Malzahar vs LeBlanc Counter Pick
Matchup Summary
What the Data Means
Two very different profiles meet in the Mid lane: Malzahar the mage, LeBlanc the assassin/mage hybrid. Over 1,780 ranked games on patch 16.13.1, Malzahar closes out 55.6% of them. That is 5.6 points above even, so LeBlanc is one of the matchups Malzahar can lean on.
This is a ranged mirror in terms of reach — 500 versus 525 — so spacing matters less than ability timing.
Both Malzahar and LeBlanc threaten mainly magic damage, so one resistance covers the lane. Before items it is 580 HP, 18 armour, 30 MR for Malzahar; 598, 22, 30 for LeBlanc. Malzahar scales to 2297 health by 18 while LeBlanc reaches 2434. Movement speed: Malzahar 335, LeBlanc 340.
Malzahar threatens Nether Grasp; LeBlanc counters through Distortion. Then it becomes Nether Grasp against Mimic, and the one still holding it sets the terms.
Riot scores LeBlanc at 9/10 for difficulty against 6/10, and that gap alone drags on the average. Read 55.6% as a trend: 1,780 games is useful, not final.
FAQ
Yes — Malzahar holds the statistical advantage in this matchup. Malzahar wins 55.6% of the recorded games.
55.6% from Malzahar's perspective, measured on patch 16.13.1.
1,780 ranked games at Emerald rank and above, across all regions.
The current Malzahar build — items, runes and skill order from the same data set — is on the Malzahar build page.