Malphite, Tank / Mage
Malphite, Shard of the Monolith, is a Tank and Mage champion in League of Legends. Everything below comes from Riot's Data Dragon for patch 16.21.1: ability text, base stats and Riot's tips. Counters and matchups by class are worked out from that text, and each one shows its reason.
Playing as Malphite
Riot's own tips
Armor naturally reduces the rate that attacks go through Granite Shield, so Brutal Strikes will strengthen the shield against physical damage.
Despite his abilities scaling on Armor, some games require Malphite to get Magic Resist. When those games occur, try getting Aegis of the Legion, Mercury's Treads, and Guardian Angel.
Playing against Malphite
Riot's own tips
If you're a physical damage character stay behind your allies when fighting Malphite. Ground Slam can significantly reduce your damage output.
Malphite is one of a couple tanks who are capable of jungling. Watch out if he gets Smite.
What the kit does
Analysis read from Riot's ability text. Each line shows the words it rests on.
RHard crowd controlUnstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into"
- RKnock-up, knock-back or pull
Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into"
PShieldGranite Shield: "Malphite is shielded by a"
EArea damageGround Slam: "out a shockwave that deals"
Malphite's abilities
Riot's own text and preview clip for each ability, from Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Pick an ability and its clip plays here, muted.
PPassive
Granite Shield
Malphite is shielded by a layer of rock which absorbs damage up to 10% of his maximum Health. If Malphite has not been hit for a few seconds, this effect recharges.
Effects in the text
Seismic Shard
Malphite sends a shard of the earth through the ground at his foe, dealing damage upon impact and stealing Move Speed for 3 seconds.
WW
Thunderclap
Malphite attacks with such force that it creates a sonic boom. For the next few seconds, his attacks create aftershocks in front of him.
EE
Ground Slam
Malphite slams the ground, sending out a shockwave that deals magic damage based on his Armor and reduces the Attack Speed of enemies for a short duration.
Effects in the text
RR
Unstoppable Force
Malphite launches himself to a location at high speed, damaging enemies and knocking them into the air.
Effects in the text
Items and runes that fit Malphite
Riot publishes no builds and this page invents none. Below: completed items ranked by how many of the stats Malphite's kit uses they give (durability (armor, magic resist, health) first), the runes whose official text matches the kit, and picks for each enemy type. A fit, not a strength ranking. No win rates.
Closest stat fit
Editorial estimateCompleted items ranked by how many of the stats Malphite's kit uses they give. A fit, not a verdict: Riot publishes no builds and no win rates.
Bandlepipes2,300- +200 Healthit is a durable champion
- +20 Armorit is a durable champion
- +20 Magic Resistit is a durable champion
Jak'Sho, The Protean3,200- +350 Healthit is a durable champion
- +45 Armorit is a durable champion
- +45 Magic Resistit is a durable champion
Locket of the Iron Solari2,200- +200 Healthit is a durable champion
- +30 Armorit is a durable champion
- +30 Magic Resistit is a durable champion
Zeke's Convergence2,200- +300 Healthit is a durable champion
- +25 Armorit is a durable champion
- +25 Magic Resistit is a durable champion
Abyssal Mask2,650- +350 Healthit is a durable champion
- +45 Magic Resistit is a durable champion
Dead Man's Plate2,900- +350 Healthit is a durable champion
- +55 Armorit is a durable champion
More items with the same stat 52
Force of Nature2,800 gold
Hollow Radiance2,800 gold
Iceborn Gauntlet2,900 gold
Kaenic Rookern2,900 gold
Knight's Vow2,300 gold
Randuin's Omen2,700 gold
Spirit Visage2,700 gold
Sunfire Aegis2,800 gold
Thornmail2,450 gold
Unending Despair2,800 gold
Frozen Heart2,500 gold
Banshee's Veil3,000 gold
Death's Dance3,300 gold
Guardian Angel3,200 gold
Maw of Malmortius3,100 gold
Mercurial Scimitar3,200 gold
Rod of Ages2,600 gold
Winter's Approach2,400 gold
Wit's End2,800 gold
Zhonya's Hourglass3,250 gold
Black Cleaver3,000 gold
Bloodletter's Curse2,900 gold
Chempunk Chainsword3,000 gold
Cosmic Drive3,000 gold
Dusk and Dawn3,100 gold
Echoes of Helia2,200 gold
Edge of Night3,000 gold
Experimental Hexplate3,000 gold
Heartsteel3,000 gold
Hextech Rocketbelt2,650 gold
Hullbreaker3,000 gold
Liandry's Torment3,000 gold
Mikael's Blessing2,300 gold
Moonstone Renewer2,200 gold
Morellonomicon2,850 gold
Overlord's Bloodmail3,300 gold
Protoplasm Harness2,600 gold
Riftmaker3,100 gold
Rylai's Crystal Scepter2,600 gold
Spear of Shojin3,100 gold
Sterak's Gage3,200 gold
Stridebreaker3,300 gold
Sundered Sky3,100 gold
Titanic Hydra3,300 gold
Trinity Force3,333 gold
Warmog's Armor3,100 gold
Actualizer2,800 gold
Archangel's Staff2,900 gold
Blackfire Torch2,800 gold
Luden's Echo2,750 gold
Malignance2,700 gold
Manamune2,900 goldBoots
Rune fits
Editorial estimateRunes whose official text matches the most things Malphite's kit does. Each line shows the words it rests on.
Stormraider's SurgeSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 2- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into"
- It is a durable (tank) champion: Tank role
Summon AerySorcery, Keystone · Matches: 2- It deals damage with abilities: Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"
- It brings shields: Granite Shield: "Malphite is shielded by a"
AftershockResolve, Keystone · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into"
Manaflow BandSorcery · Matches: 2- It deals damage with abilities: Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"
- It uses mana: Mana
Approach VelocityInspiration · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into"
Axiom ArcanistSorcery · Matches: 1- It brings shields: Granite Shield: "Malphite is shielded by a"
Against each enemy type
Editorial estimateSituational picks, counted from what the champions of each class do in Riot's Data Dragon. Swap a slot when the enemy team has several of that class.
Tanks
Anti-heal 25 of 45 heal or sustain
Cleanse or tenacity 20 of 45 have two or more hard CC abilities
Fighters
Anti-heal 40 of 60 heal or sustain
Armor 38 of 60 deal physical damage only
Assassins
Anti-heal 24 of 46 heal or sustain
Armor 23 of 46 deal physical damage only
Mages
Magic resist 52 of 74 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 30 of 74 heal or sustain
Marksmen
Armor 14 of 33 deal physical damage only
Supports
Magic resist 36 of 43 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 19 of 43 heal or sustain
Counted from the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. These are counts of champions, not win rates.
Rune trees
Lit runes: their official text matches something Malphite's kit does (Analysis). Select a rune to read why.
Precision3 lit
Domination3 lit
Sorcery8 lit
Resolve8 lit
Inspiration4 lit
Matchups by class
Malphite against each class of champion, counted from the official ability text. Choose a class or a lane to narrow it down.
Against all 172 champions: 113 ahead, 37 even, 22 behind. Each class is read against that, so check the best and toughest tags too.
Against Tanks
EvenToughest class
6 ahead · 23 even · 16 behind of 45
- They deal physical damage only, so armor works against them.
- Your damage is magic only, so they can stack magic resist against you.
What to do: Neither side has a clear edge over tanks. Execution and the team around you decide it.
Against Fighters
Strong29 ahead · 21 even · 10 behind of 60
- Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
- They deal physical damage only, so armor works against them.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several fighters. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Assassins
StrongBest class
40 ahead · 6 even · 0 behind of 46
- Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
- They deal physical damage only, so armor works against them.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several assassins. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Mages
Strong59 ahead · 10 even · 5 behind of 74
- They deal magic damage only, so magic resist works against them.
- You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several mages. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Marksmen
Strong29 ahead · 2 even · 2 behind of 33
- You have early pressure while they need time to scale.
- You cut their attack speed, which weakens auto-attack builds.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several marksmen. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Supports
Strong30 ahead · 6 even · 7 behind of 43
- They deal magic damage only, so magic resist works against them.
- You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several supports. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Source: Nexus Lab rules over the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. Each champion of the class is compared with Malphite one by one; the counts come from those rules, not from match results, so they are not win rates. Strong, even and weak compare the number of champions ahead and behind. Lanes are the lanes each class usually plays (Riot ships no lane data per champion), not play rates.
Building against Malphite
Analysis: answers to what Malphite's own kit does.
Malphite deals magic damage only, so magic resist pays off. Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"
Malphite brings shields, so a shield-breaking item is worth a look. Granite Shield: "Malphite is shielded by a"
Picks that can punish Malphite
Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text.
Amumu
Counters youAmumu deals true damage (Cursed Touch: "take bonus true damage from incoming"), which ignores the resistances that Malphite relies on (Tank role).
2 more reasons
Malphite deals only magic damage (Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"), so Amumu can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Amumu clears waves more easily (Despair: "nearby enemies lose a") and can push the lane against Malphite.
Cho'Gath
Counters youCho'Gath deals true damage (Feast: "amount of true damage"), which ignores the resistances that Malphite relies on (Tank role).
2 more reasons
Malphite deals only magic damage (Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"), so Cho'Gath can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Cho'Gath clears waves more easily (Feral Scream: "scream at enemies in a cone") and can push the lane against Malphite.
Sion
Counters youSion deals damage based on the target's health (Glory in Death: "on his target's maximum Health"), which scales against a tough champion like Malphite (Tank role).
2 more reasons
Malphite deals only magic damage (Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"), so Sion can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Sion clears waves more easily (Decimating Smash: "powerful swing in an area in front") and can push the lane against Malphite.
Zac
Counters youZac deals damage based on the target's health (Unstable Matter: "percentage of their maximum health as magic"), which scales against a tough champion like Malphite (Tank role).
2 more reasons
Malphite deals only magic damage (Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"), so Zac can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Zac clears waves more easily (Unstable Matter: "outward towards nearby enemies") and can push the lane against Malphite.
Dr. Mundo
Counters youDr. Mundo deals damage based on the target's health (Infected Bonesaw: "based on their current health and slowing"), which scales against a tough champion like Malphite (Tank role).
1 more reason
Malphite deals only magic damage (Ground Slam: "that deals magic damage based on"), so Dr. Mundo can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Aatrox
Counters youAatrox deals damage based on the target's health (Deathbringer Stance: "on the target's max health"), which scales against a tough champion like Malphite (Tank role).
1 more reason
Aatrox clears waves more easily (World Ender: "nearby enemy minions and gaining attack damage") and can push the lane against Malphite.
Who Malphite is good against
The same rules, read the other way.
Quinn
You pressureMalphite has hard CC (Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into") that can stop Quinn's dashes (Vault: "Quinn dashes to an").
Azir
You pressureMalphite has hard CC (Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into") that can stop Azir's dashes (Shifting Sands: "briefly and dashes to one").
Kassadin
You pressureMalphite has hard CC (Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into") that can stop Kassadin's dashes (Riftwalk: "Kassadin teleports to a").
Sivir
You pressureMalphite has hard CC (Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into") to catch Sivir, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).
Fiora
You pressureMalphite has hard CC (Unstoppable Force: "enemies and knocking them into") that can stop Fiora's dashes (Lunge: "Fiora lunges in a").
Counter picks are Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on. They are not win rates, and no League of Legends matchup list has been reviewed by hand yet.
Official story
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Champion video guide
Video by 3 Minute League of Legends · Watch on YouTube The player loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.
Measured numbers
Numbers published or counted by a named source. Each row names the source and the patch.
| Stat | Level 1 | Per level | Level 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 665 | +104 | 2433 |
| Mana | 280 | +60 | 1300 |
| Armor | 40 | +4.95 | 124.15 |
| Magic resist | 28 | +2.05 | 62.85 |
| Attack damage | 62 | - | 62 |
| Attack speed | 0.736 | +3.4% | 1.161 |
| Attack range | 125 | - | 125 |
| Move speed | 335 | - | 335 |
| Health regen per 5 seconds | 7 | +0.55 | 16.35 |
| Mana regen per 5 seconds | 7.3 | +0.55 | 16.65 |
Riot data Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Level 18 is calculated from Riot's growth formula on the same numbers.
Editorial estimates
Our reading of the data. These are not measured rates and they change when the rules or the data change.
- Counter picks
- 6 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Good against
- 5 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Typical lanes
- Top, Jungle, Mid Editorial estimateLanes of the class; Riot ships no lane data per champion
- Best class (relative)
- Assassins Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
- Toughest class (relative)
- Tanks Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
What no source gives us
- Win rate, pick rate and ban rate. Riot publishes none we may print (the Riot API cards are switched off) and no third-party statistics site is read, so none is shown.
- Popular builds. Riot publishes no builds: the items and runes in Build & Runes are a fit to the kit, not a popularity ranking.
Sources
- Riot Games Data DragonOpen
Names, ratings, base stats, ability text, cooldowns, costs, range, items, runes and art.
Patch 16.21.1, file generated 2026-10-26 - Riot ability preview clips
Played from Riot's own server when you press play; never copied here.
Each clip checked with a request before it is offered - League of Legends WikiOpen
Release dates and skin prices in RP (CC BY-SA).
Committed data, see the skins page - Nexus Lab rules
Counters, matchups by class, item and rune fit: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on.
Patch 16.21.1 - Riot UniverseOpen
The official story of Malphite (a link, nothing copied).
