How to win lane as Malzahar against Lissandra · 53.16% win rate over 3,160 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Lissandra | Her Q poke out-ranges you and she can all-in with W root, taking the level-1 edge. |
| Level 2 | Lissandra | Her W root plus Q chunk threatens a kill your voidlings can't answer yet. |
| Level 3 | Lissandra | With E mobility and the W-Q combo she out-trades and can dive your shove, staying ahead. |
| Levels 4-5 | Lissandra | Her sustained Q poke and root all-in keep you on the back foot as she controls the wave. |
| Level 6 | Lissandra | Her R can lock you or self-stasis to peel your Nether Grasp, and her all-in still out-damages your combo. |
| First item | Malzahar | Your DoT and R burst come online; you suppress her and her utility can't save her from the chunk. |
| Two+ items | Malzahar | You out-scale her control kit; a landed R is a guaranteed pick and your DoT grinds her down late. |
You are behind for the entire early game and you have to accept it. Lissandra's Q out-ranges you, her W (Ring of Frost) root turns any misstep into a kill, and E (Glide) lets her engage your shove and glide back to safety. There is no trade you win here, so farm with Malefic Visions from max range, dodge her Q, and keep your health above her W-Q all-in threshold. Don't waste your ult trying to answer her before your items; just survive to your spike.
The full Malzahar vs Lissandra report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Lissandra vs Malzahar guide →
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