How to win lane as Malphite against Zac · 52.3% win rate over 740 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Neither of you has a level-1 trade — Zac out-sustains with blobs but can't kill you, so just CS and watch for an early sling. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | His E sling plus Q/W CC is the only thing that swings this stage; you have no W/E yet, so don't get pulled off-wave. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Still even — he shoves with blobs but can't punish, and your armor-scaling buttons aren't online to answer yet. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | W Thunderclap's armor and E Ground Slam's attack-speed slow come up and even the trades, but he sustains it back — genuinely split. |
| Level 6 | Malphite | Unstoppable Force is an unblinkable knock-up into a dashless tank — R his sling commitment and you own the all-in. |
| First item | Malphite | Granite Shield plus your first armor item makes E and W scale past his even AD trades — this is your power window. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | His passive blob sustain and even tank trades reclaim parity late — it swings on R targeting, not a duel, so play the teamfight. |
Pre-6 you have no trade pattern and Zac out-sustains you with his passive blobs, so don't try to win the lane — just CS and respect his E sling. His sling is the real danger: it lets him pull you off the wave or all-in with Q/W CC before your W and E exist, and he can pick up blobs to undo any poke you land. Eat Granite Shield procs by stepping out after he commits, and never stand in a spot where a sling-in lets him CC you into a gank.
The full Malphite vs Zac 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? Zac vs Malphite guide →
All Malphite top lane matchups →