MacroMind matchup data — real ranked games, not opinions
Malzahar vs Garen
How often does Malzahar beat Garen in Top?
Malzahar into Garen in Top: 43% observed win rate across 212 ranked games. Counted from real matches, and every number here shows its sample size.
By 15 minutes the median game has Malzahar behind by 430 gold.
Does Malzahar counter Garen?
The count says no. Garen holds 57% of 212 ranked Top games here, and that gap clears the noise band. The matchup still gets won from {{champion}}'s side — the conditional rates on this page show where, each with its own game count.
Beating Garen: the Malzahar game plan
A 300-gold lead at 10:00 puts Malzahar at 45% across 87 games. Flip the lead and Malzahar falls to 41% across 125.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 300 gold up at 10:00 | 45% | 87 |
| 300 gold down at 10:00 | 41% | 125 |
| First blood | 37% | 67 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 40% | 45 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 48% | 114 |
| 0 deaths at 10:00 | 36% | 58 |
Someone usually dies here around 7:31 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 5:14. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Malzahar's Top build, with receipts
Into Garen specifically, Malzahar finishes Blackfire Torch first most often: 41.0% over 61 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 16.1-16.12.
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.