Garen - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
50.6%
Pick Rate
7.8%

Garenvs Malzahar

AFighterTank
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 21, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Garen vs Malzahar is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.7. Garen wins with a 60.7% win rate (+21.4%) over Malzahar based on 28 games. Garen holds the advantage in both the early and late game. Below you'll find the best Garen build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Garen vs Malzahar matchup.

Garen Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Garen performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.

Compare against an opponent
Malzahar - 60.7% win rateMalzahar(60.7%)
Garen - 60.7% win rate in this matchup
Garen
60.7% WR
VS
Malzahar vs Garen matchup - 39.3% win rate
Malzahar
39.3% WR

Who Wins the Garen vs Malzahar Matchup?

Garen wins the Garen vs Malzahar matchup
Winner
Garen
Matches: 28
60.7%
Win Rate
39.3%
7.1
CS / min
7.7
773
DMG / min
825
12,473
Gold / game
11,470
118
Heal / min
46
1,431
DMG Mitigated / min
475
0.8
CC / min
1.9
58.3%
Early Game WR
41.7%
62.5%
Late Game WR
37.5%

Garen vs Malzahar Matchup Summary

The Garen vs Malzahar matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 28 recent matches analyzed, Garen wins with a 60.7% win rate compared to Malzahar's 39.3%, giving Garen a 21.4 percentage point advantage. Garen dominates at every stage — from early laning through late game team fights. This consistent advantage makes it difficult for Malzahar players to find favorable windows, so team-dependent strategies and avoiding solo confrontations are essential. The most significant statistical gap is in sustain, where Garen leads by 1,029 HP/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Garen players can confidently pick into Malzahar and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Malzahar away from CS whenever possible. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Garen vs Malzahar Laning Phase Breakdown

Malzahar wins the laning phase against Garen in League of Legends

Malzahar is favored during the laning phase against Garen, winning 3 out of 5 key stat categories. Malzahar holds advantages in farming, damage and crowd control, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
7.1Garen
7.7Malzahar
Malzahar edges out Garen by 0.6 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 9 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Malzahar.
Damage
773Garen
825Malzahar
Malzahar deals 52 more champion damage per minute than Garen. While noticeable in extended trades, this gap can be offset by Garen choosing favorable fight windows, such as engaging when Malzahar's key abilities are on cooldown or trading immediately after dodging a skillshot.
Economy
12,473Garen
11,470Malzahar
Garen generates a commanding 1,003 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Garen consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Malzahar should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
0.8Garen
1.9Malzahar
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Garen, with 1.1 more seconds of CC per minute. This large utility gap makes Malzahar far more valuable in setting up jungle ganks, controlling objectives, and locking down targets in team fights. Garen should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
1,549Garen
521Malzahar
Garen vastly out-sustains Malzahar, healing and mitigating 1,029 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Garen can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Malzahar is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Malzahar, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Garen Build Against Malzahar

Gunmetal Greaves is the optimal boots choice against Malzahar, providing the mobility and stats Garen needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Garen against Malzahar are Stridebreaker, Phantom Dancer and Mortal Reminder. This combination gives Garen an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 100.0% win rate across 4 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Malzahar. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Garen vs Malzahar matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Garen
58.3%
+16.7% advantage
Garen early game win rateGaren58.3%
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar41.7%
Late Game
Garen
62.5%
+25.0% advantage
Garen late game win rateGaren62.5%
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar37.5%

Garen dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 58.3% win rate — a 16.7 percentage point lead over Malzahar. This lopsided early game means Garen can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Garen is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 62.5% win rate — 25.0 points above Malzahar. Extended games heavily favor Garen, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

Garen holds the advantage at every stage of the game, making this a consistently favorable matchup from lane through late game team fights. Malzahar players should look for outplays, team-dependent strategies, and picks rather than relying on scaling to win this matchup.

Best Garen Runes Against Malzahar

Precision rune tree - Garen primary runes vs MalzaharPrecision
Conqueror - best Garen rune vs MalzaharTriumph - best Garen rune vs MalzaharLegend: Haste - best Garen rune vs MalzaharCoup de Grace - best Garen rune vs Malzahar
Sorcery rune tree - Garen secondary runes vs MalzaharSorcery
Axiom Arcanist - best Garen rune vs MalzaharCelerity - best Garen rune vs Malzahar
100.0% WR

Running Precision primary with Sorcery secondary allows Garen to press their advantage against Malzahar, amplifying the strengths that make this a favorable matchup.


Garen matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.7. The table below shows Garen's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Garen build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Garen matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.7
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
47.09%3786.581512,43342.3%51.0%
50.97%3616.881012,30350.9%51.0%
50.46%3277.090212,58151.5%49.4%
39.77%2647.170612,97844.0%36.8%
51.20%2506.467512,35752.5%50.3%
54.05%2227.31,02512,98752.6%55.1%
50.74%2037.189113,51959.5%44.5%
46.31%2037.180012,46340.6%52.0%
53.61%1947.296213,24548.8%57.3%
57.98%1887.287312,68557.0%58.8%
58.92%1857.192912,95357.0%60.4%
48.33%1806.985512,62650.6%46.4%
54.19%1797.279212,94360.7%48.4%
55.87%1797.31,23013,86856.2%55.7%
46.51%1727.488813,11750.8%43.8%
50.00%1727.278813,61550.0%50.0%
48.75%1607.51,00813,37655.8%42.2%
55.63%1607.189712,61561.3%50.0%
54.37%1606.788212,69550.7%57.5%
54.84%1556.882712,87255.7%54.1%
41.61%1496.463912,28648.4%36.5%
55.41%1487.386213,62767.7%46.5%
49.31%1446.777612,57941.3%55.6%
51.08%1397.282712,66142.4%58.9%
57.81%1287.281813,52765.5%52.0%
54.33%1277.191512,82258.5%51.4%
52.80%1257.084512,19256.3%49.2%
48.76%1217.491413,17556.7%38.9%
43.33%1206.81,00913,16151.0%38.0%
37.29%1186.868912,05233.3%40.3%
41.59%1136.473812,99540.4%42.6%
53.10%1137.282212,72356.9%49.1%
55.86%1117.797714,57152.6%57.5%
60.19%1037.391513,70160.0%60.4%
53.92%1026.883612,54957.5%50.9%
55.79%957.394613,81159.5%53.5%
53.01%837.485612,76751.2%54.8%
57.50%807.295913,75844.4%68.2%
40.51%796.659611,96647.5%33.3%
57.33%756.778112,27155.6%59.0%
54.93%716.784714,07556.7%53.7%
64.29%706.774512,93657.6%70.3%
53.73%676.91,02913,17744.4%60.0%
51.67%607.277714,29656.5%48.6%
53.57%565.682412,21162.9%38.1%
41.51%537.079613,20750.0%34.5%
51.92%527.391113,68561.9%45.2%
53.85%527.179712,71448.1%60.0%
43.18%446.582314,24937.5%46.4%
47.73%446.789112,76155.0%41.7%
41.46%416.568112,86128.6%48.1%
48.65%376.088113,13955.0%41.2%
54.05%376.589213,34753.3%54.5%
64.52%317.078012,31161.1%69.2%
53.33%306.364811,69057.1%50.0%
58.62%296.272113,45022.2%75.0%
60.71%287.177312,47358.3%62.5%
37.04%274.881813,68254.5%25.0%
65.38%266.869412,46663.6%66.7%
42.31%267.381313,16630.0%50.0%
60.00%256.580012,90360.0%60.0%
73.91%237.389414,92175.0%73.3%
36.36%225.693914,95528.6%40.0%
45.45%227.096114,72150.0%42.9%
55.00%206.280113,97150.0%56.3%
50.00%203.976813,04622.2%72.7%
63.16%196.379114,55287.5%45.5%
57.89%195.479913,18166.7%53.9%
50.00%187.878212,54162.5%40.0%
55.56%187.376512,75960.0%50.0%
55.56%186.870912,83640.0%75.0%
66.67%187.173713,17850.0%75.0%
38.89%187.287112,83828.6%45.5%
47.06%176.981813,93580.0%33.3%
29.41%176.680212,28842.9%20.0%
17.65%176.253710,15830.0%0.0%
50.00%167.695412,35844.4%57.1%
31.25%165.861013,67050.0%28.6%
50.00%167.073313,45850.0%50.0%
37.50%167.790913,48037.5%37.5%
40.00%153.990515,7210.0%54.5%
80.00%156.285715,33885.7%75.0%
53.33%157.077914,00866.7%44.4%
50.00%147.168012,64050.0%50.0%
42.86%146.578111,62033.3%50.0%
57.14%145.975012,94355.6%60.0%
53.85%136.184313,92950.0%57.1%
33.33%125.276912,04616.7%50.0%
58.33%127.198113,67775.0%50.0%
58.33%126.065310,83171.4%40.0%
36.36%116.684815,5180.0%44.4%
54.55%113.374812,53666.7%50.0%
45.45%115.586413,78060.0%33.3%
81.82%116.372212,81766.7%87.5%
27.27%114.45999,35240.0%16.7%
27.27%116.482613,7120.0%42.9%
20.00%106.975413,08525.0%16.7%
40.00%106.370612,35520.0%60.0%
44.44%95.987611,46240.0%50.0%
33.33%96.565313,5950.0%50.0%
66.67%95.078313,74775.0%60.0%
55.56%94.964010,11620.0%100.0%
25.00%87.786110,71540.0%0.0%
75.00%87.192614,590100.0%66.7%
50.00%87.81,18114,23680.0%0.0%
37.50%85.051411,10433.3%40.0%
75.00%85.752010,73771.4%100.0%
62.50%86.466112,22260.0%66.7%
62.50%87.186614,69150.0%66.7%
75.00%86.771511,47483.3%50.0%
71.43%77.778914,404100.0%50.0%
57.14%72.356114,981100.0%40.0%
57.14%73.043511,42850.0%60.0%
71.43%77.475511,89660.0%100.0%
57.14%77.463510,11775.0%33.3%
50.00%65.756711,49050.0%50.0%
16.67%66.51,01318,1730.0%16.7%
16.67%66.163012,4130.0%33.3%
50.00%64.550911,659100.0%0.0%
16.67%65.356411,79550.0%0.0%
50.00%67.567312,51566.7%33.3%
33.33%66.660113,04866.7%0.0%
66.67%67.454712,03075.0%50.0%
40.00%56.986912,08433.3%50.0%
60.00%54.277312,15566.7%50.0%
60.00%56.971513,07166.7%50.0%
40.00%55.874414,0620.0%50.0%
40.00%54.849510,23733.3%50.0%
80.00%53.488215,856100.0%75.0%
60.00%56.555112,26450.0%66.7%

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Garen vs Malzahar - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Garen do against Malzahar in League of Legends?

Garen wins the Garen vs Malzahar matchup with a 60.7% win rate compared to Malzahar's 39.3%, a 21.4 percentage point difference. This data is based on 28 recent ranked games in patch 26.7.

How does Garen do against Malzahar in the early game?

In the early game, Garen has the advantage against Malzahar with a 58.3% win rate versus 41.7%. Garen players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Garen do against Malzahar in the late game?

In the late game, Garen takes over the Garen vs Malzahar matchup with a 62.5% win rate compared to 37.5%. Garen scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Garen vs Malzahar matchup?

Garen wins the matchup against Malzahar with a 60.7% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.7. The 21.4 percentage point advantage means Garen is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 28 games analyzed.

What is the best Garen build against Malzahar?

The best Garen build against Malzahar includes Stridebreaker, Phantom Dancer, Mortal Reminder with Gunmetal Greaves. This build achieves a 100.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Garen runes against Malzahar?

The best Garen runes against Malzahar use the Precision primary tree with Sorcery secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Garen vs Malzahar matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Garen counter Malzahar?

Yes, Garen has a favorable matchup against Malzahar with a 60.7% win rate. Garen strongly counters Malzahar in lane based on current patch 26.7 data.

How do I play Garen against Malzahar?

When playing Garen against Malzahar, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. You have early game priority — look for kills and zone control before first recall. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.