This is a guide of how to play Malphite as Solo top. First off, I dont claim to be a pro Malphite player nor do I claim to know everything about the game, this is just a guide for those wanting some ideas or help starting off. I've been playing Malphite as tanky dps for a while now usually because most games I play are normal and no one wants to tank, but also I like playing a character than can do damage, and Malphite Tank can do major damage if played correctly.

Greater Greater Mark of Resilience Marks - Greater Mark of Resilience: +0.91 armor, helps for farming minions early game with your E, as well as making you beefier and sustaining your shield.
Greater Seal of Defense Seals - Greater Seal of Defense: +0.15 armor per level, gives you an armor boost mid to late game making your E deal massive damage in team fights.
Glyphs - Greater Glyph of Shielding: +0.15 magic resist per level, I chose this Glyph over the Flat 1.5 magic resist ones because if you can survive early game which is pretty easy in my opinion, it allows you to throw in a wider variety of items mid to late game.
Quintessences - Greater Quintessence of Resilience +4.26 armor, more armor for better survival and more burst from E early game.

9/21/0

I play malphite as a 9/21/0 build for solo top, mostly for the burstier damage to help kill minions and survivability from tower divers etc. In this build I also chose to take strength of spirit over ardor, since this build will be more focused on damage output from your E which scales with armor and not ability power, we will also be leveling W last, which makes ardor less attractive. The health regeneration from strength of spirit will allow you to stay in your lane more often, since you are solo top, leaving your lane early could potentially kill your turret.

Unstoppable Force > Ground Slam > Seismic Shard > Brutal Strikes

R > E > Q > W is the priority.

While you are solo top, you usually dont want to overextend past the midpoint of your lane, generally you dont want to be near any bushes so dont try and push. Having said that, grabbing Q or E first usually depends if they have a jungler or not, if its 1v2 top I grab E first for heavy damage early on to scare them off a bit from harassing me, and to help last hitting minions. If they have a jungler it will be 1v1 top and I use Q for harassment, but always play conservatively and never overextend, malphite is slower than a slug with crutches.

Jungler Team (1v1 top)

Exhaust slows are always helpful, malphite can't really chase early on he is really slow, and his Q isnt leveled up yet early game so Exhaust will help you land some early game kills if you are lucky or with help from your jungler.

Ignite grabbing ignite helps with the crazy burst damage malphite can do as a tank, a good W>E>Q+Ignite combo can usually kill an enemy who is too agressive.


No Jungler Team (1v2 top)

Teleport Blind picks I grab this, or 1v2 top with no jungler on other team. This helps alot because sometimes as solo top Malphite you can get caught in hairy situations or against good tower divers that can drop you low real fast. Teleport allows you to return to base to heal and get back to defending your tower asap, it also allows you to use it as a quick return, since you are gaining full XP from solo top you will hit 6 pretty fast and can run to another lane to help gank with your ultimate then quickly return with teleport.

Exhaust slows are always helpful, malphite can't really chase early on he is really slow, and his Q isnt leveled up yet early game so Exhaust will help you land some early game kills if you are lucky or with help from your jungler.

Doran's Shield > Boots > Cloth Armor > Null-Magic Mantle > Ninja Tabi > Frozen Heart > Thornmail or Aegis of the Legion

I start off with a Doran's Shield for the extra health, armor, and health per 5. Combined with masteries and runes all these stats will help your sustainability early game while also being able to pump out damage and punish players who are to agressive. I grab boots second then cloth armor 3rd to make my E stronger and help farm gold. You can either upgrade your boots for more burst damage if you are doing good, or grab some magic resist if youre being harassed with spell damage. My first item after the boots is Frozen Heart for more armor CDR and mana which helps. At this point, your armor should be over 200 or nearing it, after this you can either get Thornmail for more burst with your E if you arent taking much damage from spells, or bulk up your MR with Aegis of the Legion which also adds an aura to give your team a little more survivability as well. If the game lasts long enough I usually grab Gaurdian Angel and Warmog's Armor for more survivability or Spirit Visage if I need more magic resist. Theres no problem for grabbing Warmog's Armor late because mid-late game malphite can clear waves of minions in about 2-3 seconds with a quick W+E combo.

Solo top malphite can carry a team if played correctly grabbing his ultimate early on can lead to successfull early game ganking if done right. If you are up against 2 players top you want to play very conservatively and never push alone. Solo top vs Solo top, malphite can do some crazy burst early on and can help you shutout the opponent or even net you some kills from careless champions. Farming minions is the thing you need to be able to do with malphite to be effective with this build, grabbing your items earlier will help you not only survive and tank for your team, but help you do some crazy burst as well, helping your team take down enemies or even taking them down yourself.

Tips:
- When your ultimate is up, try to be in team fights when you use them to net more kills for your team. This is including right when you hit level 6, grab the first opportunity to leave your lane and help gank.
- Mid-game to late game Malphite does insane damage with W+E Combo, but since your going to be mana starved most of the time with no mana regen, try to retain from using W til late game. Auto hit different minions and when they are around half health finish them all off with E positioning is the key, move ur fat malphite body between the caster and melee minions.
- During initiations, try to R so you will hit the main enemy target then E while they are in the air, Q them as they fall so they cant get away and if you do it right he will be dead on the way down, or your teammates can easily finish him off within a second or two.
- If opponents are hugging towers, assess the situation and let your teammates know, Malphite is very strong at tower diving and can help you turn tides in a game especially if you farmed correctly. Use your R on a tower when the enemy team is grouped up so your team has a good 2-3 seconds while they are stunned to finish them off, W>R>E will completely decimate a grouped team, leaving your team with a weakened ball of opponents to clean up after your combo hits.