Illaoi vs Malzahar TOP Matchup Guide

Champion

Opponent

Start here

Read Overview → Trading Pattern → Danger Windows first for the fastest Top lane plan.

Illaoi into Malzaharmedium

Overview

Use tentacle zones to deny Malzahar safe farming and force him into angles.
Pressure the lane aggressively to prevent Malzahar from maintaining wave control.
Force Malzahar to clear tentacles or lose wave priority and map presence.

Trade only when Malzahar walks into your range with tentacles nearby to maximize damage and healing.
Use to slam tentacles immediately after a successful to amplify damage.
Avoid trading when is on cooldown or tentacles are cleared, as your threat drops sharply.

Be cautious when Malzahar's is available, as it can lock you down for kills.
Avoid fighting without tentacles nearby to prevent vulnerability to suppression and damage.
Track enemy jungler timings to avoid ganks, especially when your is on cooldown.

Establish tentacles early around the wave to control space and threaten pulls.
Punish Malzahar's predictable push by zoning him off minions and denying voidling value.
Avoid chasing Malzahar far from tentacles to preserve your trade potential.

At level 6, use to punish Malzahar's commitment and turn ganks or all-ins in your favor.
After establishing multiple tentacles in a side lane, pressure Malzahar by forcing him to contest your zone or lose wave control.
Respect Malzahar's level 6 suppression by avoiding all-ins without your ready.

Control and maintain tentacle zones to force Malzahar into unfavorable trades with .
Use to punish multi-target commits and turn fights when Malzahar or allies engage.
Deny Malzahar's wave control by aggressively pushing and zoning, preventing his map presence and scaling.

Tactical tip

For Illaoi vs Malzahar, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Top lane check.