Zedvs Malzahar
Zed vs Malzahar is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.19. Malzahar wins with a 54.3% win rate (+8.7%) over Zed based on 127 games. Malzahar holds the advantage in both the early and late game. Below you'll find the best Zed build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Zed vs Malzahar matchup.
Zed Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Zed 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 Zed vs Malzahar?
Zed wins 47.7% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 42.2% and 53.3% (95% range).
- Expected
- 47.3% From both champions' overall Mid win rates
- Matchup effect
- +0.4 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 310 games Lane: Mid
- vs patch 26.18
- +0.4 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 (Top): 4 games, Zed won 25.0%.
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Malzahar, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Zed wins 47.7% of 310 games (95% range 42.2–53.3%).
- Both champions' overall Mid win rates predict 47.3% for Zed; the result is within the margin of error of that, so this matchup mostly reflects the two champions' general strength.
- Zed usually wins the lane: 289 gold ahead of Malzahar at 15 minutes on average (306 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
- Malzahar gets stronger as the game goes on: Zed wins 61.2% of games of 25 minutes or less but only 44.0% of longer ones.
- Zed players pick Chainlaced Crushers far more often against Malzahar: 21.4% of their other Mid games, 37.1% 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 Zed 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 Zed'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.
Zed vs Malzahar Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Zed vs Malzahar Win Rate by Game Length
Zed'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.
Malzahar gets stronger as the game goes on: Zed wins 61.2% of games of 25 minutes or less but only 44.0% of longer ones.
Zed 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)ZedZed gold at 15: +289
- First itemEvenZed: 10.5 min · Malzahar: 10.3 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenZed wins 47.1% of 121 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenZed wins 46.7% of 167 games
What Zed Changes Against Malzahar
Choices Zed players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Mid games.
Chainlaced CrushersBootsUsually21.4%vs Malzahar37.1%+15.7 pts51.3% WR here
Crimson LucidityBootsUsually55.4%vs Malzahar47.4%−8.0 pts44.9% WR here
Serpent's FangItemUsually14.8%vs Malzahar9.4%−5.4 pts48.3% WR here
Edge of NightItemUsually18.1%vs Malzahar22.9%+4.8 pts46.5% WR here
Usuallyunder 0.5%vs Malzahar4.2%+4.2 pts
Flash + TeleportSummoner spellsUsually4.9%vs Malzahar8.7%+3.8 pts55.6% WR here
Flash + IgniteSummoner spellsUsually93.2%vs Malzahar89.7%−3.5 pts46.8% WR here
Best Zed Build vs Malzahar
Usual Zed build (Mid)
63.7% win rate · 171 games
Against Malzahar
53.3% win rate · 30 games
Limited sample: 30 of 212 games finished this exact core, so treat it as an observation rather than a recommendation.
- Zed usually completes Voltaic Cyclosword first, at 10.5 min (median of 200 games).
- Malzahar usually completes Blackfire Torch first, at 10.3 min (median of 198 games).
- Skill priority: Q > E > 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 Zed Runes vs Malzahar
Usual Zed runes (Mid)
First Strike
72.7% win rate · 44 games
Against Malzahar
First Strike51.7% win rate · 58 games
Plan your Zed 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
Zed matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.19. The table below shows Zed'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 Zed build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Zed Matchups
Hardest for Zed
Easiest for Zed
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.
Zed vs Malzahar FAQ - Patch 26.19
Who wins Zed vs Malzahar?
Current data slightly favors Malzahar, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Zed wins 47.7% of 310 games (95% range 42.2–53.3%).
What is Zed's win rate against Malzahar?
Zed wins 47.7% of 310 Mid games against Malzahar on patch 26.19 (95% range 42.2–53.3%). Based on both champions' overall Mid win rates, 47.3% would be expected.
Does Zed counter Malzahar?
Not clearly. Zed wins 47.7% of 310 games against Malzahar, and the 95% range (42.2–53.3%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Zed or Malzahar?
Zed usually wins the lane: 289 gold ahead of Malzahar at 15 minutes on average (306 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
Does Zed outscale Malzahar?
Malzahar gets stronger as the game goes on: Zed wins 61.2% of games of 25 minutes or less but only 44.0% of longer ones.
When is Malzahar strongest against Zed?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Malzahar is ahead of Zed beyond the margin of error.
What should Zed build against Malzahar?
The most successful Zed core against Malzahar is Voltaic Cyclosword, Axiom Arc, Serylda's Grudge (53.3% over 30 games). The biggest change against Malzahar: Chainlaced Crushers (21.4% usually, 37.1% here).
What runes should Zed use against Malzahar?
First Strike with Inspiration and Precision — 51.7% over 58 games against Malzahar. The biggest change against Malzahar: Flash + Teleport (4.9% usually, 8.7% here).