Mage · Mid · Top

Malzahar counters, build & runes

Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void, is a mage mostly played in Mid and Top. In Mid it has a 49.8% win rate in patch 16.20 and sits in tier A. It excels at picking off targets and waveclear and is strongest in the mid game.

Patch 16.20 · SoloQ

Mid90%

Top10%

ATier

49.8%Win rate

5.3%Pick rate

9.0%Ban rate

#19Rank · Mid

94,673Games

Malzahar Mid most played build

Runes48% of games · 50.6% WR

Deathfire Touch · Manaflow Band · Transcendence · Scorch
Magical Footwear · Cosmic Insight

Summoner spells49.6% WR

Flash

Teleport

Skill order59% of games · 55.5% WR

EQW

Levels 1 to 3: E · Q · W

Starting items88% of games · 49.9% WR

Doran's Ring

Health Potion

Core build29% of games · 53.0% WR

Blackfire Torch

Liandry's Torment

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Boots76% of games · 50.4% WR

Sorcerer's Shoes

Malzahar Mid counters

Malzahar's win rate in the lane matchup

Struggles against

Talon43.4%592
Annie44.7%577
Fizz45.1%1,801
Aurora45.4%837
Akshan45.8%751
Xerath46.0%1,810

Beats

Mel55.8%758
Ryze55.4%668
Vladimir55.2%2,076
Zoe54.4%1,108
Yasuo54.4%3,479
Akali53.4%1,631

CTier

49.8%Win rate

0.6%Pick rate

8.5%Ban rate

#55Rank · Top

10,305Games

Malzahar Top most played build

Runes43% of games · 51.4% WR

Deathfire Touch · Manaflow Band · Transcendence · Scorch
Magical Footwear · Cosmic Insight

Summoner spells50.0% WR

Flash

Teleport

Skill order60% of games · 54.4% WR

EQW

Levels 1 to 3: E · Q · W

Starting items83% of games · 50.3% WR

Doran's Ring

Health Potion

Core build23% of games · 53.7% WR

Blackfire Torch

Liandry's Torment

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Boots72% of games · 50.8% WR

Sorcerer's Shoes

Malzahar Top counters

Malzahar's win rate in the lane matchup

Struggles against

Tryndamere39.0%95
Sion40.8%125
Singed41.2%68
Vayne41.8%55
Kled41.9%62
Shen44.0%134

Beats

Warwick61.7%60
Illaoi61.3%124
Mordekaiser57.6%212
Ambessa57.3%110
Heimerdinger57.1%149
Vladimir56.2%121

Champion profile

Burst damage2
Sustained damage3
Durability1
Crowd control3
Mobility0
Engage2
Peel2
Poke2

0 to 5 attributes from HeroCoach's Fuente 1 profile, rated from the champion kit and Emerald+ stats.

Power curve

Early

Mid

Late

Game plan

Picking off targets

Excels at

Picking off targets
Waveclear

Struggles against

poke
burst damage

Frequently asked questions

Who counters Malzahar in Mid?

In patch 16.20, the hardest lane opponents for Malzahar in Mid are Talon (43.4%), Annie (44.7%) and Fizz (45.1%). In brackets, Malzahar's win rate in that matchup.

Who is Malzahar strong against?

In Mid, Malzahar wins most often against Mel (55.8%), Ryze (55.4%) and Vladimir (55.2%).

What is the best Malzahar build in Mid?

The core Malzahar build in Mid is Blackfire Torch, Liandry's Torment and Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Keystone: Deathfire Touch, with Inspiration as the secondary tree. Skill order: E > Q > W.

Is Malzahar good in patch 16.20?

It is tier A in Mid (rank 19), with a 49.8% win rate, 5.3% pick rate and 9.0% ban rate in SoloQ.

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Global SoloQ stats for patch 16.20. Updated October 17, 2026.