How to win lane as Malzahar against Taliyah · 51.37% win rate over 878 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even before Taliyah's worked-ground Q ramps up. |
| Level 2 | Taliyah | At level 2 her Q shoves the wave and pokes you simultaneously—hers. |
| Level 3 | Taliyah | Level 3 her E zoning plus Q push keep you pinned off cs. |
| Levels 4-5 | Taliyah | Levels 4-5 she controls priority and sets up ult roams—clearly hers. |
| Level 6 | Malzahar | Your level-6 R answers her roams and ganks, turning lane priority back to you. |
| First item | Malzahar | First item your E and voidlings match her push and you R every step-up. |
| Two+ items | Malzahar | By two items your suppression cleanly counters her poke-and-pick kit. |
Level 1 is even before her Q ramps, but from level 2 Taliyah takes over: her worked-ground Q shoves the wave and pokes you at once, and her E denies you comfortable cs. Play safe, last-hit with E, and don't get knocked into a wall by her W—concede a bit of lane rather than trade into her.
The full Malzahar vs Taliyah 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? Taliyah vs Malzahar guide →
All Malzahar mid lane matchups →