- Win Rate
- 50.9%
- Pick Rate
- 4.5%
- Ban Rate
- 19.7%
Malzahar vs Smolder
- Patch
- 26.19
- Games
- 4,075
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 5, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Malzahar vs Smolder is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.19. Smolder wins with a 53.1% win rate (+6.1%) over Malzahar based on 49 games. Malzahar wins the early laning phase while Smolder scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Smolder 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 Smolder?
Malzahar wins 48.2% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 37.9% and 58.7% (95% range).
- Expected
- 52.4% From both champions' overall Mid win rates
- Matchup effect
- −4.1 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 85 games Lane: Mid
- vs patch 26.18
- +2.1 pts Within normal patch-to-patch noise
Lane: Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.19 · Sep 24 – Sep 28
They also met in another lane (Bot): 9 games, Malzahar won 33.3%.
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Malzahar wins 48.2% of 85 games (95% range 37.9–58.7%).
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 52.4% 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 21, within the margin of error (84 games).
- Malzahar players pick Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health Potion much less often against Smolder: 38.3% of their other Mid games, 24.7% 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 Smolder 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 Smolder Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Malzahar vs Smolder Win Rate by Game Length
Malzahar's win rate against Smolder 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 Smolder in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Malzahar vs Smolder 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: +21
- First itemMalzaharMalzahar: 10.7 min · Smolder: 12.1 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesInsufficient data
- 30+ min gamesEvenMalzahar wins 39.6% of 48 games
What Malzahar Changes Against Smolder
Choices Malzahar players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health PotionStarting itemsUsually38.3%vs Smolder24.7%−13.6 pts52.4% WR here
Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health Potion + Stealth WardStarting itemsUsually38.0%vs Smolder50.6%+12.6 pts44.2% WR here
Health Scaling (defense)Stat shardUsually89.2%vs Smolder82.4%−6.8 pts47.1% WR here
Health Potion + Health Potion + Tear of the GoddessStarting itemsUsually8.1%vs Smolder14.1%+6.1 pts
Best Malzahar Build vs Smolder
Usual Malzahar build (Mid)
90.0% win rate · 10 games
Against Smolder
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 14 of 71 Malzahar games against Smolder 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 10.7 min (median of 57 games).
- Smolder usually completes Essence Reaver first, at 12.1 min (median of 71 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 Smolder
Usual Malzahar runes (Mid)
Deathfire Touch
74.1% win rate · 27 games
Against Smolder
Too few games for a matchup-specific rune page yet — use the usual page.
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 26.19. 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 Smolder FAQ - Patch 26.19
Who wins Malzahar vs Smolder?
Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Malzahar wins 48.2% of 85 games (95% range 37.9–58.7%).
What is Malzahar's win rate against Smolder?
Malzahar wins 48.2% of 85 Mid games against Smolder on patch 26.19 (95% range 37.9–58.7%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 52.4% would be expected.
Does Malzahar counter Smolder?
Not clearly. Malzahar wins 48.2% of 85 games against Smolder, and the 95% range (37.9–58.7%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Malzahar or Smolder?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 21, within the margin of error (84 games).
Does Malzahar outscale Smolder?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Smolder strongest against Malzahar?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Smolder is ahead of Malzahar beyond the margin of error.
What should Malzahar build against Smolder?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Malzahar's usual Mid core: Liandry's Torment, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Mejai's Soulstealer. The biggest change against Smolder: Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health Potion (38.3% usually, 24.7% here).
What runes should Malzahar use against Smolder?
Use Malzahar's usual Deathfire Touch page (Sorcery + Inspiration); there are too few games for a matchup-specific page. The biggest change against Smolder: Health Scaling (defense) (89.2% usually, 82.4% here).