How to win lane as Malzahar against Naafiri · 51.88% win rate over 5,335 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even, played before her Packmates come online and enable her burst. |
| Level 2 | Naafiri | Level 2 favours Naafiri as her pack lets her start dagger-and-dash trades you can't escape. |
| Level 3 | Naafiri | Level 3 favours Naafiri, whose W dash and Q daggers out-burst a mobility-less Malzahar. |
| Levels 4-5 | Naafiri | Levels 4-5 favour Naafiri, whose all-in threat keeps you pinned under tower. |
| Level 6 | Malzahar | Level 6 favours Malzahar, whose point-click Nether Grasp suppresses her mid-dive and cancels the all-in. |
| First item | Naafiri | First item favours Naafiri, whose ult movement speed lets her roam and snowball other lanes. |
| Two+ items | Malzahar | With two-plus items Malzahar retakes it, as point-click R hard-counters her single-target dive. |
Level 1 is even before her pack is built, but she is already looking to set up the trades that come online a level later.
The full Malzahar vs Naafiri 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? Naafiri vs Malzahar guide →
All Malzahar mid lane matchups →