- Win Rate
- 49.9%
- Pick Rate
- 4.5%
- Ban Rate
- 20.5%
Malzahar vs Sylas
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 5,949
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 12, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Malzahar vs Sylas is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.20. Sylas wins with a 58.0% win rate (+16.0%) over Malzahar based on 131 games. Sylas 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 Sylas 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 Sylas?
Malzahar wins 43.1% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 34.7% and 51.9% (95% range).
- Expected
- 51.2% From both champions' overall Mid win rates
- Matchup effect
- −8.1 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 123 games Lane: Mid
- vs patch 26.19
- −15.8 pts A real change since last patch
Lane: Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.20 · Oct 9 – Oct 11
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Sylas, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Malzahar wins 43.1% of 123 games (95% range 34.7–51.9%).
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 51.2% 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 198, within the margin of error (122 games).
- Malzahar players pick Flash + Teleport far more often against Sylas: 79.3% of their other Mid games, 88.6% 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 Sylas 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 Sylas Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Malzahar vs Sylas Win Rate by Game Length
Malzahar's win rate against Sylas 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 Sylas in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Malzahar vs Sylas 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: +198
- First itemEvenMalzahar: 10.8 min · Sylas: 10.8 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenMalzahar wins 44.2% of 52 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenMalzahar wins 43.8% of 64 games
What Malzahar Changes Against Sylas
Choices Malzahar players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Flash + TeleportSummoner spellsUsually79.3%vs Sylas88.6%+9.3 pts44.0% WR here
Usually78.8%vs Sylas87.0%+8.2 pts43.0% WR here
Health (defense)Stat shardUsually7.5%vs Sylas13.8%+6.3 pts
Best Malzahar Build vs Sylas
Usual Malzahar build (Mid)
66.1% win rate · 59 games
Against Sylas
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 19 of 94 Malzahar games against Sylas 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 10.8 min (median of 86 games).
- Sylas usually completes Hextech Rocketbelt first, at 10.8 min (median of 80 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 Sylas
Usual Malzahar runes (Mid)
Deathfire Touch
51.4% win rate · 893 games
Against Sylas
Deathfire Touch50.0% win rate · 20 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 Sylas FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who wins Malzahar vs Sylas?
Current data slightly favors Sylas, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Malzahar wins 43.1% of 123 games (95% range 34.7–51.9%).
What is Malzahar's win rate against Sylas?
Malzahar wins 43.1% of 123 Mid games against Sylas on patch 26.20 (95% range 34.7–51.9%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 51.2% would be expected.
Does Malzahar counter Sylas?
Not clearly. Malzahar wins 43.1% of 123 games against Sylas, and the 95% range (34.7–51.9%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Malzahar or Sylas?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 198, within the margin of error (122 games).
Does Malzahar outscale Sylas?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Sylas strongest against Malzahar?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Sylas is ahead of Malzahar beyond the margin of error.
What should Malzahar build against Sylas?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Malzahar's usual Mid core: Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame, Morellonomicon. The biggest change against Sylas: Liandry's Torment (78.8% usually, 87.0% here).
What runes should Malzahar use against Sylas?
Deathfire Touch with Sorcery and Inspiration — 50.0% over 20 games against Sylas. The biggest change against Sylas: Flash + Teleport (79.3% usually, 88.6% here).