- Win Rate
- 49.9%
- Pick Rate
- 4.5%
- Ban Rate
- 20.5%
Malzahar vs Katarina
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 5,949
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 14, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Malzahar vs Katarina 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 Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Katarina matchup.
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.
Who wins Malzahar vs Katarina?
Malzahar wins 49.2% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 40.3% and 58.1% (95% range).
- Expected
- 51.0% 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, Malzahar won 66.7%.
Key takeaways
- Malzahar vs Katarina is an even matchup: Malzahar wins 49.2% of 118 games, and the 95% range (40.3–58.1%) comfortably includes 50%.
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 51.0% for Malzahar; 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).
- Malzahar players pick Summon Aery far more often against Katarina: 22.2% of their other Mid games, 33.1% 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 Malzahar and Katarina 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 Malzahar'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.
Malzahar vs Katarina Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Malzahar vs Katarina Win Rate by Game Length
Malzahar's win rate against Katarina 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: Malzahar's results against Katarina in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Malzahar vs Katarina 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)EvenMalzahar gold at 15: +15
- First itemMalzaharMalzahar: 10.4 min · Katarina: 11.3 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenMalzahar wins 52.9% of 51 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenMalzahar wins 46.6% of 58 games
What Malzahar Changes Against Katarina
Choices Malzahar players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Summon AeryKeystoneUsually22.2%vs Katarina33.1%+10.9 pts48.7% WR here
Arcane CometKeystoneUsually16.2%vs Katarina9.3%−6.8 pts
Best Malzahar Build vs Katarina
Usual Malzahar build (Mid)
66.1% win rate · 59 games
Against Katarina
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 15 of 80 Malzahar games against Katarina carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Malzahar's standard build instead.
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.4 min (median of 81 games).
- Katarina usually completes Lich Bane first, at 11.3 min (median of 60 games).
- Skill priority: E > Q > 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 Malzahar Runes vs Katarina
Usual Malzahar runes (Mid)
Deathfire Touch
51.4% win rate · 893 games
Against Katarina
Deathfire Touch52.0% win rate · 25 games
Plan your Malzahar 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
Malzahar matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.20. 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.
Other Malzahar Matchups
Hardest for Malzahar
Easiest for Malzahar
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.
Malzahar vs Katarina FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who wins Malzahar vs Katarina?
Malzahar vs Katarina is an even matchup: Malzahar wins 49.2% of 118 games, and the 95% range (40.3–58.1%) comfortably includes 50%.
What is Malzahar's win rate against Katarina?
Malzahar wins 49.2% of 118 Mid games against Katarina on patch 26.20 (95% range 40.3–58.1%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 51.0% would be expected.
Does Malzahar counter Katarina?
Not clearly. Malzahar wins 49.2% of 118 games against Katarina, and the 95% range (40.3–58.1%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Malzahar or Katarina?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 15, within the margin of error (116 games).
Does Malzahar outscale Katarina?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Katarina strongest against Malzahar?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Katarina is ahead of Malzahar beyond the margin of error.
What should Malzahar build against Katarina?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Malzahar's usual Mid core: Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame, Morellonomicon.
What runes should Malzahar use against Katarina?
Deathfire Touch with Sorcery and Inspiration — 52.0% over 25 games against Katarina. The biggest change against Katarina: Summon Aery (22.2% usually, 33.1% here).