I was one of the guys that spearheaded AD Malz over on Dominion before he migrated to the Summoner's Rift jungle.
Suffice to say, him being the minion master champion with minions that were actually really strong if you built for them was the thing I enjoyed about him. I liked that AD didn't buff his abilities at all, because that meant I could use his active abilities purely for their utility instead of their damage. Even his pool was a useful way to reliably apply spell effects from a comfortable distance. I liked that the AD and AP Malz play styles were both wildly different and viable without stepping on each other's toes.
To me, Malz is exactly what it says on the tin. The Prophet of the Void. He proclaims your doom and depending on which build you went with, either his minions ate you alive or his Void magic melted your brain.
It would bring me untold glee if Riot fully reverted Malz to his pre-Mage Update state and then began working on him again from there. Might even get me to play League again. Kinda hurts when one of your favorite champs ceases to exist.