MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Malzahar vs Gangplank
How often does Malzahar beat Gangplank in Top?
Malzahar into Gangplank in Top: 47% observed win rate across 127 ranked games.
Global ranked sample: games from every region and every rank pooled together, not one server's stats. Data runs through patch 26.12; curves updated 2026-08-07.
By 15 minutes the median game has Malzahar behind by 776 gold.
Malzahar at 15:00
- Gold: -776
- CS: +8
- XP: -546
Typical gap to Gangplank, from 127 games that reached 15:00.
Does Malzahar counter Gangplank?
No counter here: Malzahar sits at 47% over 127 games. The swing lives in the spots below, so play the side you know better and chase the row that moves the number the most in this lane, then hold that lead through the first back.
Beating Gangplank: the Malzahar game plan
A gold lead at 10:00 puts Malzahar at 56% across 45 games. Flip the lead and Malzahar falls to 43% across 82.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 56% | 45 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 43% | 82 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 51% | 89 |
Someone usually dies here around 6:57 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 5:20. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Malzahar's Top build, with receipts
Into Gangplank specifically, Malzahar finishes Blackfire Torch first most often: 52.3% over 44 games of this matchup.
The most-finished Malzahar core is Blackfire Torch, Liandry's Torment, Rylai's Crystal Scepter: 55.7% across 540 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Ring + Health Potion + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Blackfire Torch (2,251 games).
Skill plan: Malzahar players max E first and take E at level 1.