League of Legends Malphite Guide: Best Build, Runes, Items, Combos

Malphite is one of the most reliable tanks in League of Legends, known for his incredible engage potential, high durability, and ability to counter AD-heavy champions. Whether you’re looking to soak up damage in team fights or catch enemies off guard with his powerful ultimate, Malphite brings both utility and impact to any game. In this guide, we’ll cover the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you dominate your lane and become a game-changing frontline force.

Malphite Abilities Overview In League of Legends 

Here’s a breakdown of Malphite’s abilities in League of Legends:

Passive – Granite Shield: Malphite gains a shield equal to a percentage of his max health after not taking damage for a short duration. This helps him trade effectively in lane and absorb poke.

Q – Seismic Shard: Malphite hurls a shard at a target, dealing magic damage and stealing their movement speed for a few seconds. This is great for poking and sticking to targets.

W – Thunderclap: On activation, Malphite empowers his next auto attack to deal bonus damage and cleave nearby enemies. Passively, it increases his armor, making him tankier and boosting his attack damage.

E – Ground Slam: Malphite slams the ground, dealing magic damage and reducing the attack speed of nearby enemies. It scales with armor, making it especially strong against AD champions.

R – Unstoppable Force: Malphite charges to a target location, knocking up and damaging all enemies in the area. It’s one of the best engage tools in the game and can instantly turn team fights in your favor.

How To Play Malphite In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Malphite

The best summoner spells for Malphite are Flash and Teleport. Flash is essential for surprise engages or escaping dangerous situations, especially when combined with his ultimate for game-changing team fight initiations. Teleport helps Malphite maintain map pressure, return to lane quickly, and make impactful plays across the map, especially in top lane. For support Malphite, swap Teleport for Ignite to add kill pressure in early skirmishes.

Best Runes For Malphite

The best runes for Malphite depend on his role, but for most top lane and tank builds, go with the Resolve primary and Inspiration secondary:

Primary (Resolve):
• Grasp of the Undying – Boosts sustain and trades in lane.
• Shield Bash – Synergizes well with his passive for bonus damage.
• Second Wind – Great for dealing with poke-heavy lanes.
• Overgrowth – Scales your health for better tanking late game.

Secondary (Inspiration):
• Biscuit Delivery – Helps with early sustain.
• Cosmic Insight – Reduces cooldowns on summoner spells and items.

Take Armor, Health Scaling, and either Magic Resist or Armor for your rune shards depending on your matchup. This setup makes Malphite tanky, hard to poke out of lane, and perfect for setting up fights with his ultimate.

Best Build For Malphite

The best build for Malphite focuses on tankiness, cooldown reduction, and reliable engage. Start with Sunfire Aegis or Jak’Sho, The Protean as your mythic for sustained frontline power. Follow up with Thornmail if the enemy has strong healing or auto-attackers, or Frozen Heart to reduce their attack speed. Abyssal Mask is great if facing heavy magic damage, while Randuin’s Omen works well against crit-based champs. For boots, choose Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads based on enemy damage type. Round out your build with Iceborn Gauntlet or Force of Nature for extra durability and utility in teamfights.

Best Combos To Learn For Malphite

The best combos to learn for Malphite are simple but powerful, especially when you’re looking to engage or burst squishy targets. The most common and effective combo is R > Flash > Q > E > W. Start by using Unstoppable Force (R) to knock up your target, then instantly Flash during the ult animation to surprise them. After landing, follow up with Seismic Shard (Q) to slow them, Ground Slam (E) to reduce their attack speed, and Thunderclap (W) for the empowered auto. For shorter trades, you can just use Q > E > W and walk away. Always look to engage with your ultimate in teamfights when you can hit multiple targets.

Conclusion

Malphite is one of the most reliable tanks in League of Legends, offering strong initiation, solid crowd control, and surprisingly good burst when built right. With the right runes, items, and combos, he can dominate teamfights and shut down key enemy champions with ease. Whether you’re looking to frontline or dive into the backline with his game-changing ult, mastering Malphite’s kit will make you a valuable asset in any ranked match.