Malzahar - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
51.4%
Pick Rate
4.7%

Malzaharvs Smolder

SMage
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 24, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Malzahar vs Smolder is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.7. Malzahar wins with a 53.7% win rate (+7.4%) over Smolder based on 108 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 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.

Compare against an opponent
Smolder - 53.7% win rateSmolder(53.7%)
Malzahar - 53.7% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
53.7% WR
VS
Smolder vs Malzahar matchup - 46.3% win rate
Smolder
46.3% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Smolder Matchup?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup
Winner
Malzahar
Matches: 108
53.7%
Win Rate
46.3%
7.6
CS / min
7.8
859
DMG / min
1,065
12,057
Gold / game
13,693
76
Heal / min
231
552
DMG Mitigated / min
462
2.0
CC / min
0.3
54.4%
Early Game WR
45.6%
53.2%
Late Game WR
46.8%

Malzahar vs Smolder Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Smolder matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 108 recent matches analyzed, Malzahar wins with a 53.7% win rate compared to Smolder's 46.3%, giving Malzahar a 7.4 percentage point advantage. Malzahar dominates at every stage — from early laning through late game team fights. This consistent advantage makes it difficult for Smolder 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 1.7s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Malzahar players can confidently pick into Smolder and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Smolder 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 Smolder Laning Phase Breakdown

Smolder wins the laning phase against Malzahar in League of Legends

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

Farming
7.6Malzahar
7.8Smolder
Malzahar and Smolder farm at nearly identical rates in this matchup, with only a 0.2 CS/min difference. Neither champion holds a meaningful farming advantage, so lane dominance will come from trading and jungle interaction rather than CS leads.
Damage
859Malzahar
1,065Smolder
Smolder heavily out-damages Malzahar by 206 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Malzahar should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Smolder's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
12,057Malzahar
13,693Smolder
Smolder generates a commanding 1,636 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Smolder 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
2.0Malzahar
0.3Smolder
Malzahar brings significantly more crowd control than Smolder, 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. Smolder should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
628Malzahar
693Smolder
Smolder heals and mitigates 65 more damage per minute than Malzahar, providing moderate extra durability. This sustain edge allows Smolder to stay in lane longer between recalls and gradually win extended wars of attrition. Consider building early grievous wounds if playing Malzahar.

Best Malzahar Build Against Smolder

Crimson Lucidity is the optimal boots choice against Smolder, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Smolder are Liandry's Torment, Malignance and Rylai's Crystal Scepter. This combination gives Malzahar an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build performs exceptionally well, achieving a 87.5% win rate across 8 games — well above average and making it the top item path against Smolder. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Malzahar
54.4%
+8.7% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar54.4%
Smolder early game win rateSmolder45.6%
Late Game
Malzahar
53.2%
+6.5% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar53.2%
Smolder late game win rateSmolder46.8%

Malzahar dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 54.4% win rate — a 8.7 percentage point lead over Smolder. 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 53.2% win rate — 6.5 points above Smolder. 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. Smolder players should look for outplays, team-dependent strategies, and picks rather than relying on scaling to win this matchup.

Best Malzahar Runes Against Smolder

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs SmolderSorcery
Summon Aery - best Malzahar rune vs SmolderManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs SmolderTranscendence - best Malzahar rune vs SmolderScorch - best Malzahar rune vs Smolder
Precision rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs SmolderPrecision
Coup de Grace - best Malzahar rune vs SmolderPresence of Mind - best Malzahar rune vs Smolder
63.2% WR

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


Malzahar matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.7. 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 26.7
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
52.87%2447.688412,88446.3%57.0%
61.31%1997.492812,26256.2%65.5%
54.07%1727.787612,74754.3%53.9%
55.56%1627.576212,80061.7%52.0%
42.41%1587.680012,27643.1%41.9%
52.90%1387.587712,42446.7%57.7%
42.65%1367.581812,84644.0%41.9%
52.99%1347.691412,34247.3%57.0%
57.98%1197.394513,24659.0%57.5%
55.08%1187.577812,34152.0%57.4%
42.73%1107.483212,11041.7%43.5%
54.13%1097.791813,22755.6%53.4%
50.46%1097.579811,13046.5%54.9%
53.70%1087.685912,05754.4%53.2%
51.16%867.990112,59054.5%47.6%
50.59%857.588811,38045.5%56.1%
48.78%827.479812,26753.9%44.2%
58.54%827.878911,42363.0%52.8%
48.15%817.577211,88748.7%47.6%
49.38%817.782312,33060.0%43.1%
48.10%797.581412,63545.5%50.0%
48.10%797.583212,88336.7%55.1%
58.33%727.583311,50466.7%48.5%
47.89%717.287712,76564.3%37.2%
49.30%717.882211,96347.4%51.5%
62.69%677.687712,77462.1%63.2%
55.22%677.584912,31051.7%57.9%
52.31%657.483812,02359.4%45.5%
54.69%647.692112,89465.6%43.8%
50.79%637.586511,68751.7%50.0%
58.06%627.896512,86458.1%58.1%
57.63%598.196312,38665.4%51.5%
42.86%497.51,15912,85642.1%43.3%
50.00%487.285711,37953.6%45.0%
55.32%477.81,05612,94660.0%53.1%
50.00%467.381812,04752.4%48.0%
46.67%457.889911,65673.7%26.9%
38.10%427.675912,66143.8%34.6%
60.00%407.974211,38866.7%50.0%
54.05%377.790413,24658.3%52.0%
55.56%367.787913,00358.8%52.6%
68.57%357.696313,77471.4%66.7%
48.57%357.181711,36952.6%43.8%
60.71%288.080712,63383.3%43.8%
39.29%287.782511,47041.7%37.5%
40.00%257.490412,44037.5%41.2%
58.33%247.797813,21075.0%41.7%
39.13%237.395812,54128.6%43.8%
60.87%237.593813,75566.7%57.1%
59.09%227.491713,34385.7%46.7%
45.45%227.294614,42950.0%43.8%
54.55%227.71,05614,40080.0%47.1%
57.14%218.41,02010,76570.0%45.5%
55.00%207.981012,90066.7%37.5%
50.00%187.792813,33762.5%40.0%
61.11%187.575111,78740.0%87.5%
35.29%177.592511,50845.5%16.7%
58.82%177.390612,76360.0%58.3%
43.75%166.778612,71950.0%41.7%
56.25%168.21,05513,02642.9%66.7%
40.00%157.087612,93425.0%45.5%
33.33%158.075912,25157.1%12.5%
86.67%157.683213,786100.0%81.8%
64.29%147.693313,40383.3%50.0%
57.14%147.492313,59250.0%62.5%
61.54%138.091114,04350.0%71.4%
46.15%137.476710,46755.6%25.0%
27.27%117.596012,5490.0%42.9%
63.64%117.963812,68050.0%71.4%
50.00%107.978911,32360.0%40.0%
60.00%106.784911,95066.7%50.0%
20.00%108.075011,78420.0%20.0%
40.00%105.91,00610,62733.3%50.0%
70.00%107.677914,51550.0%83.3%
40.00%107.884714,00240.0%40.0%
60.00%107.891112,64766.7%57.1%
77.78%97.01,11013,17050.0%85.7%
33.33%97.684312,22350.0%20.0%
66.67%98.078712,21580.0%50.0%
55.56%97.976915,314100.0%42.9%
50.00%87.895814,335100.0%33.3%
50.00%84.259110,14940.0%66.7%
37.50%87.781610,78325.0%50.0%
25.00%87.485914,90325.0%25.0%
42.86%75.874510,33875.0%0.0%
100.00%78.497613,684100.0%100.0%
57.14%77.991116,14733.3%75.0%
14.29%77.478211,67533.3%0.0%
42.86%76.880012,7320.0%75.0%
83.33%63.16229,628100.0%75.0%
83.33%69.282611,22666.7%100.0%
16.67%67.272214,2200.0%20.0%
50.00%68.07509,58133.3%66.7%
100.00%68.71,19116,508100.0%100.0%
66.67%67.798812,6090.0%100.0%
0.00%67.36119,8530.0%0.0%
83.33%67.163312,20166.7%100.0%
33.33%67.896011,89233.3%33.3%
40.00%57.287412,86466.7%0.0%
80.00%57.26408,401100.0%50.0%
40.00%58.178513,05333.3%50.0%

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Malzahar vs Smolder - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Smolder in League of Legends?

Malzahar wins the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup with a 53.7% win rate compared to Smolder's 46.3%, a 7.4 percentage point difference. This data is based on 108 recent ranked games in patch 26.7.

How does Malzahar do against Smolder in the early game?

In the early game, Malzahar has the advantage against Smolder with a 54.4% win rate versus 45.6%. 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 Smolder in the late game?

In the late game, Malzahar takes over the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup with a 53.2% win rate compared to 46.8%. Malzahar scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup?

Malzahar wins the matchup against Smolder with a 53.7% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.7. The 7.4 percentage point advantage means Malzahar is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 108 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Smolder?

The best Malzahar build against Smolder includes Liandry's Torment, Malignance, Rylai's Crystal Scepter with Crimson Lucidity. This build achieves a 87.5% 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 Smolder?

The best Malzahar runes against Smolder use the Sorcery primary tree with Precision secondary. This rune setup achieves a 63.2% win rate in the Malzahar vs Smolder matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Malzahar counter Smolder?

Yes, Malzahar has a favorable matchup against Smolder with a 53.7% win rate. Malzahar strongly counters Smolder in lane based on current patch 26.7 data.

How do I play Malzahar against Smolder?

When playing Malzahar against Smolder, 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.