Lockevs Malzahar
Locke vs Malzahar is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.19. Locke wins with a 53.7% win rate (+7.4%) over Malzahar based on 95 games. Locke wins the early laning phase while Malzahar scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Locke build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Locke vs Malzahar matchup.
Locke Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Locke 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 Locke vs Malzahar?
Locke wins 51.3% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 44.3% and 58.3% (95% range).
- Expected
- 47.4% From both champions' overall Mid win rates
- Matchup effect
- +3.9 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 193 games Lane: Mid
- vs patch 26.18
- −0.4 pts Within normal patch-to-patch noise
Lane: Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.19 · Sep 24 – Sep 28
Key takeaways
- Locke vs Malzahar is an even matchup: Locke wins 51.3% of 193 games, and the 95% range (44.3–58.3%) comfortably includes 50%.
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 47.4% for Locke; the result is within the margin of error of that, so this matchup mostly reflects the two champions' general strength.
- Locke usually wins the lane: 374 gold ahead of Malzahar at 15 minutes on average (193 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
- Locke players pick Chainlaced Crushers far more often against Malzahar: 15.9% of their other Mid games, 25.4% 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 Locke 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 Locke'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.
Locke vs Malzahar Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Locke vs Malzahar Win Rate by Game Length
Locke'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: Locke's results against Malzahar in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Locke 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)LockeLocke gold at 15: +374
- First itemEvenLocke: 10.8 min · Malzahar: 10.6 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenLocke wins 58.5% of 65 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenLocke wins 43.4% of 106 games
What Locke Changes Against Malzahar
Choices Locke players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Chainlaced CrushersBootsUsually15.9%vs Malzahar25.4%+9.5 pts38.8% WR here
Banshee's VeilItemUsually12.1%vs Malzahar19.2%+7.1 pts64.9% WR here
ElectrocuteKeystoneUsually91.7%vs Malzahar96.4%+4.6 pts50.0% WR here
Sudden ImpactRuneUsually94.1%vs Malzahar97.9%+3.8 pts50.3% WR here
Best Locke Build vs Malzahar
Usual Locke build (Mid)
100.0% win rate · 10 games
Limited sample: 25 of 133 games finished this exact core, so treat it as an observation rather than a recommendation.
- Locke usually completes Lich Bane first, at 10.8 min (median of 166 games).
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.6 min (median of 114 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 Locke Runes vs Malzahar
Usual Locke runes (Mid)
Electrocute
72.0% win rate · 25 games
Against Malzahar
Electrocute
48.4% win rate · 64 games
Plan your Locke 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
Locke matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.19. The table below shows Locke'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 Locke build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Locke Matchups
Hardest for Locke
Easiest for Locke
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.
Locke vs Malzahar FAQ - Patch 26.19
Who wins Locke vs Malzahar?
Locke vs Malzahar is an even matchup: Locke wins 51.3% of 193 games, and the 95% range (44.3–58.3%) comfortably includes 50%.
What is Locke's win rate against Malzahar?
Locke wins 51.3% of 193 Mid games against Malzahar on patch 26.19 (95% range 44.3–58.3%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 47.4% would be expected.
Does Locke counter Malzahar?
Not clearly. Locke wins 51.3% of 193 games against Malzahar, and the 95% range (44.3–58.3%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Locke or Malzahar?
Locke usually wins the lane: 374 gold ahead of Malzahar at 15 minutes on average (193 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
Does Locke outscale Malzahar?
Not measurably: Locke's win rate against Malzahar in games of 25 minutes or less and in longer games is within the margin of error of each other.
When is Malzahar strongest against Locke?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Malzahar is ahead of Locke beyond the margin of error.
What should Locke build against Malzahar?
The most successful Locke core against Malzahar is Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Lich Bane (48.0% over 25 games). The biggest change against Malzahar: Chainlaced Crushers (15.9% usually, 25.4% here).
What runes should Locke use against Malzahar?
Electrocute with Domination and Precision — 48.4% over 64 games against Malzahar. The biggest change against Malzahar: Electrocute (91.7% usually, 96.4% here).