

When it comes to malphite, take into consideration that he is VERY good for crowd control, farms very easily, and can tank like a champ. However, starting off he has a low walking rate, low magic resistance/ armor, virtually no way to heal himself, and doesn't deal enough damage to justify his attack rate.

I set up my runes/ skills the way i did to enhance his attack/damage early on, so I can deal more damage to minions (added to the effects of his brutal strike = easy farming). Now that i can be sure i'm dealing some pretty good damage early-game, I can focus on buying items that will help in the area's he lacks.

Also; think about how your masteries and runes work together. It does no good picking a rune/ mastery with very little boosts. Make sure you buy/pick things that have similiar boosts/ effects. IE: Don't only put 1 point in a mastery that only gives +1 damage if you have 3 available points. +3 damage will do more for you than +1 damage, +1 ability and +1 defence.
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II.

Malphites Skill Sequence is VERY important. Make sure you understand what each skill does, and consider what will be best for different situations.START WITH BRUTAL STRIKES UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU COULD DO BETTER STARTING WITH ONE OF HIS OTHER SKILLS, AS BRUTAL STRIKES DEALS DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE ENEMIES AT ONCE, GIVING MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR LAST-HITTING MINIONS, AND THUS MORE $

Seismic Shard:
Deals some damage(can be boosted) and slows down enemies.
It is best to wait until later on in the game to boost this, because you will only use this to slow down champions.

Brutal Strikes:
Deals extra damage to surrounding enemies, and can be activated for a small (but helpful) boost.
This one you should boost as often as you can. as you boost it, you will deal more damage to enemies around you, and the activated boost directly enhances malphite.

Ground Slam:
Hits the ground, dealing damage(can be boosted) to enemies within the blast range.
To be honest, i've found this one to be more useful for killing minions and gaining XP/ $ than anything else. However, I recommend lvl'ing this over Seismic, especially since it'll be much more useful to you early game and late game.
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III. (This is kind of a long read)

THE ITEMS YOU BUY ULTIMATELY DETERMINE HOW EFFECTIVE YOU'LL BE LATER ON. YOUR "BUILD" IS IMPORTANT, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU CAREFULLY ASSESS THE USEFULNESS OF AN ITEM(S) BEFORE YOU PURCHASE IT. YOU MAY FIND THAT AN ITEM THAT COSTS 1000 AND AN ITEM THAT COSTS 400 WILL BE MORE USEFUL TO YOU THAN A SIMILIAR ITEM THAT COSTS 2200.

For newer players/ people who haven't played malphite much, I urge you to AVOID items that have effects you have to activate. Finding items with useful boosts and solid passive abilities will be of most use to you, since active abilities are only worth it if you can remember to activate it.
WHEN IT COMES TO MALPHITE, YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ACTIVATION ITEMS. YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO DEAL AS MUCH "BASIC" DAMAGE AS POSSIBLE, AND HIS UNIQUE ABILITIES ARE ENOUGH AS-IS

The items I ALWAYS aim for when playing Malphite, are the Sunfire Cape, Last Whisper, and Thornmail.

Not only do you get a good Armor bonus from Sunfire and Thronmail, but they offer passive damage effects that allow you to actively farm, even mid game.

Not only is it good for farming/ crowd control, but having even just the Sunfire Cape will make you a MVP; as you will be able to weaken champions AND minions.

Brutal Strike deals a % of you Attack to surrounding enemies. You can go two ways with this: 1. Boost the FK out off your attack, which will also boost your other abilities AND your basic attacks to champions will be more effective 2. Boost your attack speed, allowing you to hit more often. Even though your individual attacks won't deal as much damage to surrounding enemies, you'll be dealing damage to them more often. It is usually cheaper/ easier for me to boost malphites Attack Speed first, as brutal strike temporarliy increases the damage you deal. The situation will determine which becomes more usefull

ALSO REMEMBER TO BUY ITEMS THAT CAN BE USED IN COMBOS. WHEN TANKING, BUYING ITEMS THAT HAVE AURA'S TO HELP YOUR ALLIES IS BENEFICIAL, AS YOUR JOB IS TO BE A MEAT SHEILD FOR THEM. THE MORE POWERFUL THEY ARE, THE LONGER YOU'LL SURVIVE. HELP THEM HELP YOU HELP THEM.

Great Malphite COMBO:
Brutal Strike 5(deals +64% attack damage to enemies around you) + Sunfire Cape (+28 magical damage to enemies around you) + thornmail (everytime you're hit, 30% of that damage is reflected) + Ground Slam (deals x damage to all enemies around you) + Last Whisper (40% penetration)= Clear Paths easily, gain LOTS of $, as well as xp. This combo also makes Snaring, Binding, Fear, Taunts, etc. DRAMATICALLY less effective, because you are dealing passive enviornment damage to EVERY ENEMEY around you. This will lead them to want to stay away from you. Enhancing your movement speed is HIGHLY reccomended once you have the Sunfire Cape and last Whisper.
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V.

1. Make sure you buy items that build into better items AND work with combo's/ Malphites abilities.
2. Focus on minions/ large groups
3. Stay by Allies who have good Range power, as this will allow maximum damage (even if you don't get the final hit, players will want to be around you, allowing you to live longer)
4. Try to stay close to freindly turrets. Malphite is SLOW. The closer you are to a turret, the better off you'll be.
5. BOOST YOUR MAGIC RESISTANCE WHEN YOU CAN. Malphite can take on Meele fighters well, but is toast against someone like LUX, Miss Fortune, or Annie.
6. USE GRASS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.
7. LURE YOUR ENEMIES INTO ATTACKING YOU (ESPECIALLY when you have Sunfire or Thornmail)
8. Save Seismic for slowing champions (ESPECIALLY if they're near your turrets)
9. PLAY SMART. Don't buy items just because you have the money for them. Make sure you don't just focus on one single trait (attack speed, mana, etc). Critical attack is VERY useful once you're higher level. Life Steal can also be effective.
10. AVOID BUYING ITEMS WITH ACTIVE ABILITIES IF YOU'RE TANKING/ SUPPORTING. CHANCES ARE, YOU WON'T USE THEM VERY MUCH, AND THE MONEY SPEANT ON THAT ITEM MAY HAVE BOUGHT YOU SOMETHING BETTER.
10. Avoid selling items if possible. You get less $ back, it's better to plan out what items you want, and then buying the components to it (even if it doesn't offer much bonus at first)
11. If you're hurt, don't panic. Try staying further back from the battlefeild, so you can still gain XP and heal. Health Regen items are very helpful early on. The longer you stay alive, the more $ and XP you'll gain.
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League of Legends Build Guide Author GSG9KillJoy
GSG9KillJoy Malphite Guide
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Newbies Guide to Malphite (Tanking/Crowd Control + Farming)

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