Malzahar - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
51.5%
Pick Rate
5.1%

Malzaharvs Gangplank

SMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 7, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Malzahar vs Gangplank is a very close matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Malzahar wins with a 50.0% win rate (+0.0%) over Gangplank based on 28 games. Malzahar wins the early laning phase while Gangplank scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup.

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Malzahar Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Malzahar 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 - 50.0% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
50.0% WR
VS
Gangplank vs Malzahar matchup - 50.0% win rate
Gangplank
50.0% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Gangplank Matchup?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup
Winner
Malzahar
Matches: 28
50.0%
Win Rate
50.0%
7.6
CS / min
7.2
865
DMG / min
943
12,913
Gold / game
15,141
54
Heal / min
276
575
DMG Mitigated / min
641
1.7
CC / min
0.3
70.0%
Early Game WR
30.0%
38.9%
Late Game WR
61.1%

Malzahar vs Gangplank Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup is essentially a coin-flip matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 28 recent matches analyzed, Malzahar wins with a 50.0% win rate compared to Gangplank's 50.0%, giving Malzahar a 0.0 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Malzahar controls the early laning stage, but Gangplank outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Malzahar needs to press advantages before Gangplank reaches their power spikes, while Gangplank should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Malzahar leads by 1.3s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Malzahar has a statistical edge, but the margin is close enough that respecting Gangplank's strengths is important. Trade when cooldowns are favorable, track the enemy jungler, and build toward your strongest item spikes to convert the slight advantage into a decisive lead. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Malzahar vs Gangplank Laning Phase Breakdown

Gangplank wins the laning phase against Malzahar in League of Legends

Gangplank is favored during the laning phase against Malzahar, winning 3 out of 5 key stat categories. Gangplank holds advantages in damage, gold income and sustain, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
7.6Malzahar
7.2Gangplank
Malzahar edges out Gangplank by 0.4 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 5 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Malzahar.
Damage
865Malzahar
943Gangplank
Gangplank deals 78 more champion damage per minute than Malzahar. While noticeable in extended trades, this gap can be offset by Malzahar choosing favorable fight windows, such as engaging when Gangplank's key abilities are on cooldown or trading immediately after dodging a skillshot.
Economy
12,913Malzahar
15,141Gangplank
Gangplank generates a commanding 2,228 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Gangplank 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
1.7Malzahar
0.3Gangplank
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Gangplank, with 1.3 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. Gangplank should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
629Malzahar
917Gangplank
Gangplank vastly out-sustains Malzahar, healing and mitigating 288 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Gangplank 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 Malzahar Build Against Gangplank

Spellslinger's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Gangplank, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Gangplank are Liandry's Torment, Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Blackfire Torch. This combination gives Malzahar an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build has a 33.3% win rate across 6 games. While the overall matchup may be difficult, this item path gives Malzahar the best chance to compete against Gangplank. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Malzahar
70.0%
+40.0% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar70.0%
Gangplank early game win rateGangplank30.0%
Late Game
Gangplank
61.1%
+22.2% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar38.9%
Gangplank late game win rateGangplank61.1%

Malzahar dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 70.0% win rate — a 40.0 percentage point lead over Gangplank. This lopsided early game means Malzahar can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Gangplank is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 61.1% win rate — 22.2 points above Malzahar. Extended games heavily favor Gangplank, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Malzahar must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Gangplank reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Gangplank survives the laning phase without falling too far behind, the matchup flips in their favor. Dragon and Rift Herald control are pivotal — the team that secures early objectives can snowball or buy time to scale.

Best Malzahar Runes Against Gangplank

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs GangplankSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Malzahar rune vs GangplankManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs GangplankAbsolute Focus - best Malzahar rune vs GangplankScorch - best Malzahar rune vs Gangplank
Domination rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs GangplankDomination
Ultimate Hunter - best Malzahar rune vs GangplankCheap Shot - best Malzahar rune vs Gangplank
100.0% WR

The Sorcery primary with Domination secondary combination helps Malzahar maximize their potential in this closely contested matchup, providing the right mix of offensive and defensive tools to edge out Gangplank.


Malzahar matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.11. The table below shows Malzahar'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 Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Malzahar matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.11
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
51.08%4157.688112,45046.7%54.0%
55.31%3587.592212,41960.3%51.5%
49.23%3237.590812,55359.2%42.5%
44.94%2677.281912,33342.3%46.5%
51.85%2437.593912,13443.0%58.8%
52.19%2287.396812,52045.6%56.5%
49.77%2137.580512,37950.6%49.2%
54.82%1977.583811,93656.8%52.9%
51.78%1977.478212,11650.0%53.1%
51.04%1927.587812,48842.2%58.8%
53.44%1897.577112,22863.9%45.3%
53.98%1767.480511,85552.0%55.6%
51.81%1667.392512,26047.9%54.7%
53.01%1667.385612,00252.9%53.1%
53.33%1507.686912,44949.1%55.9%
46.62%1487.482511,91744.3%48.3%
54.68%1397.589812,68343.8%60.4%
48.91%1377.289713,02345.2%50.5%
53.73%1347.588412,68051.8%55.1%
40.15%1327.579211,74145.8%35.6%
53.44%1317.388112,49450.0%55.8%
47.97%1237.788112,47639.6%54.3%
55.74%1227.71,02612,45159.6%52.3%
48.28%1167.689912,94236.2%56.5%
43.10%1167.481712,07543.8%42.6%
59.13%1157.187912,58252.3%63.4%
47.12%1047.295012,00456.0%38.9%
52.88%1047.685613,51153.3%52.7%
51.92%1047.589112,28257.5%47.4%
48.04%1027.582312,57147.2%48.5%
50.00%987.589812,47655.0%46.5%
53.13%967.488512,67665.7%45.9%
63.16%957.81,01213,02266.7%61.0%
60.22%937.887412,76871.4%51.0%
62.22%907.690912,15065.8%59.2%
56.41%787.293213,82265.4%51.9%
30.26%767.595011,51429.7%30.8%
46.05%767.391611,12248.8%42.4%
40.85%717.686712,52534.4%46.1%
59.70%677.886711,97762.9%56.3%
48.39%627.384713,91531.3%54.4%
40.32%626.690311,88432.1%47.1%
41.38%587.188811,60041.7%41.2%
56.86%517.379912,33260.0%54.8%
54.00%508.088612,58162.5%46.1%
56.00%507.487912,72244.4%62.5%
61.70%477.687812,34259.1%64.0%
52.27%446.783612,15943.8%57.1%
51.16%437.31,17512,82741.7%54.8%
54.76%427.583612,15361.9%47.6%
48.78%417.581411,86633.3%60.9%
75.00%407.498012,81176.5%73.9%
45.00%407.274611,76929.4%56.5%
39.47%387.988512,36337.5%40.9%
57.89%387.288313,11862.5%56.7%
55.26%387.793613,09168.8%45.5%
54.55%338.01,00413,46161.5%50.0%
34.38%325.573810,98433.3%35.3%
46.67%306.985313,88644.4%47.6%
48.28%297.596812,54558.3%41.2%
39.29%287.779512,81633.3%42.1%
50.00%287.686512,91370.0%38.9%
48.00%257.291511,07641.7%53.9%
32.00%256.983513,09055.6%18.8%
50.00%247.31,15611,53427.3%69.2%
50.00%247.381812,18130.0%64.3%
47.83%237.586212,77344.4%50.0%
56.52%237.792411,55680.0%38.5%
30.43%236.881911,29533.3%27.3%
65.22%237.478513,49644.4%78.6%
56.52%237.679011,15554.5%58.3%
76.19%216.679511,51866.7%88.9%
47.37%197.482412,94450.0%46.1%
55.56%187.578913,67850.0%58.3%
55.56%187.789011,14754.5%57.1%
33.33%187.484111,13714.3%45.5%
44.44%187.91,00112,38950.0%33.3%
64.71%176.176512,42285.7%50.0%
35.29%178.188411,84930.0%42.9%
29.41%177.482113,15716.7%36.4%
52.94%177.599415,55260.0%50.0%
58.82%177.469711,33375.0%44.4%
47.06%177.697514,33340.0%50.0%
68.75%167.096713,33780.0%63.6%
40.00%157.277310,72962.5%14.3%
46.67%156.91,00111,99550.0%42.9%
66.67%157.41,06214,12666.7%66.7%
40.00%157.698511,63650.0%33.3%
21.43%146.71,01412,3430.0%33.3%
42.86%146.790912,84140.0%44.4%
25.00%127.572613,3640.0%50.0%
58.33%127.987814,15860.0%57.1%
41.67%127.685414,6370.0%45.5%
27.27%117.686710,71037.5%0.0%
81.82%117.876412,05388.9%50.0%
60.00%107.81,06012,69320.0%100.0%
70.00%107.480111,65533.3%85.7%
30.00%107.488213,8540.0%42.9%
44.44%97.81,01812,35060.0%25.0%
33.33%94.167911,5310.0%37.5%
22.22%96.670410,99725.0%20.0%
44.44%93.45827,13850.0%33.3%
66.67%97.382812,75366.7%66.7%
55.56%96.281412,75266.7%50.0%
44.44%96.394613,62850.0%42.9%
22.22%97.684413,14350.0%0.0%
66.67%97.592611,36871.4%50.0%
62.50%87.087311,713100.0%40.0%
50.00%86.776914,468100.0%42.9%
37.50%86.877711,13133.3%40.0%
37.50%87.293415,5320.0%37.5%
50.00%87.51,11813,83480.0%0.0%
75.00%87.480210,06660.0%100.0%
50.00%87.598012,96340.0%66.7%
50.00%87.876112,36550.0%50.0%
42.86%74.373110,31150.0%33.3%
42.86%74.078111,1640.0%60.0%
28.57%77.395414,8320.0%33.3%
71.43%77.673510,86350.0%100.0%
42.86%77.61,03915,32150.0%33.3%
83.33%66.589912,71966.7%100.0%
33.33%65.368910,5940.0%50.0%
50.00%62.06617,34125.0%100.0%
40.00%56.374412,022100.0%25.0%
40.00%55.179610,94650.0%33.3%
60.00%53.369310,83566.7%50.0%
40.00%57.693911,67325.0%100.0%
20.00%57.689913,7510.0%20.0%
60.00%57.397712,63650.0%66.7%
60.00%55.778111,36250.0%66.7%
60.00%52.744511,3140.0%100.0%
40.00%53.07079,9030.0%50.0%
80.00%56.81,04514,35750.0%100.0%

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Malzahar vs Gangplank - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Gangplank in League of Legends?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup with a 50.0% win rate compared to Gangplank's 50.0%, a 0.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 28 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Malzahar do against Gangplank in the early game?

In the early game, Malzahar has the advantage against Gangplank with a 70.0% win rate versus 30.0%. Malzahar players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Malzahar do against Gangplank in the late game?

In the late game, Gangplank takes over the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup with a 61.1% win rate compared to 38.9%. Gangplank scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Gangplank matchup?

Malzahar wins the matchup against Gangplank with a 50.0% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 0.0 percentage point advantage means Malzahar is slightly favored in this lane matchup based on 28 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Gangplank?

The best Malzahar build against Gangplank includes Liandry's Torment, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Blackfire Torch with Spellslinger's Shoes. This build achieves a 33.3% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Malzahar runes against Gangplank?

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

Does Malzahar counter Gangplank?

Yes, Malzahar has a favorable matchup against Gangplank with a 50.0% win rate. Malzahar slightly edges out Gangplank in lane based on current patch 26.11 data.

How do I play Malzahar against Gangplank?

When playing Malzahar against Gangplank, 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.