- Win Rate
- 49.6%
- Pick Rate
- 2.5%
- Ban Rate
- 2.2%
Smolder vs Malzahar
- Patch
- 26.19
- Games
- 2,320
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 5, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Smolder vs Malzahar 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 Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Smolder vs Malzahar matchup.
Smolder Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Smolder 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 Smolder vs Malzahar?
Smolder wins 51.8% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 41.3% and 62.1% (95% range).
- Expected
- 47.6% 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, Smolder won 66.7%.
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Smolder wins 51.8% of 85 games (95% range 41.3–62.1%).
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 47.6% for Smolder; 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).
- Smolder players pick Flash + Teleport far more often against Malzahar: 54.4% of their other Mid games, 75.3% 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 Smolder and Malzahar 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 Smolder'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.
Smolder vs Malzahar Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Smolder vs Malzahar Win Rate by Game Length
Smolder's win rate against Malzahar 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: Smolder's results against Malzahar in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Smolder vs Malzahar 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)EvenSmolder gold at 15: −21
- First itemMalzaharSmolder: 12.1 min · Malzahar: 10.7 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesInsufficient data
- 30+ min gamesEvenSmolder wins 60.4% of 48 games
What Smolder Changes Against Malzahar
Choices Smolder players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Flash + TeleportSummoner spellsUsually54.4%vs Malzahar75.3%+20.9 pts48.4% WR here
Rapid FirecannonItemUsually34.7%vs Malzahar49.4%+14.7 pts54.8% WR here
Flash + BarrierSummoner spellsUsually28.1%vs Malzahar15.3%−12.8 pts
Cull + Health PotionStarting itemsUsually10.9%vs Malzahar21.4%+10.5 pts
Cull + Health Potion + Stealth WardStarting itemsUsually7.4%vs Malzahar16.7%+9.3 pts
Biscuit DeliveryRuneUsually2.5%vs Malzahar9.4%+7.0 pts
Usually0.4%vs Malzahar3.5%+3.2 pts
Best Smolder Build vs Malzahar
Usual Smolder build (Mid)
78.6% win rate · 14 games
Against Malzahar
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 18 of 64 Smolder games against Malzahar carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Smolder's standard build instead.
- Smolder usually completes Essence Reaver first, at 12.1 min (median of 71 games).
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.7 min (median of 57 games).
- Skill priority: Q > W > E — 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 Smolder Runes vs Malzahar
Usual Smolder runes (Mid)
Deathfire Touch
48.4% win rate · 153 games
Against Malzahar
Deathfire Touch51.3% win rate · 39 games
Plan your Smolder 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
Smolder matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.19. The table below shows Smolder'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 Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Smolder Matchups
Hardest for Smolder
Easiest for Smolder
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.
Smolder vs Malzahar FAQ - Patch 26.19
Who wins Smolder vs Malzahar?
Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Smolder wins 51.8% of 85 games (95% range 41.3–62.1%).
What is Smolder's win rate against Malzahar?
Smolder wins 51.8% of 85 Mid games against Malzahar on patch 26.19 (95% range 41.3–62.1%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 47.6% would be expected.
Does Smolder counter Malzahar?
Not clearly. Smolder wins 51.8% of 85 games against Malzahar, and the 95% range (41.3–62.1%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Smolder or Malzahar?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 21, within the margin of error (84 games).
Does Smolder outscale Malzahar?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Malzahar strongest against Smolder?
Malzahar is measurably ahead in: First item.
What should Smolder build against Malzahar?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Smolder's usual Mid core: Hubris, Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin. The biggest change against Malzahar: Rapid Firecannon (34.7% usually, 49.4% here).
What runes should Smolder use against Malzahar?
Deathfire Touch with Sorcery and Inspiration — 51.3% over 39 games against Malzahar. The biggest change against Malzahar: Flash + Teleport (54.4% usually, 75.3% here).