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

Malzaharvs Kennen

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

Malzahar vs Kennen is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.11. Kennen wins with a 52.6% win rate (+5.3%) over Malzahar based on 19 games. Malzahar wins the early laning phase while Kennen scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Kennen 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 - 47.4% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
47.4% WR
VS
Kennen vs Malzahar matchup - 52.6% win rate
Kennen
52.6% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Kennen Matchup?

Kennen wins the Malzahar vs Kennen matchup
Winner
Kennen
Matches: 19
47.4%
Win Rate
52.6%
7.4
CS / min
5.7
824
DMG / min
764
12,944
Gold / game
11,260
58
Heal / min
151
528
DMG Mitigated / min
473
1.8
CC / min
0.7
50.0%
Early Game WR
50.0%
46.1%
Late Game WR
53.9%

Malzahar vs Kennen Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Kennen matchup is a moderate matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 19 recent matches analyzed, Kennen wins with a 52.6% win rate compared to Malzahar's 47.4%, giving Kennen a 5.3 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Malzahar controls the early laning stage, but Kennen outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Malzahar needs to press advantages before Kennen reaches their power spikes, while Kennen should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Malzahar leads by 1.1s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. While Kennen 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 Kennen's mistakes. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Malzahar vs Kennen Laning Phase Breakdown

Malzahar wins the laning phase against Kennen in League of Legends

Malzahar is favored during the laning phase against Kennen, winning 4 out of 5 key stat categories. Malzahar holds advantages in farming, damage, gold income and crowd control, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
7.4Malzahar
5.7Kennen
Malzahar significantly out-farms Kennen by 1.7 CS per minute, accumulating an estimated 26 CS lead by mid game. This substantial farming gap gives Malzahar a major gold advantage and earlier item completions. Kennen players should prioritize wave management techniques like freezing near tower and using abilities efficiently to minimize the deficit.
Damage
824Malzahar
764Kennen
Malzahar deals 59 more champion damage per minute than Kennen. While noticeable in extended trades, this gap can be offset by Kennen choosing favorable fight windows, such as engaging when Malzahar's key abilities are on cooldown or trading immediately after dodging a skillshot.
Economy
12,944Malzahar
11,260Kennen
Malzahar generates a commanding 1,683 more gold per game than Kennen. This substantial economic advantage means Malzahar consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Kennen should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
1.8Malzahar
0.7Kennen
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Kennen, with 1.1 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. Kennen should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
586Malzahar
624Kennen
Malzahar and Kennen have comparable sustain profiles, with only 38 HP/min separating their healing and damage mitigation. Neither champion can out-attrition the other in lane, so trades will be decided by burst potential and ability usage rather than sustain.

Best Malzahar Build Against Kennen

Spellslinger's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Kennen, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Kennen 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 performs exceptionally well, achieving a 66.7% win rate across 3 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Kennen. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Kennen matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Malzahar
50.0%
+0.0% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar50.0%
Kennen early game win rateKennen50.0%
Late Game
Kennen
53.9%
+7.7% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar46.1%
Kennen late game win rateKennen53.9%

The early game (first 15 minutes) is a toss-up between Malzahar and Kennen, with Malzahar holding a razor-thin 50.0% win rate edge (+0.0%). Individual skill and jungle proximity will matter more than champion advantage in the early laning phase.

Kennen is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 53.9% win rate — 7.7 points above Malzahar. Extended games heavily favor Kennen, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

The power dynamics shift as the game progresses — Malzahar has the edge early, but Kennen 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 Kennen

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs KennenSorcery
Arcane Comet - best Malzahar rune vs KennenManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs KennenTranscendence - best Malzahar rune vs KennenGathering Storm - best Malzahar rune vs Kennen
Inspiration rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs KennenInspiration
Magical Footwear - best Malzahar rune vs KennenCosmic Insight - best Malzahar rune vs Kennen
100.0% WR

The Sorcery and Inspiration rune setup gives Malzahar the best tools to compete against Kennen 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 Kennen - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Kennen in League of Legends?

Kennen wins the Malzahar vs Kennen matchup with a 52.6% win rate compared to Malzahar's 47.4%, a 5.3 percentage point difference. This data is based on 19 recent ranked games in patch 26.11.

How does Malzahar do against Kennen in the early game?

In the early game, Malzahar has the advantage against Kennen with a 50.0% win rate versus 50.0%. 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 Kennen in the late game?

In the late game, Kennen takes over the Malzahar vs Kennen matchup with a 53.9% win rate compared to 46.1%. Kennen scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Kennen matchup?

Kennen wins the matchup against Malzahar with a 52.6% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.11. The 5.3 percentage point advantage means Kennen is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 19 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Kennen?

The best Malzahar build against Kennen includes Liandry's Torment, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Blackfire Torch 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 Kennen?

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

Does Malzahar counter Kennen?

No, Malzahar struggles against Kennen with only a 47.4% win rate. Kennen has the advantage in this matchup. Malzahar players should focus on safe farming and avoiding extended trades to minimize Kennen's lead.

How do I play Malzahar against Kennen?

When playing Malzahar against Kennen, play cautiously and avoid Kennen's power spikes. Look for jungle assistance and team-dependent plays since Kennen has the statistical advantage at most stages. Use the matchup-specific build and runes above to optimize your chances.