How to win lane as Malphite against Zaahen · 49.43% win rate over 1,677 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is an even farm start — neither of you has spiked yet, so just split the wave and trade last-hits. |
| Level 2 | Zaahen | Level 2 is his window — his all-in comes online before your armor and Granite Shield ramp, so give ground and concede the trade. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 evens out — points in Q let you poke, push and shield off his glaive chip from range. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 stay even as Granite Shield keeps soaking his poke — keep resetting it by stepping away after each exchange. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is a skill-check — your R is a huge swing tool, but his ult's gank setup shifts the raw all-in threat toward him, so track his jungler before committing. |
| First item | Malphite | First item is your spike — stacked armor and E make his physical damage bounce off, and trades stop being close. |
| Two+ items | Malphite | Two items of armor make you an unbreakable duelist he cannot out-DPS — you win any sidelane he contests. |
Play the first levels patient: level 1 is a pure farm split, and level 2 is his all-in window before your armor and passive ramp — hug your caster minions and concede ground rather than health. Once Q has points at 3 you can poke, push and shield his glaive chip off from a safe distance.
The full Malphite vs Zaahen 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? Zaahen vs Malphite guide →
All Malphite top lane matchups →