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Lets Talk Malzahar

EternalProphet·10/17/2016, 9:38:01 AM·5 votes·922 views

To start off I want to thank Riot for doing their best to update champs and make them more fun/balanced for us to play. I think Riot has been doing great job and I love the game and I will love the game in future for sure. You could say I am whining or something similar, well, maybe I am, but I have to say how I feel about the champ I loved the most, about the champ that got me out of silver/gold. I loved playing Malz since forever. I know when I made my acc my brother had Malz and I was so jealous because I absolutely adored the champ and everything about him. After some time I bought Malz and started my journey and he became the champ I was the most comfortable with and the champ that I was the most safe. Malzahar was the safest pick I could have for mid. When my teammates whined about Kata in opponent team I was, honestly happy because they didn't know what Malz does to her. Malz was my first main. Lets skip the part how much I was in love with Malz and go straight to the point. When I heard Malz will get rework I was like: "Oh cool, hopefully he won't get ruined!". When rework came I didn't really like how Malz was, but people won with him and win ratio was huge, but I didn't feel good about him. I missed the old Malz. As you can all understand, all op champs get nerfed to the ground and below and thats what happened to my beloved Malz. He was nerfed, ruined... From the champ I played the most for 2 seasons, had 30 or more wins in plus with to the champ I barely play. I know many feel like me about the champs that got reworked/nerfed and I hoped I won't feel like this, but now I am. I was looking for other champs that I could potentially love like Malz, but never found one. I love Riot and I love LoL, but I can't describe how disappointed I am because of what happened with Malz.

17 Comments

Nilok10/18/2016, 10:03:38 AM5 votes

I agree 100%

I've been playing Malzahar since he was released way back when and has always been my go to champ. Pre-rework Malzahar was tightly made and spot on thematically.

However, the rework killed Malzahar for me. It turned the power prophet of the void that inadvertently brings forth horrors to a weakened summoner that hides in a bubble. The reworked missed several key design points the Malzahar's creators put into place to prevent him from being toxic, specifically his old passive which prevented him from playing passive in order to get his voidlings like most summoner archetype characters coughOld-Yorickcough. I wish that Riot was better organized back in the day, as I have a very solid suspicion that Malzahar's design documents would actually cover this and specifically why Malzahar's passive worked the way it did.

The compete lack of kills for Malzahar I the Riot API shows how much the missed the mark of the powerful "battle mage" that wades into combat, instead of hiding off to the side hoping their crabs kill the enemy for them.

Honestly, Malzahar was the last thing keeping me in League with all the stuff going on with Season 6, and with his rework, I completely lost interest in the game.

I may come back for season 7, but playing Malzahar right now feels hollow.

Stephenizgod10/18/2016, 5:09:21 PM4 votes

I feel the same way, he went from one of my most played champions to a champion I no longer have any desire to play. I keep trying to rekindle my love for the champ, but every time I am reminded he is worse in almost every possible way.

Hit kit is boring now, all he does is sit there and farm/push. He doesn't have the damage to kill anyone with half a brain, his ult doesn't give him a powerspike, and he has even less control over his pushing power than before. The new Passive is just stupid strong, its unfair and had to be nerfed almost to the point of uselessness. The old Passive gave his laning phase mechanics and decisions, you needed to work around his Passive. I remember I use to wait until I was almost 6, stack up my passive, then hit 6 and ult them with my E+W and Voidling. Ignite them, boom dead, that person will never underestimate Malz again.

Now just to be clear, Malzahar is in a much better spot balance-wise, but that does not mean he is a better champion now. I know for a fact we are not alone in our dislike of his new kit, but we have trouble speaking out because we always gets shut down by comments like "he is balanced now" or "his win rate is X%, he isn't bad", from people who don't understand that winrate does not mean good champion design.

Point blank, Malzahar is boring. This rework ruined him and I can never get anyone to talk to me about him because "his winrate is good and he is balanced now". Malzahar needs to be reworked again or have his rework reverted, I very much dislike the new Malzahar and want my old Void Mage back.

On another note, I have been having a lot of fun with Yorick. That mechanic with his E and his ghouls is one me and a lot of Malzahar players were asking for before they reworked Malz. I am glad it made it onto another fun champion at least, he has been somewhat filling the void where Malzahar use to be for me.

Crossette10/18/2016, 3:33:11 AM1 votes

Malz isn't weak right now, since you're complaining about him being nerfed. He's sleeper op right now tbh

Kuwabaramulberry10/19/2016, 8:16:17 AM1 votes

I absolutely adored malzahar before his rework. Like you said, he was the go-to mid laner and was the first time I even felt close to comfortable playing mid. He was way too strong, yeah (tons of team fight damage with null-zone and great kiting with rylai's and half a brain) but I got rekted just as often as I stomped. And now....you get a purple feather duster that occasionally makes an enemy move out of a minion wave. Not that you'll be able to do anything about it on your own. Just like with taric, it's still mostly the same, but with added thematic and clunky execution

Paroe10/19/2016, 8:47:30 AM1 votes

i hate to be a bearer of bad news... but weve known this since right after the rework went live. It was change for the sake of change, and didnt adress problems... The main of which was his W was rather useless.

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/pEpTVBzc-reworked-malzahar-vs-pre-rework-malzahar Is a thread from six months ago of mine talking about it. The only reason boards isnt jumping on your face is because malzahar isnt popular anymore.

TeineDor10/19/2016, 11:02:25 AM1 votes

With preseason changes malz is even more shit. Qss is already a hard enough middle finger to him but now assassins have a second banshees. Going against a malz? rush dirk and qss, then new assassin item, then banshees. Malz then proceeds to afk