Malzahar - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
49.9%
Pick Rate
5.6%

Malzaharvs Shen

CMage
Patch26.9
Matches514,344
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedMay 9, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Malzahar vs Shen is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.9. Malzahar wins with a 75.0% win rate (+50.0%) over Shen based on 8 games. Malzahar holds the advantage in both the early and late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Shen 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.

Compare against an opponent
Shen - 75.0% win rateShen(75.0%)
Malzahar - 75.0% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
75.0% WR
VS
Shen vs Malzahar matchup - 25.0% win rate
Shen
25.0% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Shen Matchup?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Shen matchup
Winner
Malzahar
Matches: 8
75.0%
Win Rate
25.0%
8.0
CS / min
5.8
1,109
DMG / min
420
13,104
Gold / game
9,357
72
Heal / min
204
487
DMG Mitigated / min
1,214
2.4
CC / min
0.6
60.0%
Early Game WR
40.0%
100.0%
Late Game WR
0.0%

Malzahar vs Shen Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Shen matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 8 recent matches analyzed, Malzahar wins with a 75.0% win rate compared to Shen's 25.0%, giving Malzahar a 50.0 percentage point advantage. Malzahar dominates at every stage — from early laning through late game team fights. This consistent advantage makes it difficult for Shen players to find favorable windows, so team-dependent strategies and avoiding solo confrontations are essential. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Malzahar leads by 1.8s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Malzahar players can confidently pick into Shen and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Shen away from CS whenever possible. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Malzahar vs Shen Laning Phase Breakdown

Malzahar wins the laning phase against Shen in League of Legends

Malzahar is favored during the laning phase against Shen, 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
8.0Malzahar
5.8Shen
Malzahar significantly out-farms Shen by 2.2 CS per minute, accumulating an estimated 32 CS lead by mid game. This substantial farming gap gives Malzahar a major gold advantage and earlier item completions. Shen players should prioritize wave management techniques like freezing near tower and using abilities efficiently to minimize the deficit.
Damage
1,109Malzahar
420Shen
Malzahar heavily out-damages Shen by 689 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Shen 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
13,104Malzahar
9,357Shen
Malzahar generates a commanding 3,747 more gold per game than Shen. This substantial economic advantage means Malzahar consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Shen should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
2.4Malzahar
0.6Shen
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Shen, with 1.8 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. Shen should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
559Malzahar
1,418Shen
Shen vastly out-sustains Malzahar, healing and mitigating 859 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Shen 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 Shen

Sorcerer's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Shen, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Shen are Bloodletter's Curse, Liandry's Torment and Shadowflame. This combination gives Malzahar an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 100.0% win rate across 1 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Shen. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Shen matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Malzahar
60.0%
+20.0% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar60.0%
Shen early game win rateShen40.0%
Late Game
Malzahar
100.0%
+100.0% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar100.0%
Shen late game win rateShen0.0%

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

Malzahar is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 100.0% win rate — 100.0 points above Shen. Extended games heavily favor Malzahar, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

Malzahar holds the advantage at every stage of the game, making this a consistently favorable matchup from lane through late game team fights. Shen players should look for outplays, team-dependent strategies, and picks rather than relying on scaling to win this matchup.

Best Malzahar Runes Against Shen

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs ShenSorcery
Deathfire Touch - best Malzahar rune vs ShenManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs ShenTranscendence - best Malzahar rune vs ShenScorch - best Malzahar rune vs Shen
Precision rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs ShenPrecision
Cut Down - best Malzahar rune vs ShenLegend: Haste - best Malzahar rune vs Shen
100.0% WR

Running Sorcery primary with Precision secondary allows Malzahar to press their advantage against Shen, amplifying the strengths that make this a favorable matchup.


Malzahar matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.9. 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 26.9
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
51.25%2407.785711,92551.6%51.0%
48.54%2397.590712,14950.0%47.3%
53.30%1827.592312,76660.9%48.7%
49.17%1817.680212,53550.0%48.7%
46.67%1807.782612,73952.9%42.7%
49.41%1707.791412,57949.2%49.5%
52.10%1677.683311,97253.1%51.2%
55.70%1587.177412,33952.5%57.7%
49.32%1487.788211,43253.9%44.3%
54.48%1457.590812,51555.2%54.0%
50.36%1397.778612,31741.9%57.1%
50.85%1187.385811,71644.2%56.1%
47.83%1157.676712,22046.8%48.5%
54.46%1127.382012,74864.4%47.8%
50.00%1127.888912,85056.5%45.5%
46.85%1117.284312,05237.2%52.9%
47.57%1037.886911,79736.4%55.9%
44.44%997.782312,25821.2%56.1%
48.98%987.71,00712,25247.7%50.0%
54.17%967.588312,39856.8%51.9%
47.87%947.484611,82345.2%50.0%
40.45%897.583412,01939.0%41.7%
51.72%877.686911,63858.5%45.6%
52.87%877.681312,66860.6%48.1%
55.95%847.594711,79952.5%59.1%
53.57%847.685112,24347.4%58.7%
38.55%837.795112,82329.7%45.6%
57.32%827.786112,21756.1%58.5%
49.37%797.687412,80046.7%51.0%
55.70%797.784912,43656.3%55.3%
53.52%717.685112,20555.6%52.3%
65.71%707.690712,95967.9%64.3%
47.62%637.889612,01446.1%48.6%
60.32%637.695212,82570.4%52.8%
41.67%607.483812,30837.0%45.5%
66.07%567.587612,22981.8%55.9%
51.85%547.81,00113,36647.6%54.5%
57.69%527.381912,16352.9%60.0%
54.90%517.276811,86560.9%50.0%
45.10%517.385912,69352.6%40.6%
60.42%487.886712,10261.9%59.3%
54.35%466.783011,67747.4%59.3%
43.18%447.71,02512,63546.1%41.9%
52.63%387.683212,15360.0%44.4%
37.84%377.690812,54238.5%37.5%
50.00%367.51,22513,67560.0%46.1%
42.86%357.993811,11233.3%52.9%
54.84%317.679812,15645.5%60.0%
44.83%297.794114,14644.4%45.0%
39.29%287.294012,78614.3%47.6%
53.57%287.695312,58941.7%62.5%
51.85%277.080611,06341.7%60.0%
53.85%267.980212,58277.8%41.2%
53.85%266.975010,14446.1%61.5%
48.00%257.578410,78046.1%50.0%
30.43%236.780411,40533.3%28.6%
43.48%238.080111,76442.9%44.4%
47.83%238.294411,79158.3%36.4%
50.00%227.077512,60975.0%35.7%
45.00%207.976911,96336.4%55.6%
68.42%198.190212,28077.8%60.0%
68.42%197.788914,54775.0%63.6%
47.37%198.194513,05533.3%53.9%
29.41%177.81,15611,97928.6%30.0%
50.00%167.670710,55960.0%33.3%
50.00%167.689112,72185.7%22.2%
31.25%167.382410,13030.0%33.3%
26.67%157.994112,74642.9%12.5%
53.33%157.884812,10566.7%44.4%
64.29%147.81,03411,98657.1%71.4%
35.71%147.593715,01620.0%44.4%
30.77%137.780812,77828.6%33.3%
76.92%137.81,09713,59175.0%77.8%
41.67%125.799512,67025.0%50.0%
41.67%126.582813,48025.0%50.0%
54.55%117.376913,33240.0%66.7%
45.45%118.11,03013,36120.0%66.7%
18.18%115.167310,1430.0%25.0%
63.64%117.369210,15066.7%60.0%
45.45%116.58789,62650.0%42.9%
45.45%116.691012,60040.0%50.0%
54.55%118.296213,61566.7%50.0%
30.00%107.488813,21550.0%25.0%
30.00%109.084412,53120.0%40.0%
70.00%108.11,04914,835100.0%57.1%
40.00%106.895914,39166.7%28.6%
50.00%107.691711,57350.0%50.0%
50.00%102.172810,30950.0%50.0%
40.00%107.590713,61733.3%42.9%
44.44%94.976012,2430.0%57.1%
44.44%95.379113,8670.0%50.0%
88.89%97.91,08714,72580.0%100.0%
22.22%97.382211,6230.0%66.7%
55.56%93.458211,867100.0%50.0%
75.00%88.01,10913,10460.0%100.0%
75.00%82.563611,51666.7%80.0%
37.50%86.388313,44825.0%50.0%
50.00%82.671611,39933.3%60.0%
75.00%88.279415,32750.0%83.3%
62.50%87.397014,112100.0%57.1%
25.00%87.67288,96020.0%33.3%
57.14%77.781911,90125.0%100.0%
42.86%77.685110,80750.0%33.3%
28.57%77.196712,69033.3%25.0%
42.86%73.868710,6630.0%60.0%
42.86%72.970810,61225.0%66.7%
42.86%76.793811,44560.0%0.0%
28.57%77.41,36212,01925.0%33.3%
33.33%65.987413,0260.0%40.0%
33.33%67.987511,27033.3%33.3%
100.00%63.766613,115100.0%100.0%
16.67%67.672314,3300.0%20.0%
33.33%67.864110,55250.0%0.0%
40.00%54.15858,4130.0%66.7%
60.00%52.887811,178100.0%50.0%
60.00%57.41,23512,57466.7%50.0%
40.00%57.899514,5600.0%40.0%
20.00%54.86898,0870.0%50.0%

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Malzahar vs Shen - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Shen in League of Legends?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Shen matchup with a 75.0% win rate compared to Shen's 25.0%, a 50.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 8 recent ranked games in patch 26.9.

How does Malzahar do against Shen in the early game?

In the early game, Malzahar has the advantage against Shen with a 60.0% win rate versus 40.0%. 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 Shen in the late game?

In the late game, Malzahar takes over the Malzahar vs Shen matchup with a 100.0% win rate compared to 0.0%. Malzahar scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Shen matchup?

Malzahar wins the matchup against Shen with a 75.0% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.9. The 50.0 percentage point advantage means Malzahar is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 8 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Shen?

The best Malzahar build against Shen includes Bloodletter's Curse, Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame with Sorcerer's Shoes. This build achieves a 100.0% 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 Shen?

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

Does Malzahar counter Shen?

Yes, Malzahar has a favorable matchup against Shen with a 75.0% win rate. Malzahar strongly counters Shen in lane based on current patch 26.9 data.

How do I play Malzahar against Shen?

When playing Malzahar against Shen, 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.