Aatrox vs Malzahar Counter Pick

Nether Grasp suppresses a single target, locking out flash, summoner spells, and every escape option Aatrox has for its duration, and that one ability is a major reason this top lane pairing sits at just 39.8% across 176 games on patch 16.13.1.

Malzahar’s Void Shift passive grants damage reduction and crowd control immunity whenever he hasn’t been hit or controlled recently, meaning Aatrox has one narrow window to engage before Malzahar simply becomes immune to the fear from World Ender or the pull from Infernal Chains.

Malefic Visions adds a damage-over-time tick that punishes minion farming near Malzahar, and Call of the Void’s twin portals silence on hit — removing Aatrox’s healing and mobility spells at the exact moment he needs them to close a 175-versus-500 range gap. Malzahar is rated a 6 on difficulty, noticeably easier to execute than many mages built around burst combos, which makes the loss rate look more like a hard kit counter than an outplay opportunity. Aatrox’s 2,588 health at level 18 gives him staying power in a straight fight, but Nether Grasp exists specifically to prevent that fight from ever reaching that stage on Malzahar‘s terms.