Malzahar has always been one of my most recommended champions for climbing in LoL. Not only is he easy to play, but he’s damn powerful too.
Malzahar can have insane pressure around the map and carry games with ease.
But if you look at the current tier lists and statistics, Malzahar is near the bottom. Sure, he has a high pick rate but one of the lowest win rates too. Why is this the case?
Malzahar has a unique playstyle that you need to understand, practice, and master.
You have to know how to position when to push your lane, which enemy to target with your ultimate, and so on. But if you spend even a little time with this champion, you’ll definitely start climbing!
Here are my top 3 reasons why Malzhar is such a good champion in League of Legends!
Top 3 Reasons Why Malzahar is so Good in LoL
3. Malzahar is a Safe and Easy Pick in the Mid Lane
One of the first things that come to mind when we talk about Malzahar is his safety. This champion is incredibly effective at staying out of trouble, be that crowd control or damage.
And because of that, he’s also one of the best mid lane picks for beginner players in LoL.
Malzahar’s passive – Void Shift grants him a shield that blocks the next ability effect. It also gives Malz a 90% damage reduction while the shield is up, so it’s practically impossible to slay him if he has his passive.
The best part about Void Shift is that minions can’t break it, even if they’re buffed with Baron Nashor. Of course, attacks by enemy champions and jungle monsters always break the shield.
However, Malzahar is a ranged champion that can keep enemies away from him. He can do this with his Q, which silences targets and stops their abilities.
And Malzahar’s R is a great way to keep key targets, such as assassins, away from him too.
On the other hand, Malzahar is one of the easiest champions in League of Legends. This goes hand-in-hand with his safety, simply because it’s easy to wait a few seconds more for your passive shield or press R when needed.
Learning to play Malzahar doesn’t take much, yet it’s very rewarding. From controlling the mid lane to ganking the sidelines – everything is pretty simple with this champion.
Press your E and W, push your wave, and look for ganks when your R is up. That’s Malzahar in a nutshell!
Read Also: 5 Reasons Why Ahri is So Good
2. Malzahar is a Great Split Pusher / Solo Carry
Unlike many mages in the game (Orianna, Zoe, or Xerath), Malzahar doesn’t need anyone around him.
In fact, he’s so good at split pushing and solo carrying that most guides out there recommend you do that – go top or bot and push until victory.
The reason why Malzahar is so effective in the side lane is that his push is unmatched. His E – Malefic Visions is a DoT (damage-over-time effect) that spreads between the enemy minions when they die.
And his W – Void Swarm allows Malz to spawn little pets that deal extra damage to enemies afflicted with Malefic Visions.
In other words, when Malzahar presses E and W, the enemy minions die on their own. He doesn’t have to auto-attack or stick around to help his wave.
Instead, he can hide in a bush or roam around the map to set up a vision for him and his team. This is a luxury that only Malzahar, since most split-pushers need to be around the minions to slay them.
However, Malzahar’s pushing powers are great in the mid lane too. As early as level 3, Malz can set up a hard push on the enemy player with E, W, and Q.
This is super effective for pressuring the opponent and forcing him to stay on his turret. Malzahar can then join his jungler and help him secure the scuttle crabs early on.
As the game progresses and Malzahar gets more and more AP, his push becomes stronger too.
So one of the best things you can do with Malzahar is to quickly push your lane and roam around the map to pressure other lanes. In most cases, the enemy mid won’t be able to follow since he’ll be stuck under his turret.
1. Malzahar Has One of the Best Ultimates in LoL
If we’re honest, Nether Grasp is 90% of the reason why players lock in Malzahar. This ability is obnoxiously powerful and can outplay most of the champions in the game.
And depending on whether you use it offensively or defensively, you can create plays around the map and generate gold for your team.
The reason why Malzhar’s ultimate is so good is that it ensures a champion takedown most of the time.
Using Nether Grasp on the enemy ADC or mid laner is always a priority and will likely get them killed. But even if you use it on the tanky top laner, this ulti gives your team enough time to damage the isolated enemy.
Once Nether Grasp is activated, it stuns the target for 2.5 seconds. This is a point-click ability, so no skillshots are involved.
It is also considered a “suppression” type of crowd control and not stun, so it cannot be removed with Cleanse.
Only Quicksilver Sash (QSS) and the items that are built from it can remove Malzahar’s ult, but it will cost your enemy 1350 gold.
Now, there are many different ways that you can use Malzahar’s ultimate. You could wait for the enemy assassin to dive under the turret and stun him for extra damage.
Or you could use Flash + R on an overextended opponent to punish them.
Regardless, Malzahar’s ultimate is one of the best ways to win a team fight before it even starts. If you manage to catch an isolated enemy with your team, you’ll turn the 5v5 into 5v4.
So, Malzahar’s ultimate can heavily influence the outcome of every team fight.
Read Also: Top 5 Best LoL Champions with DoTs
How’s Malzahar Doing in High Elo?
Generally, the higher you climb on the ranked ladder in League of Legends, the harder it gets to win. This is true for any champion, simply because the players have more experience and knowledge of the game.
But, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you’re a good Malzahar player.
Malzahar is a great pick in high elo. Many Malzahar OTPs have reached Challenger and proved this one of the best picks for climbing.
In high elo, players regularly buy QSS against Malzahar, always break his shield, and don’t come in range of his ulti. But if you play well, you can carry even in Challenger.
Here I mean using your ultimate when the enemy has their QSS on cooldown, Flashing in for the range, or staying in the Fog of War so your passive comes up.
Doing these small things will always give you an advantage when playing Malzahar.
Read Also: 15 Best Mid Laners for Beginners
Is Malzahar Really a Carry Champion?
Since Malzahar is a mage with a medium range and only one AoE ability, he isn’t often regarded as a carry. However, here’s what you need to remember.
Malzahar isn’t a carry in the same sense as other carry champions in the game: Ezreal, Hecarim, Vayne, Irelia. He cannot 1v5 an entire team and often loses 1v1 duels.
However, Malzahar can carry games by setting up kills for his team, assisting them with CC, and disabling enemy champions. That’s his strength.
Does Malzahar Support Work?
A couple of seasons ago, Malzahar support was one of the hottest picks in League of Legends. It worked very well, especially against aggressive champions such as Leona or Draven.
Malzahar could simply use his Nether Grasp on them to make them completely useless.
So if you aren’t a mid laner but still enjoy playing Malzahar, here’s what you need to know.
Malzahar can be a great support pick in LoL. You can assist your ADC and set up a perma-pushing lane.
You can silence both of the enemy laners. And your ultimate is a constant threat to anyone in your range. Malzahar support can set up kills easily in the bot lane with his R.
Read Also: 5 Things That Prove Sona is Still a Good Support
Conclusion
As you can see, Malzahar is good for many different things in LoL. He’s a great champion to play into any matchup since he’s easy to play and pretty safe overall.
Farming minions with Malzahar literally takes no skill and team fighting often requires you to only press R.
Of course, the better you get at playing this champion the more you’re going to carry.
But even if you’re a beginner in this game, you can definitely win a lot more games with Malzahar than any other champion.
So, that’s why Malzahar is so good in League of Legends!
