Gwen vs Malzahar
Skill matchup
Build vs Malzahar
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Gwen: Dusk and Dawn, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Mercury's Treads, Riftmaker, Nashor's Tooth, Zhonya's Hourglass, Dark Seal.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Malzahar's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
When he hasn't recently taken damage or been crowd controlled, Malzahar gains massive damage reduction and crowd control immunity, lingering for a short period after taking damage.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6s | 8s | 11s | – |
| 6 | 6s | 8s | 11s | 2m20 |
| 9 | 6s | 8s | 11s | 2m20 |
| 11 | 6s | 8s | 11s | 1m50 |
| 16 | 6s | 8s | 9s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 6s | 8s | 7s | 1m20 |
Playing as Gwen
Tips to maximize your impact
- Land 4 autos before your Q
Land 4 autos before Snip Snip! (Q): each auto adds a snip, on top of the first and the last.
- Hit with the center of your Q
Land the center of Snip Snip! (Q): in the center, part of the damage becomes true damage and each snip applies A Thousand Cuts (passive).
- Mist against poke
Place Hallowed Mist (W) against poke and ranged CC: enemies outside the mist can't target you, except towers.
- Use all three casts of your R
Cast all three Needlework (R) activations within 6 seconds: the first throws one needle, then three, then five, with growing damage.
Playing against Malzahar
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Get out of his portals
Get out of the Call of the Void (Q) zone quickly: its two portals fire after a short delay, and their projectiles silence you.
- Break his Void Shift first
If you have CC, hit him first with a cheap attack, then wait a moment: Void Shift (passive) still ignores CC right after the first damage.
- Avoid minions hit by his Visions
Stay away from minions hit by Malefic Visions (E): if they die, the visions jump to the nearest enemy, and his Voidlings follow them.
- Trade before he hits 6
Take your trades before he hits level 6: after that, Nether Grasp (R) can lock you down from range while his team hits you.
- Focus him during his Grasp
When he casts Nether Grasp (R) on an ally, focus him: he channels in place, and any CC interrupts him and frees your ally.
Other Gwen matchups
Patch 16.21.1