Matchup
Heavy AP damageHigh burstHeavy CCHeavy poke
You are stronger late game — farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Taliyah
Build adapted to this matchup
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
100%Anti AD
Anti Heal
Anti CC
DPS
0.0% WR1 games
Sorcery
Summon Aery
Manaflow Band
Transcendence
Scorch
Precision
Presence of Mind
Coup de Grace
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Early (0-15)
Mid (15-30)
Late (30+)
Malzahar
TaliyahNeutral
Neutral
Neutral
Taliyah's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Rock Surfing (P)
Taliyah gains Move Speed near walls.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 14s | 14s | – |
| 6 | 5s | 14s | 14s | 3m |
| 9 | 3s | 12.5s | 14s | 3m |
| 11 | 3s | 11s | 14s | 2m30 |
| 16 | 3s | 8s | 14s | 2m |
| 18 | 3s | 8s | 14s | 2m |
Playing against Taliyah
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
1
Dodge the W (knockback): it's the condition for the E mines combo to work.
2
Destroy her R wall by walking into it: the wall has HP and can be broken.
3
Taliyah is squishy and vulnerable to direct engages — assassins counter her well.
4
Her Q deals less damage on worked ground: force fights on terrain she's already used.
Source: op.gg + LTL Engine · Patch 16.9.1 · May 9, 2026