Let me tell you something about malphite: he’s a rock. Literally. Figuratively. Emotionally. The kind of champion you lock in when your team’s full of squishies and someone says, “Yo, we need a tank.” Or when you’re feeling chaotic and just want to watch the world burn via AP one-shots.
Anyway, if you’ve ever ulted five people and then died immediately with no follow-up? Same. Welcome to the club.
Season 2024 shook up a few things, and ol’ malphite is still standing tall—well, technically hunched, because boulders don’t have posture. But y’know. Solid.
🛠️ My Go-To Malphite Tank Build (Top Lane Edition)
So here’s the meat and potatoes of it—what I slap on malphite when I’m tryin’ to be the unmovable mountain my team doesn’t deserve.
- Mythic Item: Iceborn Gauntlet. This thing slaps. Literally. Slows ’em so good your grandma could chase them down.
- Boots: Plated Steelcaps (for when Zed breathes down your neck) or Merc Treads if Morgana’s ruining your day.
- Core Bits:
- Sunfire Aegis – for when you wanna walk around and light people on fire by existing.
- Thornmail – stick it to them healing freaks.
- Randuin’s Omen – built to ruin Yasuo’s fantasy.
- Force of Nature – mage problems? Get this and laugh.
There’s a version of this build scribbled in the margins of my old math notebook. Right next to a doodle of malphite punting Teemo into the sun.
💥 The Unholy AP Malphite Build That Made Me Cackle
Okay look. AP malphite is… dumb. But dumb fun. I tried this once during a late-night ranked binge and accidentally got an S+.
- Mythic Item: Rocketbelt, because why not add a dash?
- Boots: Sorc Shoes. Every time.
- Items to Doom Their ADC:
- Shadowflame
- Deathcap (go big or go home, right?)
- Void Staff
- Zhonya’s – because they’re gonna want revenge.
I used this in a match where I one-shot a fed Kai’Sa, laughed so hard I choked on my root beer. Worth it. Malphite ain’t just a wall—sometimes he’s a frickin’ meteor with opinions.
🧠 Rune Choices (Because Picking the Wrong Ones Hurts)
Tanky rock? Here’s what I run:
- Primary: Resolve
- Grasp of the Undying (free HP, who says no?)
- Demolish (towers fear me)
- Second Wind
- Overgrowth (mmm, passive HP stacks)
- Secondary: Inspiration
- Biscuits
- Time Warp Tonic (I panic-chug potions like a toddler with Capri Suns)
AP Murder Rock? This is where things get spicy:
- Primary: Domination
- Electrocute
- Sudden Impact
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter (I want to ult every 40 seconds, don’t judge me)
- Secondary: Sorcery
- Scorch
- Manaflow Band (I run oom more than a printer in finals week)
If you mess this part up, you might as well rename yourself “Feedphite.” Been there. Still hurts.
🚀 Spells That Make or Break Ya
- Top Lane Tank: Flash + Teleport (standard. boring. works.)
- Mid Lane AP: Flash + Ignite (you will dive under tower. plan accordingly.)
- Support Rock: Flash + Exhaust or Ignite. Yeah, I’ve played support malphite. Sue me.
I once forgot to swap my TP out in ARAM. Still somehow won. Don’t be like me.
Matchups Where Malphite Shines (aka, the Rock’s Rockin’)
You ever see a Yasuo trying to E-dash around a full armor malphite? It’s beautiful. Here are the matchups where you shine like polished granite:
- Yasuo/Yone – die to your armor faster than I rage-quit Monopoly.
- Tryndamere – spin all you want, big guy.
- Camille – you survive, then win. Eventually.
- Akali – early pain, but mid-game you’re the antidote to her chaos.
- Riven – oh sweet summer child.
My friend Tim calls these “anti-stylish” matchups. Basically, malphite makes flashy champs look like they’re lagging.
The Nightmare Fuel: Malphite’s Worst Matchups
Grab a snack, this might hurt. Some champs just turn you into a sad pile of pebbles.
- Vladimir – heals everything. Immune to rocks?
- Singed – I chased him once. For two minutes. I fell for the “run into tower” trick. Again.
- Cassiopeia – sustained damage from the pits of hell.
- Sett – out-tanks and out-punches you. Rude.
- Teemo – I still hear his laugh in my dreams. Shrooms. Everywhere.
Best advice? Play safe. Pray. Or swap lanes mid-game and pretend you got “disconnected.”
Jungle Homies: Who Loves a Malphite?
Team comps that enable malphite are my jam. When you queue with someone who locks Sejuani or Amumu and pings “wombo,” you know you’re in for a treat.
- Sejuani – chain CC central. Feels like playing DDR on enemy heads.
- Jarvan IV – cataclysm into ult = spicy.
- Zac – goopy rock combo? Oddly effective.
- Amumu – double ult sadness.
- Rhaast – the guy’s unhinged. In a good way.
One time I Flash-ulted four enemies into a Zac engage. My team called it “accidental brilliance.” I’ll take it.
Rock ‘n Roll Teamfight Tactics
Malphite doesn’t poke. He doesn’t zone. He smashes.
But timing is everything. Wait for the right moment—when they’re grouped, greedy, or both.
- Don’t ult tanks. Don’t.
- Flash-ult is the sexiest thing you’ll do all game.
- Let your squishies bait—then BAM.
Sometimes I just sit in a bush, imagining my next ult angle like a chess grandmaster. Except I’m thinking, “What if I just yeet in now?”
Support Malphite Is Real and I Won’t Apologize
Listen, I built malphite support on a dare. It kinda slapped.
- Max Q. Make their ADC hate you.
- Build tank or cheap AP.
- Ult their team at dragon pit, then let your ADC mop up.
Is it meta? No. Is it fun? Hell yeah. My Blitzcrank support? 22% win rate. My malphite support? 61%. Coincidence?
Skins That Make You Stronger (Probably)
My theory? Cool skins give you confidence. And confidence = better ults.
- Mecha Malphite – clang clang mothertrucker.
- Obsidian Malphite – looks like he eats diamonds for breakfast.
- Shamrock Malphite – once dropped a triple kill on St. Patrick’s Day. Coincidence? Nah.
Fun fact: Victorians thought rocks had emotional auras. My Shamrock malphite radiates “Irish pub bouncer” energy.
Patchy Buffs and Nerfs – What Changed?
So, 14.x patch dropped:
- Buffed his base armor. Love that.
- W scaling reworked. Stronger the more armor you stack.
- AP ratio tickled downward, but who cares. One-shot malphite still lives.
Also, Riot still hasn’t given him a cooking skin. Rock Salt malphite when?
Malphite in Flex Drafts: Confuse ‘Em All
This is where the big brain plays begin. You pick malphite, and they think “top.” But what if… mid? Support? Jungle?
- I once picked him mid into Zed. Zed cried.
- Support vs. Ashe? She couldn’t auto for 15 minutes.
Just don’t let your team know you’re flexing until it’s too late. Let ‘em adapt to the chaos.
Rookie Rock Mistakes I’ve Definitely Made
- Ulting one person. A tank. Alone. Don’t.
- Going AP in a full AP comp. The synergy? It’s nonexistent.
- Forgetting I have passive up. Free shield, dude!
- Overchasing—don’t turn into a boulder with blinders.
Also, one time I tried to solo Baron as malphite. Don’t ask. It… did not go well.
Final Rock Thoughts (Lodged Between My Braincells)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: malphite isn’t just a champion. He’s a lifestyle. Solid. Reliable. Slightly meme-able. The guy’s been around since the dinosaurs (LoL dinosaurs, not real ones), and he still holds up.
So whether you’re playing him because you like initiating chaos or because you just want to survive laning against Fiora without crying—malphite delivers.
Rock on. Literally.
