Garen vs Malzahar MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Champion

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Garen

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Mid

Malzahar

Garen vs Malzahar

Updated Jun 5, 2026

Overview

Use medium early agency to punish Malzahar's push attempts and deny free farm early.
Focus on short trades with (Q) silence and (E) damage to chip Malzahar before level 6.
This is a control vs control mid matchup where Garen must avoid giving Malzahar lane priority and scaling for free.

Trading pattern

Use (Q) to silence Malzahar's key spells, then quickly follow with (E) and back off before his Voidlings or poke can retaliate.
Punish Malzahar when his Voidlings are on cooldown or have been cleared to reduce his wave pressure.
Avoid using (Q) when Malzahar can disengage safely, and do not extend trades after (E) ends to prevent counter damage.

Danger windows

Respect Malzahar's level 6 ultimate suppression window; avoid all-in unless (R) is down or you have (Q) silence ready.
Be cautious when passive health regeneration is interrupted repeatedly by Malzahar's poke.
Avoid extended trades when (Q) is on cooldown as Garen loses reach and damage potential.

Early game

Contest early waves by crashing them to deny Malzahar's Voidlings and push him under tower.
Use (Q) to silence and interrupt Malzahar's poke attempts when he steps forward for CS.
Avoid extended trades before level 6 to preserve passive health regeneration and wait for execute windows.

Power spikes

At level 6, use (R) execute to finish off Malzahar after chipping him with short trades.
After first bruiser/tank item, repeat controlled trades to absorb Malzahar's poke and increase durability.
Respect Malzahar's level 6 (R) suppression; avoid committing without (Q) silence or defensive tools ready.

Win conditions

Deny Malzahar free farm by crashing waves early and punishing CS attempts with (Q) and auto attacks.
Use short trades to chip Malzahar's health and look for execute kills with (R) once in range.
After first defensive item, leverage durability to outlast poke and pressure Malzahar off the wave or force roams.