How to win lane as Orianna against Malzahar · 50.08% win rate over 1,997 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Orianna | You crush level 1 as Malzahar has no early damage or escape before voidlings. |
| Level 2 | Orianna | Level 2 stays yours with your ball poke and faster shove pressuring him under tower. |
| Level 3 | Orianna | Level 3 is still yours since he cannot answer your Q-W trades pre-Swarm. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 even out once Void Swarm and Malefic Visions give him clear and sustain. |
| Level 6 | Malzahar | Malzahar takes 6 because Nether Grasp suppression enables a jungler gank or all-in on you. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item is neutral as his E spread and silence trade evenly with your poke. |
| Two+ items | Orianna | At two-plus items your five-man Shockwave outvalues his single-target ultimate. |
From level 1 through 3 you are firmly ahead: Malzahar is one of the weakest early laners before his voidlings come online, and your ball lets you poke and shove him under tower with no way to answer. Punish him now, deny his Visions farm, and build a wave to threaten his tower.
The full Orianna vs Malzahar 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? Malzahar vs Orianna guide →
All Orianna mid lane matchups →