MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Varus vs Malzahar
How often does Varus beat Malzahar in ADC?
Varus into Malzahar in ADC: 51% observed win rate across 43 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 Varus behind by 53 gold.
Varus at 15:00
- Gold: -53
- CS: -16
- XP: -483
Typical gap to Malzahar, from 42 games that reached 15:00.
Does Varus counter Malzahar?
No counter here: Varus sits at 51% over 43 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 Malzahar: the Varus game plan
Someone usually dies here around 6:18 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 7:09. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Varus's ADC build, with receipts
The most-finished Varus core is Statikk Shiv, Guinsoo's Rageblade, Terminus: 52.3% across 4,612 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Blade + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Youmuu's Ghostblade (10,588 games).
Skill plan: Varus players max Q first and take E at level 1.