Combos · Mid

Malzahar combos

the Prophet of the Void

3 Malzahar combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is E › Q › W. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Malzahar combos

Written guide · based on the official ability texts

Harassment

When: An enemy is within range.

Malefic Visions deals damage over time and attracts the Voidlings, Call of the Void silences, Void Swarm adds attacks.

The suppression

When: A carry is isolated.

Nether Grasp suppresses a champion in a zone of negative energy dealing damage: set it up with Malefic Visions.

The spread

When: An affected enemy is about to die.

If the target dies under Malefic Visions, the visions pass to a nearby enemy unit and you regain mana.

Common mistakes

Taking damage for no reason: you lose your passive's reduction.
Casting Call of the Void without anticipating the portals' delay.
Using the ultimate on a target who can break free.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Call of the Void	6	60/65/70/75/80 Mana	900
W · Void Swarm	8	40/45/50/55/60 Mana	150
E · Malefic Visions	11/10/9/8/7	60/70/80/90/100 Mana	650
R · Nether Grasp	140/110/80	100 Mana	700

Official ability descriptions

PassiveVoid Shift

When he hasn't recently taken damage or been crowd controlled, Malzahar gains massive damage reduction and crowd control immunity, lingering for a short period after taking damage.

QCall of the Void

Malzahar opens up two portals to the Void. After a short delay, they fire projectiles that deal Magic Damage and silence enemy champions.

WVoid Swarm

Malzahar summons Voidlings to attack nearby enemies.

EMalefic Visions

Malzahar infects his target's mind with cruel visions of their demise, dealing damage over time. Using Malzahar's other spells on the target will refresh the visions.

If the target dies while afflicted by the visions, they pass on to a nearby enemy unit and Malzahar gains Mana. Malzahar's Voidlings are attracted to affected units.

RNether Grasp

Malzahar channels the essence of the Void to suppress an enemy champion over a zone of damaging negative energy.

Skill order

Max order: E > Q > W67.7% · 62 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q			●					●		●		●	●
W		●												●	●
E	●			●	●		●		●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 70 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Malzahar

Wait to cast Void Swarm until there are nearby enemies for the Voidling to attack or kill.
Use Call of the Void and Nether Grasp to renew the duration of Malefic Visions on enemies.
Avoiding damage in lane maximizes the uptime on Void Shift, increasing Malzahar's safety dramatically.

How to play around Malzahar's combos

When Malzahar hits a spell on enemies affected by Malefic Visions, the Visions are refreshed.
Avoid minion waves that have been affected by Malefic Visions. You never know when they may die and pass the Visions onto you.
Malzahar is especially dangerous when he has built up his Void Swarm.

Frequently asked questions

What is Malzahar's main combo?

Harassment: E › Q › W. An enemy is within range. Malefic Visions deals damage over time and attracts the Voidlings, Call of the Void silences, Void Swarm adds attacks.

Which ability should I max first on Malzahar?

The most-played max order is E > Q > W (62 games, 67.7% win rate).

What is the cooldown of Malzahar's ultimate?

Nether Grasp has a 140/110/80 second cooldown depending on its rank.

Build, runes and counters: full Malzahar guide · every champion's combos · tier list