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

Malzaharvs Kai'Sa

SMage
Patch26.11
Matches776,441
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedJun 8, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Malzahar vs Kai'Sa is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Kai'Sa wins with a 52.9% win rate (+5.9%) over Malzahar based on 17 games. Kai'Sa wins the early laning phase while Malzahar scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa 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 - 47.1% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
47.1% WR
VS
Kai'Sa vs Malzahar matchup - 52.9% win rate
Kai'Sa
52.9% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa Matchup?

Kai'Sa wins the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup
Winner
Kai'Sa
Matches: 17
47.1%
Win Rate
52.9%
7.6
CS / min
7.1
975
DMG / min
811
14,333
Gold / game
15,146
59
Heal / min
208
528
DMG Mitigated / min
565
1.7
CC / min
0.1
40.0%
Early Game WR
60.0%
50.0%
Late Game WR
50.0%

Malzahar vs Kai'Sa Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup is a moderate matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 17 recent matches analyzed, Kai'Sa wins with a 52.9% win rate compared to Malzahar's 47.1%, giving Kai'Sa a 5.9 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Kai'Sa controls the early laning stage, but Malzahar outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Kai'Sa needs to press advantages before Malzahar reaches their power spikes, while Malzahar should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Malzahar leads by 1.7s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. While Kai'Sa is slightly favored, Malzahar can absolutely win this lane through smart trading patterns and wave management. Focus on playing around your cooldowns, conceding CS only when necessary, and capitalizing on Kai'Sa's mistakes. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Malzahar vs Kai'Sa Laning Phase Breakdown

Malzahar wins the laning phase against Kai'Sa in League of Legends

Malzahar is favored during the laning phase against Kai'Sa, 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
7.6Malzahar
7.1Kai'Sa
Malzahar edges out Kai'Sa by 0.4 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 7 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Malzahar.
Damage
975Malzahar
811Kai'Sa
Malzahar heavily out-damages Kai'Sa by 164 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Kai'Sa should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Malzahar's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
14,333Malzahar
15,146Kai'Sa
Kai'Sa generates a commanding 813 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Kai'Sa 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
0.1Kai'Sa
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Kai'Sa, with 1.7 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. Kai'Sa should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
587Malzahar
773Kai'Sa
Kai'Sa vastly out-sustains Malzahar, healing and mitigating 186 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Kai'Sa 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 Kai'Sa

Spellslinger's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Kai'Sa, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Kai'Sa are Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame and Zhonya's Hourglass. This combination gives Malzahar an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 66.7% win rate across 3 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Kai'Sa. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Kai'Sa
60.0%
+20.0% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar40.0%
Kai'Sa early game win rateKai'Sa60.0%
Late Game
Malzahar
50.0%
+0.0% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar50.0%
Kai'Sa late game win rateKai'Sa50.0%

Kai'Sa dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 60.0% win rate — a 20.0 percentage point lead over Malzahar. This lopsided early game means Kai'Sa can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Late game (25+ minutes) is equally balanced, with Malzahar at 50.0% win rate — only 0.0 points ahead of Kai'Sa. Team fight execution and macro play determine the winner at this stage, not champion matchup advantage.

The power dynamics shift as the game progresses — Kai'Sa has the edge early, but Malzahar gradually takes over. However, the margins are slim enough that either champion can win at any stage with the right plays. Focus on taking advantages when you have them rather than waiting for a specific game phase.

Best Malzahar Runes Against Kai'Sa

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs Kai'SaSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'SaManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'SaTranscendence - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'SaScorch - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'Sa
Precision rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs Kai'SaPrecision
Presence of Mind - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'SaCoup de Grace - best Malzahar rune vs Kai'Sa
100.0% WR

The Sorcery and Precision rune setup gives Malzahar the best tools to compete against Kai'Sa in this difficult matchup, compensating for the statistical disadvantages with optimal rune synergies.


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 Kai'Sa - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Kai'Sa in League of Legends?

Kai'Sa wins the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup with a 52.9% win rate compared to Malzahar's 47.1%, a 5.9 percentage point difference. This data is based on 17 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Malzahar do against Kai'Sa in the early game?

In the early game, Kai'Sa has the advantage against Malzahar with a 60.0% win rate versus 40.0%. Kai'Sa players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Malzahar do against Kai'Sa in the late game?

In the late game, Malzahar takes over the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup with a 50.0% win rate compared to 50.0%. Malzahar scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Kai'Sa matchup?

Kai'Sa wins the matchup against Malzahar with a 52.9% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 5.9 percentage point advantage means Kai'Sa is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 17 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Kai'Sa?

The best Malzahar build against Kai'Sa includes Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass with Spellslinger's Shoes. This build achieves a 66.7% 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 Kai'Sa?

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

Does Malzahar counter Kai'Sa?

No, Malzahar struggles against Kai'Sa with only a 47.1% win rate. Kai'Sa has the advantage in this matchup. Malzahar players should focus on safe farming and avoiding extended trades to minimize Kai'Sa's lead.

How do I play Malzahar against Kai'Sa?

When playing Malzahar against Kai'Sa, play cautiously and avoid Kai'Sa's power spikes. Focus on safe farming — you outscale Kai'Sa in the late game. Use the matchup-specific build and runes above to optimize your chances.