The problems of Malz, and what to change for the update
Malzahar has been one of those champions who's remained under the radar for quite a long time, while remaining to be strong for a good number of years. I wouldn't call myself a Malzahar main, but he is definitely one of my most played champions and I have been playing league for quite a while.
Now, I think everyone can agree that Malz does not need buffs. He may have been slightly on the strong side, but the increased cost of AP items has brought him in line to where he definitely should not be flat out nerfed. But is he healthy in his current state? Probably not. If he gets enough ahead, he realistically only needs his w and r+passive to kill you. That combo has literally no counter play, and Malz can easily close the distance with flash to essentially guarentee success. And if you somehow live, Malz can quickly tag you with e before you can even flash away in order to finish you off.
This point-and-click kill is not healthy. There is a reason why Veig E got changed. You're next, Annie.
Now I know what you're thinking "but Ayketh, his ability to stare you down to death while the opponent can't do anything is the most memorable part about him!" Which I would say, you're right. But that doesn't make it okay. With the right changes, however, this ability can maintain its cool aesthetics while being healthier for the game. The following are suggested changes that focus on providing counter play while maintaining Malz's identity and balance.
Ult: change the suppress to a silence for both the target and Malzahar. The opponent's gaze is fixed upon Malzahar during this time, forcing them to look at him and gain a minor slow while moving away from him. This would be a large hit against Malz both in the laning phase and during the teamfight phase. Enemies would be able to retreat to either their tower or to teammates while being ulted. However, Malzahar is much less vulnerable while this ability is activated, and the slow would mean that he can maintain the tether against enemies that have speed boosts placed upon them. To compensate, the duration of the ability can be increased, dealing the same amount of DPS in order to increase the total damage dealt. This is healthier than increasing the damage over time, and further rewards catching opponents out of position or taking advantage of allied CC.
E: unchanged. This ability is great for both farming and for harass. This perhaps deals a bit too much damage while the Malz is ahead, but this has been a minor issue in the past and will be even less so when his kit is healthier to play against.
W: increase damage considerably. Besides instantly destroying squishies, Malz has always had the identity of being one of the only mages that can deal a considerable amount of damage to tanks, largely due to this ability. Before, the damage was always held back due to it being too powerful when combined with his ult. Instead of area control, it just ends up being completely guarenteed damage against the ulted target. Now that enemies can reliably remove themselves from this area of effect, the damage can be raised to compensate. In all honesty, the base damage could be doubled, and it would probably still be healthy while emphasizing his pushing power, area control, and reliable DPS against all classes.
Q: Reduce the silence duration sightly. A sweet spot is created at the center of the ability, where the lines intersect slightly. Enemies hit in this sweet spot are dealt a little extra damage (maybe 20%) and are stunned for 1 second. Considering how small the center of this ability is, this would be a change that highly rewards skill while synergizing with the kit's need for cc in order to deal comparable damage to before. It would also feel pretty awesome to land.
Passive: Show in the tooltip that the voidlings scale with Malzahar's AD. Come on guys, it's no secret.
And that is what I would change. This gives more counter play to the kit, while also maintaining the thematically of Malzahar, as well as providing powerful moments and rewarding skillful players and teamwork.
Also, for the love of all that is good, please update his visual effects (and provide unique visuals for skins). Thank you.
