Ryze vs Malzahar MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Champion

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Ryze

VS

Mid

Malzahar

Ryze vs Malzahar

Updated May 31, 2026

Overview

Ryze is a scaling mage with medium lane pressure who wants a controlled lane to safely farm and use waveclear to create roam opportunities.
Deny Malzahar's push and midlane presence by managing wave control and avoiding giving him free push advantage.

Trading pattern

Use E and Q for short poke trades and hold W to root Malzahar if he commits to a trade or Malzahar R channel.
Punish Malzahar when his W Voidlings are low or after he uses Malzahar Q silence.
Avoid extended trades without mana or W available to prevent being locked down by Malzahar R.

Danger windows

Respect Malzahar's level 6 Malzahar R suppression; avoid trading or stepping forward when it is available.
Be cautious when low on mana or W is on cooldown, as Malzahar can punish your inability to root or follow up.
Hard push and take plates if Malzahar roams, then ping danger to avoid jungle pressure.

Early game

Focus on farming safely and using E and Q to trade only when Malzahar's Malzahar W Voidlings are vulnerable.
Avoid stepping forward to cast E without W ready to root and punish Malzahar's silence from Malzahar Q.
Use waveclear to prevent Malzahar from permanently pushing and gaining roam priority.

Power spikes

Major spikes: Ryze's first mana/AP item and level 6 R for map plays.
Respect Malzahar's level 6 Malzahar R suppression and first completed mana/AP item as key threat windows.

Win conditions

Scale safely by farming and using spell rotations to out-sustain Malzahar's push.
Use W root to stop Malzahar's commits and follow up with E and Q for sustained damage.
Convert wave control into map pressure with R to create numbers advantage and punish Malzahar's predictable roam patterns.