- Win Rate
- 48.8%
- Pick Rate
- 5.5%
- Ban Rate
- 11.4%
Sylas vs Malzahar
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 7,221
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 12, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Sylas vs Malzahar 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 Sylas build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Sylas vs Malzahar matchup.
Sylas Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Sylas 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 Sylas vs Malzahar?
Sylas wins 56.9% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 48.1% and 65.3% (95% range).
- Expected
- 48.8% 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: Sylas wins 56.9% of 123 games (95% range 48.1–65.3%).
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 48.8% for Sylas; 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).
- Sylas players pick Chainlaced Crushers far more often against Malzahar: 15.4% of their other Mid games, 28.5% 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 Sylas 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 Sylas'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.
Sylas vs Malzahar Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Sylas vs Malzahar Win Rate by Game Length
Sylas'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: Sylas's results against Malzahar in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Sylas 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)EvenSylas gold at 15: −198
- First itemEvenSylas: 10.8 min · Malzahar: 10.8 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenSylas wins 55.8% of 52 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenSylas wins 56.3% of 64 games
What Sylas Changes Against Malzahar
Choices Sylas players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Chainlaced CrushersBootsUsually15.4%vs Malzahar28.5%+13.0 pts42.9% WR here
Second WindRuneUsually37.5%vs Malzahar47.2%+9.7 pts63.8% WR here
Crimson LucidityBootsUsually19.1%vs Malzahar11.4%−7.7 pts
Health Scaling (defense)Stat shardUsually84.9%vs Malzahar91.9%+6.9 pts56.6% WR here
Bone PlatingRuneUsually9.0%vs Malzahar3.3%−5.8 pts
Sixth SenseRuneUsually2.6%vs Malzahar6.5%+3.9 pts
Best Sylas Build vs Malzahar
Usual Sylas build (Mid)
84.2% win rate · 19 games
Against Malzahar
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 16 of 67 Sylas games against Malzahar carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Sylas's standard build instead.
- Sylas usually completes Hextech Rocketbelt first, at 10.8 min (median of 80 games).
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.8 min (median of 86 games).
- Skill priority: W > E > Q — 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 Sylas Runes vs Malzahar
Usual Sylas runes (Mid)
Conqueror
70.6% win rate · 34 games
Against Malzahar
Conqueror
62.2% win rate · 45 games
Plan your Sylas 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
Sylas matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.20. The table below shows Sylas'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 Sylas build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Sylas Matchups
Hardest for Sylas
Easiest for Sylas
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.
Sylas vs Malzahar FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who wins Sylas vs Malzahar?
Current data slightly favors Sylas, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Sylas wins 56.9% of 123 games (95% range 48.1–65.3%).
What is Sylas's win rate against Malzahar?
Sylas wins 56.9% of 123 Mid games against Malzahar on patch 26.20 (95% range 48.1–65.3%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 48.8% would be expected.
Does Sylas counter Malzahar?
Not clearly. Sylas wins 56.9% of 123 games against Malzahar, and the 95% range (48.1–65.3%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Sylas or Malzahar?
Neither side reliably wins the lane: the average gold difference at 15 minutes is 198, within the margin of error (122 games).
Does Sylas outscale Malzahar?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Malzahar strongest against Sylas?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Malzahar is ahead of Sylas beyond the margin of error.
What should Sylas build against Malzahar?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Sylas's usual Mid core: Riftmaker, Hextech Rocketbelt, Mejai's Soulstealer. The biggest change against Malzahar: Chainlaced Crushers (15.4% usually, 28.5% here).
What runes should Sylas use against Malzahar?
Conqueror with Precision and Resolve — 62.2% over 45 games against Malzahar. The biggest change against Malzahar: Second Wind (37.5% usually, 47.2% here).