As you move up through your League of Legends rank, you will need to perform other roles in addition to what you normally perform. So if you’re auto-filling on Top Lane and your team needs a tank, Malphite can be a real lifesaver. See how you can start playing with him.
Malphite is one of the best beginner champions you need to learn to help you understand the game better. Playing as Malphite, you’ll learn how to initiate team fights, peeling for your team and just being your team’s general frontline. Despite being a solid tank, it has some weaknesses, especially when faced with heavy AP team comps. However, their kit and playing style offer enough room to maneuver around their weaknesses.
A look at Malphite’s kit and you’ll see a few things that stand out. The first thing is that he has a lot of potential for crowd control. Then almost all of your abilities have detrimental effects. And lastly, your kit is obviously designed for a tank.
Liabilities – Granite Shield
Malphite is protected by a layer of rock that absorbs damage up to 10% of its maximum health. If Malphite is not hit for 10 seconds, this effect recharges.
Malphite’s passive is pretty straightforward. It’s just a shield that can help you absorb some more damage. It increases with your health too, so it will get stronger as you build more tank items.
Q – Seismic Fragment
Malphite hurls a fragment of earth at an enemy, dealing magic damage and slowing their speed by up to 40% for 3 seconds. Malphite also steals the reduced amount, gaining it as movement speed for 3 seconds.
This is Malphite’s primary offensive ability used to poke his opponents. It has large scale with skill power, so it can deal a lot of damage. It also slows them down by a significant amount and gives him movement speed to effectively maintain his target.
W – Thunderclap
Passive: Malphite’s armor has been increased. This effect is tripled while the Granite Shield is active.
Active: Malphite’s next attack deals bonus physical damage and creates a aftershock that also deals physical damage towards them. Your attacks continue to create aftershocks for the next 6 seconds.
This skill has many uses. First, you get more tank just by leveling up Thunderclap. The next best thing about it is that it acts like a Titanic mini Hydra. This gives Malphite an excellent wave and makes each of his basic attacks hurt a little more.
E – Ground Slam
Malphite hits the ground, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies, slowing Attack Speed for 3 seconds. This skill gains damage equal to some Malphite armor.
Another ability that makes Malphite a very strong choice against AD champions. Most AD champions rely on their basic attacks to do a large part of their damage. As Ground Slam reduces the attack speed of affected enemies, these AD champions will have some of their DPS denied. Not only that, it also deals decent damage and has a good AP ratio, which makes it good for clearing even more minion waves.
R – unstoppable force
Malphite advances to the target area with the force of a landslide. Upon arrival, it deals magic damage to nearby enemies and knocks them into the air for 1.5 seconds.
This is Malphite’s signature skill and why he is such a good initiator. Unstoppable strength makes Malphite a very strong presence in team fights. A well-timed ult can drastically change the tides and single-handedly win a showdown.
When it comes to items, Malphite can pick tank and AP items that can benefit his kit and play style. Although Malphite can do a lot of damage when building items of full ability power, this makes it less effective as a tank. Essentially, it makes it a glass cannon. We think Malphite is best used as a tank and in that way he could help his teammates more. With that said, this guide will only focus on how Malphite should be played as a tank.
starting items
For starter items, there are three different options you can choose from. If you are up against a champion who likes to duel and be aggressive from the start, go with Corrupt Potion as this will help you trade and sustain as it is the best starting item overall. If you’re not sure what to get, you can’t go wrong starting a Corruptive Potion. If you’re up against a long-range opponent and can use some initial tank stats, you can go with Doran’s Shield . If you want to be aggressive and deal a little more damage, you can start with a Ring of Doran for its ability power and mana regeneration.
mythical items
Since Malphite is a tank, all three of the tank’s Mythic items are technically viable on it. However, only two of them stand out and have proven to be effective against Malphite. The best myth for him is Sunfire Aegis . This gives him everything he needs, from health, armor and magic resistance. In addition, his passive also helps him to deal with additional DPS when close to enemies. The second best choice is Frostfire Gauntlet. There’s a lot of what Sunfire Aegis can give you, but on a smaller scale. The main difference is that Frostfire Gauntlet has a passive spellblade that can be activated whenever Malphite casts a spell. This passive creates a small area around your target that slows them down by a significant amount. It’s very useful when you’re up against a slippery champion like Yasuo or Irelia.
Full Build
Most of the time, you’ll build Malphite as a generic tank. After your Mythic, your next item should be Thornmail . This will help you trade with your opponent en route as it increases your DPS and makes you more tanker. For boots, carry Plated Steel Helmets if against an AD opponent or Mercury Treads if against a heavy AP comp team. Then go to a Frozen Heart for armor and mana bonuses. It also reduces the damage taken and the attack speed of anyone who attacks you. Then build an Abyssal Maskthen for Health, Magic Resist, and bonus damage whenever you pin an enemy champion. Feel free to trade this item if you don’t need the magic resistance. Finish your build with Gargoyle Stone Plate for active armor and its additional resistances.
Runes
For runes, you will go with the Sorcery tree and take Arcane Comet as your cornerstone. This will synergize well with Seismic Fragment and give you additional damage when dealing with your opponent early in the game. Next Manaflow Band take for mana regeneration, Transcendence for cool reduction, and Scorch for additional DPS. For your minors, go to the inspiration tree and get Cookie Delivery and Time Warp Tonic. Since Malphite is reliant on items to tank, he can be a bit easy to kill early on. Having them as secondary will ensure that you have enough lift to balance or perhaps advance during the laning phase. For rune fragments, take double Adaptive Strength as well as Armor or Magic Resist depending on your matchup.
- Malphite has a very good CC and his ultimate is very scary during a team fight. Opponents will continually expect this from you, so you can use this to your advantage and play some mind games with them.
- Malphite is fought hard by other tanks that can outrun him and do more damage than he’d like Soot Kenchor Mundo . It’s better to ban these champions if you can or just play it safe when you happen to face them.
- For your summoner spells, get Flashand Teleport . Ghost is another viable alternative to teleportation, but you won’t really need it as you get a movement speed buff from Seismic Fragment .
So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Malphite in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us for more guides on your favorite games. Have fun and see you at Rift!
