Matchup

Malzahar

18%

82%

vs

50.0%

Caitlyn

80%

20%

Heavy AD damageSustained DPSHeavy poke

You are stronger late game — farm safe and avoid early trades.

Build vs Caitlyn

Build adapted to this matchup

Starting items

—

x2—

Core build

1—

2Mage

3Mage tank

Standard

4Magic pen

5Mage tank

Summoner spells

83%

17%

Anti AD

4vs AD

5vs AD

Anti Heal

6vs Heal

Anti CC

4vs CC

Anti Tank

5vs Tank

DPS

Mage tank

Mage

100.0% WR1 games

Sorcery

Summon Aery

Manaflow Band

Transcendence

Scorch

Inspiration

Magical Footwear

Cosmic Insight

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Early (0-15)

Mid (15-30)

Late (30+)

Malzahar

Caitlyn

Passive

Favorable

Caitlyn's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Headshot (P)

Every few basic attacks, or against a target she has trapped or netted, Caitlyn will fire a headshot dealing bonus damage that scales with her critical strike chance. On trapped or netted targets, Caitlyn's Headshot attack range is doubled.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

Level	Q	W	E	R
3	10s	0.5s	16s	–
6	8s	0.5s	16s	1m30
9	6s	0.5s	16s	1m30
11	6s	0.5s	16s	1m30
16	6s	0.5s	12s	1m30
18	6s	0.5s	8s	1m30

Playing against Caitlyn

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

Caitlyn is the queen of early game thanks to her range (650) — she's weaker in mid game before her 3rd item.

Traps (W) are visible: don't walk over them, go around. They're often placed under turrets.

An ally can block her R (Ace in the Hole) by stepping in front — protect your wounded carry.

Engage in melee: Caitlyn is weak up close and her E has a long cooldown.

Source: op.gg + LTL Engine · Patch 16.9.1 · May 9, 2026