Malzahar vs Locke — Mid Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Malzahar against Locke · 50% win rate · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Locke is favoured — Locke owns 3 of the 7 game windows. Play it patient and win your windows. Malzahar wins 50% of games vs Locke in mid lane.

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1LockeLevel 1 favours Locke, whose early aggression pressures a slow, dash-less Malzahar.
Level 2LockeLevel 2 favours Locke, who can all-in before your pre-6 kit offers any answer.
Level 3Even / skillLevel 3 is even as your waveclear and Void Shift let you refuse his trades.
Levels 4-5Even / skillLevels 4-5 stay even, decided by wave control rather than raw stats.
Level 6LockeLevel 6 favours Locke's spike, holding a slight edge until your own ult fully answers it.
First itemEven / skillFirst item is even as your point-click R and DPS stabilize the lane.
Two+ itemsEven / skillWith two-plus items it stays skill-based, your suppression equalizing any fight he commits to.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Levels 1-2 favour Locke's early aggression; with no dash and no pre-6 kill threat you soak safely, buffer his opener with Void Shift, and refuse the trade.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Malzahar vs Locke 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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