Champion Guide

Malphite Guide

By LoLSuggest

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Malphite is a tank top laner and one of the strongest engagers in the game. Granite Shield gives him a shield that recharges when he has not been hit for a few seconds, Seismic Shard pokes and steals movement speed, Thunderclap grants bonus armor and makes his attacks create aftershocks, Ground Slam deals damage based on his armor and slows the attack speed of nearby enemies, and Unstoppable Force launches him into an area, knocking up everyone hit. He stacks armor, punishes physical damage teams and wins fights by landing a game-deciding ultimate.

Recommended Setup

Our recommended Malphite build

Our recommended runes, summoner spells and items. Compare build win rates on the stats page.

Items

Starting Items

Core Items

Situational Items

Start Doran's Ring and a Health Potion; take Doran's Shield for more sustain against poke, or Tear of the Goddess to avoid mana problems. The standard build is Thornmail, Plated Steelcaps, Jak'Sho, The Protean, Kaenic Rookern, Frozen Heart and Protoplasm Harness. Rush Kaenic Rookern against magic damage laners such as Akali, Kennen or Gwen, and pair it with Hollow Radiance for wave clear; against heavy physical damage add Randuin's Omen against critical strikes and Unending Despair, and take Mercury's Treads only when you need tenacity. Zeke's Convergence, Knight's Vow, Bandlepipes and Abyssal Mask make a cheap supportive build when you are behind, Malignance with Zeke's Convergence gives you more ultimates, and Hextech Rocketbelt pops spell shields such as Banshee's Veil or Edge of Night. Run Arcane Comet with Manaflow Band, Transcendence and Scorch, plus Conditioning and Overgrowth, for poke; Grasp of the Undying with Demolish is the standard melee page, Lethal Tempo with a W max works into Tryndamere, and First Strike suits farm lanes such as Dr. Mundo. Take Flash with Teleport; Ignite with Teleport is a rare option into Warwick. Max E, then W, then Q, or Q first when you want to poke ranged laners like Vayne or Quinn.

Runes

Primary Tree

Secondary Tree

Summoner Spells

Skill Max Order

Strengths

Extremely strong against teams that deal all or mostly physical damage.
Unstoppable Force is one of the best engage tools in the game, great for picks, dives and teamfights.
Very tanky in the mid game, and still useful when behind thanks to his kit.

Weaknesses

His tankiness falls off once enemies buy armor and magic penetration.
Some matchups are close to unwinnable: sustain champions such as Dr. Mundo and Nasus, Sylas, who steals his ultimate, and most other tanks.
Cannot carry on his own and is much weaker in teamfights without his ultimate.

Laning Phase

Malphite is weak in the first few levels and many matchups can bully him until his first one or two recalls, so respect the enemy's damage and farm. Seismic Shard is your main poke and steals movement speed, but it costs a lot of mana early and deals little damage at rank 1, so do not spam it before it has two or three points. Short trade around Granite Shield: go in while it absorbs damage, walk away to let it recharge, then go back in. Thunderclap resets your attack timer and gives extra armor while the shield is up, so do not be afraid of melee range when it is ready. Many lanes come down to poking with Seismic Shard until the enemy dies, and against magic damage laners a rushed Kaenic Rookern lets you bully them. Against sustain champions such as Nasus or Dr. Mundo, roam and look for picks with Unstoppable Force instead.

Mid & Late Game

Malphite is not a split pusher: clear the side waves, then group and teamfight, looking for picks with Unstoppable Force. The mid game is when you are tankiest, before enemy carries buy armor and magic penetration, so make the most of that window. Against a split pusher such as Fiora or Tryndamere, push your side lane out before joining fights. Use your ultimate on the highest-priority target, such as a Soraka keeping everyone alive, and follow with Ground Slam to slow the attack speed of everyone caught. In the late game, when divers threaten your carry, save Unstoppable Force to peel instead of engaging.

Key Tips

Wait for enemy speed boosts, such as Rammus's Powerball, before casting Seismic Shard to steal more movement speed.
Against enemies holding Flash to dodge your ultimate, walk up close before casting Unstoppable Force.
Spell shields such as Banshee's Veil or Edge of Night must be popped before your ultimate lands; Hextech Rocketbelt does this easily.
Use Ground Slam right after Unstoppable Force to slow the attack speed of everyone you knocked up.

Matchups

Matchups and synergies

Our picks for difficult opponents, favorable lanes and strong allies. Compare matchup win rates on the stats page.