Malzahar should use his medium early agency and lane pressure to keep Vladimir under pressure and deny him a calm, scaling lane.
This is a control versus scaling matchup where Malzahar must maintain wave control and punish Vladimir's weak early wave control to prevent him from safely farming.
Trading pattern
Start trades by pushing with (E) and Voidlings, then threaten silence (Q) or ultimate (R) when Vladimir oversteps.
Punish (W) cooldown by forcing trades immediately after it expires to capitalize on his vulnerability.
Avoid trading when Vladimir's empowered (Q) is ready or (W) is available to deny your lockdown and damage.
Danger windows
Respect (W) untargetability and long cooldown; avoid committing when it is available.
Beware of empowered (Q) short trades and Vladimir's level 6 (R) burst engage.
Malzahar is vulnerable to ganks during ultimate channel; avoid forced all-ins without vision or jungle support.
Early game
Push early waves with (E) and Voidlings to force Vladimir under tower and deny his sustain windows.
Avoid predictable lane patterns that allow Vladimir to safely use (Q) empowered trades or (W) defensively.
Use Void Shift spell shield to absorb Vladimir's empowered (Q) poke and trade back with silence (Q) when he steps forward.
Power spikes
At level 6, Malzahar gains (R) suppression; track its availability and use it for verified all-ins or picks.
After completing first mana/AP item, increase wave pressure and trade confidence while respecting Vladimir's defensive cooldowns.
Respect Vladimir's level 6 (R) and first AP item spikes; hold key defensive tools and punish cooldown windows.
Win conditions
Maintain permanent wave pressure to deny Vladimir safe farming and force him to use (W) defensively.
Use (R) suppression to pick Vladimir or force his summoners, creating roam or objective opportunities.
Control the lane tempo post first item spike and leverage wave control to impact other parts of the map effectively.
Tip: For Malzahar vs Vladimir, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Top lane check.
