- Win Rate
- 49.3%
- Pick Rate
- 2.9%
- Ban Rate
- 6.2%
Katarina vs Malzahar
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 3,799
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 14, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Katarina vs Malzahar is a very close matchup in LoL patch 26.20. Katarina wins with a 50.4% win rate (+0.8%) over Malzahar based on 123 games. Malzahar wins the early laning phase while Katarina scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Katarina build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Katarina vs Malzahar matchup.
Katarina Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Katarina 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.
Who wins Katarina vs Malzahar?
Katarina wins 50.8% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 41.9% and 59.7% (95% range).
- Expected
- 49.0% From both champions' overall Mid win rates
- Matchup effect
- +1.8 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 118 games Lane: Mid
- vs patch 26.19
- +0.8 pts Within normal patch-to-patch noise
Lane: Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.20 · Oct 10 – Oct 11
They also met in another lane (Top): 3 games, Katarina won 33.3%.
Key takeaways
- Katarina vs Malzahar is an even matchup: Katarina wins 50.8% of 118 games, and the 95% range (41.9–59.7%) comfortably includes 50%.
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 49.0% for Katarina; the result is within the margin of error of that, so this matchup mostly reflects the two champions' general strength.
- Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 15, within the margin of error (116 games).
- Katarina players pick Chainlaced Crushers far more often against Malzahar: 14.0% of their other Mid games, 23.7% here.
How we calculate this
Games: ranked Solo/Duo and Flex games on the North America server from the patch shown. Remakes (games under 5 minutes) are excluded.
A game only counts when Katarina and Malzahar played the same position on opposite teams, so roaming, lane swaps within a team or a champion merely being in the same game never count as this matchup.
The 95% range is a Wilson score interval. Confidence comes from how wide that range is: within ±3 points is very high, ±5 high, ±8 moderate, anything wider low. Below 20 games a matchup is not classified at all.
Expected win rate combines both champions’ win rates in this lane (same games and filters) with the log5 formula: E = A(1−B) / (A(1−B) + B(1−A)). Matchup effect = observed − expected.
"What changes" compares Katarina's choices in this matchup with the same champion's other games in the same lane, and lists a change only when it is at least 3 points and statistically significant (two-proportion z-test, |z| ≥ 2, 20+ games).
Results are not split by rank: the sample per rank is too small for honest per-rank matchup numbers.
Katarina vs Malzahar Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Katarina vs Malzahar Win Rate by Game Length
Katarina's win rate against Malzahar by game length. The dot is the win rate, the bar its 95% range and the dashed line the champion's usual win rate at that length. Lengths with fewer than 25 games are left blank.
No game length stands out: Katarina's results against Malzahar in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Katarina vs Malzahar Power Spikes
Who is ahead at each stage, measured from these games. A stage reads "Even" when the difference is inside the margin of error, and "Insufficient data" when there are too few games to tell.
- Lane (15 min)EvenKatarina gold at 15: −15
- First itemMalzaharKatarina: 11.3 min · Malzahar: 10.4 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenKatarina wins 47.1% of 51 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenKatarina wins 53.4% of 58 games
What Katarina Changes Against Malzahar
Choices Katarina players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Chainlaced CrushersBootsUsually14.0%vs Malzahar23.7%+9.7 pts46.4% WR here
Flash + IgniteSummoner spellsUsually94.7%vs Malzahar89.8%−4.9 pts52.8% WR here
Titanic HydraItemUsually1.3%vs Malzahar5.1%+3.8 pts
Banshee's VeilItemUsually1.5%vs Malzahar5.1%+3.6 pts
Usuallyunder 0.5%vs Malzahar3.4%+3.4 pts
Best Katarina Build vs Malzahar
Usual Katarina build (Mid)
74.4% win rate · 39 games
Against Malzahar
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 10 of 74 Katarina games against Malzahar carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Katarina's standard build instead.
- Katarina usually completes Lich Bane first, at 11.3 min (median of 60 games).
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.4 min (median of 81 games).
- Skill priority: Q > E > W — the same as usual.
Builds are ranked by the lower edge of their win rate range, not the raw win rate, so a build seen in a handful of wins never outranks a proven one.
Best Katarina Runes vs Malzahar
Usual Katarina runes (Mid)
Conqueror
78.9% win rate · 19 games
Against Malzahar
Electrocute
46.2% win rate · 39 games
Plan your Katarina draft in Draft Lab
Draft Lab lays out both teams lane by lane with live matchup win rates, damage profiles and game-phase lean, and suggests picks and bans from current meta data.
- Full 5v5 draft board
- Lane matchup win rates
- Pick and ban suggestions
Katarina matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.20. The table below shows Katarina'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 Katarina build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Katarina Matchups
Hardest for Katarina
Easiest for Katarina
Win rate and games for each matchup. Lists are ranked by the edge of the 95% range so small samples cannot top them; matchups with at least 50 games only.
Help us maintain accuracy! If you notice incorrect stats, missing data, or any issues, your feedback directly improves the quality of our data for the entire community.
Katarina vs Malzahar FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who wins Katarina vs Malzahar?
Katarina vs Malzahar is an even matchup: Katarina wins 50.8% of 118 games, and the 95% range (41.9–59.7%) comfortably includes 50%.
What is Katarina's win rate against Malzahar?
Katarina wins 50.8% of 118 Mid games against Malzahar on patch 26.20 (95% range 41.9–59.7%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 49.0% would be expected.
Does Katarina counter Malzahar?
Not clearly. Katarina wins 50.8% of 118 games against Malzahar, and the 95% range (41.9–59.7%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Katarina or Malzahar?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 15, within the margin of error (116 games).
Does Katarina outscale Malzahar?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Malzahar strongest against Katarina?
Malzahar is measurably ahead in: First item.
What should Katarina build against Malzahar?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Katarina's usual Mid core: Shadowflame, Lich Bane, Mejai's Soulstealer. The biggest change against Malzahar: Chainlaced Crushers (14.0% usually, 23.7% here).
What runes should Katarina use against Malzahar?
Electrocute with Domination and Precision — 46.2% over 39 games against Malzahar. The biggest change against Malzahar: Flash + Ignite (94.7% usually, 89.8% here).