Matchup
You are stronger late game — farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Nilah
Build adapted to this matchup
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Anti AD
Anti Heal
Anti CC
Anti Tank
DPS
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Malzahar
NilahNilah's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Nilah gains increased experience from last-hitting minions along with the ability to enhance and share nearby healing and shielding from her allies.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4s | 26s | 0.5s | – |
| 6 | 4s | 26s | 0.5s | 1m50 |
| 9 | 4s | 25s | 0.5s | 1m50 |
| 11 | 4s | 24s | 0.5s | 1m35 |
| 16 | 4s | 22s | 0.5s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 4s | 22s | 0.5s | 1m20 |
Playing against Nilah
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
Nilah's W blocks autos — switch to abilities or wait for the zone to expire.
Poke her at range: as a melee ADC, she's weak against ranged harassment.
Watch out for her XP advantage: she can hit level 6 before you and all-in with R.
Mage supports (Brand, Zyra) counter her because they don't rely on the autos that her W blocks.
Source: op.gg + LTL Engine · Patch 16.9.1 · May 9, 2026