Kayn vs Malphite
Favorable matchup
Build vs Malphite
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kayn: Voltaic Cyclosword, Black Cleaver, Death's Dance, Mercury's Treads, Hubris, Eclipse, Axiom Arc, Edge of Night.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Malphite's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Malphite is shielded by a layer of rock which absorbs damage up to 10% of his maximum Health. If Malphite has not been hit for a few seconds, this effect recharges.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8s | 10s | 7s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 10s | 7s | 2m10 |
| 9 | 8s | 9.5s | 7s | 2m10 |
| 11 | 8s | 9s | 7s | 1m55 |
| 16 | 8s | 8s | 7s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 8s | 8s | 7s | 1m40 |
Playing as Kayn
Tips to maximize your impact
- Pick your form based on their team
Take Rhaast against a tanky team, Shadow Assassin against squishy targets: The Darkin Scythe (passive) gives one healing, the other bonus damage at the start of fights.
- Gank through walls
Gank through walls with Shadow Step (E): you move through terrain faster, and you heal when you first enter it.
- Hide inside an enemy
To dodge a burst, cast Umbral Trespass (R) on a champion you just hit: inside, you're untargetable while your spells come back up.
- As Rhaast, hit everyone
As Rhaast, hit as many champions as you can with your spells: The Darkin Scythe (passive) heals you for part of the ability damage they take.
Playing against Malphite
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Pop his shield before trading
Break Granite Shield (passive) with a cheap hit before taking a real trade: it absorbs 10% of his max health and triples his bonus armor.
- Lean on magic damage
If you deal magic damage, lean on it in trades: his only resistances come from Thunderclap (W), which only gives armor.
- Trade when his mana runs low
Trade when his mana runs low: Seismic Shard (Q) costs 70 to 90 mana, and it's his only ranged slow.
- Respect his level 6
Once he hits level 6, only step up if he's visible: Unstoppable Force (R) comes from far away, nothing stops it, and its impact knocks every enemy in the area into the air.
- Spread out from your allies
When he has Unstoppable Force (R), spread out from your allies in teamfights: the impact knocks every enemy in the area into the air.
Other Kayn matchups
Patch 16.21.1