How to win lane as Malphite against Locke · 51.78% win rate over 1,408 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Even opener — your Granite Shield and Q slow trade level with his mark poke; neither side has a kill. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 is still decided by spacing — your armor is not online yet, so whoever lands poke without eating a full trade back wins it. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 stays a pure poke duel — neither of you can kill the other, so it is Q chip against mark chip. |
| Levels 4-5 | Malphite | At 4-5 your W, first armor points and Granite Shield start blunting his burst — short trades tilt your way. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 evens out — your R is an unmissable engage, but his Purgatory execute answers it, so the ult trade is a wash. |
| First item | Malphite | After first item your armor and shield out-sustain his on-hit mark poke — you win the war of attrition. |
| Two+ items | Malphite | Late you are an armor wall with a fight-swinging R his burst simply cannot out-race. |
The first three levels are a genuine skill lane: trade Q for his mark poke, step out of range to reset Granite Shield between exchanges, and do not burn your mana bar racing him — neither of you can actually force a kill yet, so the winner here is whoever banks more free chip and CS.
The full Malphite 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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Playing the other side? Locke vs Malphite guide →
All Malphite top lane matchups →