Recreating Malzahar Part 4 (Malzahar Recreated!)

Hi all,

So my recent post (https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/4HYwLIQz-to-those-that-wrote-the-lore-for-malzahar?) has lead me to reread the Lore of the Void and it's associated characters with the aim of creating a Lore accurate, yet gameplay ready, version of my favourate champion: Malzahar. Over the course of this I felt it would be a good idea to detail this Lore in separate posts, not only to promote interest in the rework I'm going to propose in this post, but also to share Lore that some may not yet have seen. So far we have looked at the Lore of the Void as well as Malzahar himself, gained a brief outline of his current abilities and their place (if any) in his Lore, his gameplay, and an outline of a Reworked version (Links Below, please read or this won't makes sense!). In this thread I am going to be looking into the specifics of his new abilities, playstyle, viable builds and likely combo's. As in my last post I will not include links to the source material I am using; it's all in the below links if you want to read them. I hope you can enjoy this as much as I have writing it and as always please upvote to keep this in the recent for more people to read xD

Recreating Malzahar Part 1 (The Lore of the Void) - https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/YvmbAmzn-recreating-malzahar-part-1-the-lore-of-the-void

Recreating Malzahar Part 2 (The Lore of the Prophet) - https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/Eg1nLj1G-recreating-malzahar-part-2-the-lore-of-the-prophet

Recreating Malzahar Part 3 (Malzahar the Champion) - https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/OAGdwMEp-recreating-malzahar-part-3-malzahar-the-champion

So lets start with a brief look at each of the proposed abilities in more detail and the thought process that went with them. Bare in mind these abilities are designed around a standard full build (800AP, 40% CDR, Rylais and Liandry's) as well as the play/power spikes leading up to it.

With Void Sight (Passive) I'm trying to introduce both utility in the form of vision, and represent Malzahar's background in the Lore as a Seer. The fact the Lore specifically states he cannot see his OWN future, but only those he has come into contact with, lead me to aim this at enhancing his vision specifically at his opponents, rather then a previous idea of mine which was to enhance his own area of vision. Making this specific to Malzahar's own abilties and items ensures that he keeps vision of the Void's Future while removing any enhancement of his teams wards etc.

Passive - Void Sight:

Malzahar gains vision of enemies who are effected by his abilities and items until, and for 3 seconds after, the effect has ended. Malzahar's abilities also give an area of vision of a 300 unit area around them.

Malzahar's Void Portals are to be his “Bread and Butter.” They need to be as core to his kit as a champion as they are to him in his Lore. They are to be his poke, part of his wave clear, a zoning tool, an enhancement to the range of his voidborn, and also include his Malefic Visions to ensure his DoT style gameplay is respected and represented. There is nothing in the Lore that states he cannot have more then one open at a time, in fact it often suggests that these portals never really close; they just go dormant. Obviously from a gameplay point of view they will need to expire, and there must be limitations on the number he can have out as well. For these reasons I have decided to limit his Malefic Visions to this specific spell rather then having it as a passive effect on his Q that acts on all the portals in his kit. I have also kept it's cooldown high enough that he can only have 3 portals MAXIMUM open at any one time.

Q – Void Portal: Range: 725 Mana Cost: 75 Cooldown: 10/9/8/7 Radius: 200 units -300 units Malzahar creates a small Portal to the Void for 3 seconds. Enemies caught within the Portal take 40/55/70/85/100 (+30% AP) magic damage every second they remain in it's area. Enemies within 100 units of the Void Portal are affected by Malefic Visions, causing them to take 10/15/20/25/30 (+20%AP) magic damage every second they remain within the area, and for 3 seconds afterwards.

Enemies dying within Void Portal's are of effect (either of the Portal or Malefic Visions) restore 2% of Malzahar's maximum mana, causes the portal to grow by 50 units (stacking 2 times), and increase it's duration by 1 second (max 2 seconds).

So first off the portals are small. Think of Aatrox's third Q, this is about the size overall I'm going for. The centre is the portal, the outer area is the Malefic Visions. Because of this, and the fact I wanted to ensure there was reward for hitting the actual portal on a champion, it's damage is pretty good. But remember: the portal may last for 5 seconds max, but it'll only take a second or two to walk out of it, even with a Rylais giving a slow. Also though there are two DoT effects here, the only way to be affected by both at the same time is to run INTO the portal.

The cooldown is designed to ensure that with 40% CDR Mazlahar can still only have a maximum of 3 portals open at any one time, and that's with using waves and timing to achieve a full 5 seconds on two of them (possible but VERY unlikely).

W – Summon Voidborn: Range: 200/550 Mana Cost: 45/50/55/60/65 Cooldown: 15 seconds per Charge (Max 1/2/2/3/3 charges)

Malzahar opens a brief portal through which he summons one or more young voidborn. Voidborn last for 8 seconds and deal 10/15/20/25/30 (+40% AD, 20% AP) physical damage with each hit (1.0 attack speed). Voidborn have 200/250/300/350/400 HP and 25/30/35/40/45 armour and magic resistance.

Every 5 seconds the Voidborns carapace will darken as it hardens, granting it an additional 50HP, 15 Armour and 15 Magic resistance.

**Killing an enemy minion will extend the duration of the Voidborn by 5 seconds (to a maximum duration of 18 seconds) and cause it to evolve up 5 times depending in the minion killed: ** Caster Minions - +10% movement speed Melee Minions - +10% AD and 5% AP scaling Cannon/Seige Minions - +10% Armour Penetration Damaging a champion will cause the Voidborn to evolve based on their champion type (Ranged = Casters, Melee = Melee, Tanks/Juggernauts = Cannon/Seige) and extend their duration by 2 seconds (Max 18 seconds duration)

Voidborn can be summoned at a greater range through Void Portals and Null Zone. Malzahar can only have 1/2/3/4/5 Voidborn active at any time.

Voidborn will prioritise enemies that are under the effect of Malefic Visions, Call of the Void, and Null Zone, and champions over minions.

Ok so first off, the mana cost AND cooldown are PER CHARGE. You want one voidborn you press W once, you want two? Press twice. Anyway here we have the true damaging power behind Malzahar: his void monsters! There are lots of things wrong with his current and past versions that needed to be addressed. The originals were more of a tag-on then a core ability, the reworked ones were too oppressive, and the most recent ones are just spammable fodder.

These on the other hand are far more like those from Lore, and take the best bits out of each of the old versions. His original voidlings scaled over time, meaning you had to protect it for it to reach it's true potential, while the idea of having more then one at a time allowed the reworked version to be more oppressive (too much so unfortunately). By combining these two parts, I have created voidborn that are interactive, oppressive and scaling to allow them a variety of uses. Even their appearance will evolve depending on what they kill/attack. The evolution side is designed specifically to counter the champions/minions they are trying to kill, while their ageing concentrates on tankier stats. The fact they do physical damage allows for a variety of AP and AD builds. Much like with Yorick I've kept their numbers in check with a maximum number limit, but have opted to have this scale with ability rank to make managing their early game power easier. I was unsure whether they would require any bonus damage to minions or the reduced damage to things like drakes so have left that out for the time being.

**E - Call of the Void: Range: 875 Mana Cost: 70 Cooldown: 20 Seconds Malzahar calls to his opponent, charming them into sacrificing themselves to the Void. The target takes 60/90/120/150/180 (+40% Ability Power) magic damage and is charmed causing them to walk harmlessly towards Malzahar for 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 second(s). Enemies hit by Charm become vulnerable for 5 seconds, taking 20% more damage from Malzahar's abilities. **

Ok so YES this is taken straight from Ahri with only the charm duration changed, and why not? It might seem like a lazy shortcut but if you think about it it gives Malzahar a CC, a small amount of damage, and an increase in damage from his other abilities that fits nicely with his Lore. Really it works out nicely xD. My only issue with this is the animation of the ability, though no doubt minds greater then mine could come up with something to represent this.

R – Null Zone: Range: 650 Mana Cost: 100/150/200 Cooldown: 160/140/120 Seconds Portal Radius: 500 units -700 units Malzahar summons a massive void portal that rips open the earth creating two horizontal rends of impassable terrain either side of the Null Zone and lasts for 4 seconds. Those within the area are knocked up for 0.5 seconds. Those within the Null Zone take 4/5/6% (+1% per 100 AP) current HP damage every second the remain within its area of effect and are grounded. Champions dying within it's area extends it's duration by 1 second (Max Duration 8 seconds) and causes it to grow by 50 Units (to a Maximum of 700 units)

Voidborn evolve and age 50% faster while in the Null Zone, and gain 25% bonus attack speed.

Malzahar's Ultimate. What can I say? It can be BIG; starting out a similar size to a Vladamir's Ult, while growing to closer to GP's. But remember it requires 4 enemy champions to DIE in it to get that big. That's not likely, but could happen in a contained teamfight, say in baron pit. The area of unpassable terrain is designed to cover about 100 units to either side of the Null Zone, while continuing around the circumference for about ¼, allowing enemies to pass through either side, but also get caught up in the cup shapes edges if placed from the correct angle. How and when you use this will really dictate how powerful it is, and that's what it is mean to be. It's not a point and click suppress, but it still locks people down by grounding them. It's % HP damage is Current HP to ensure anyone CC'ed in it don't just DIE from it, but will allow a decent amount of damage to come out against tankier champions. The impassable sides ensure that those stuck the wrong side either flash over them, walk through the null zone or turn and fight. The tactical uses for this ult are great, while not preventing the counterplay like his current ult, nor becoming obsolete by buying a single cheap item. The animation of the Null Zone would take a total of 0.5 seconds expanding from the centre, so those with quick fingers can attempt to flash out of it before the area has hit them.

So how would this champion play? Well, he would play much like Malzahar always has... He would use his Q to CS/poke/Mana Sustain, his voidborn to harass/CS, and his Ult to lock down priority targets during teamfights, roams, or when they jump on him in lane. His new E, like his current one, would punish opponents miss-positioning, and his passive would give some additional safety in lane.

HOWEVER, he would also have counterplay:

His Passive may bring the extra utility of addition vision to the team, giving him and his team a bit more information, but that doesn't mean seeing the enemy jungler running back towards his jungle for a couple of seconds means they continued on that route, nor does it mean that everyone on your team, or even you yourself, will react correctly to this additional information (how many midlaners ping bot lane frantically only to watch in horror as their ADC stays to clear up more CS oblivious the the incoming assassin...).

His E would be a skill shot, blockable by minions, and removable by cleanse.

His portals are static, and have a decent cooldown meaning once it's out there, Malzahar is open to attack.

His Voidborn take TIME to scale, not just thrown out doing max damage. They too have a decent cooldown, meaning if you kill them, he cannot re-summon them straight away unless he has built up his charges. Managing these will bring a fair amount of skill back into his play.

And his ult, while giving a short knockup and grounding, doesn't do much damage unless you decide to stand in it for the full duration. It's design is to lock down hypermobile champions and provide zoning in teamfights.

Who would counter him? Well Xerath, Vel'koz and Ziggs would still poke him from range, and their clear speeds would be just as fast if not faster then his. They would also be able to kill his voidlings while they do this, screwing up Malzahar's own waveclear. Champions that could sustain through his damage and CS well like Galio would fair well into him as well, while those that could scale into a late game monster like Kassadin would be a skill matchup

Itemization and Runes would also offer a lot of variety depending on how you wanted to play him. There is of course the standard Rylais and Liandry's, or a more bursty Ludens, Deathcap, but then there is also AD to consider with Black Cleaver and Deaths Dance. Some may want to do a hybrid and opt for an item like Gunblade. Items like Banshees Veil and Zonyas would also have much greater use to this Malzahar, with Zonyas being used in a similar way to Heimerdinger, and Banshee's Passive actually working on him for the first time since it's release! Runes could stay as standard with things like comet, arey, electrocute and spellbook. Or you could choose another option like the long forgotten Glacial Augment with an AP build getting something like Protobelt or GLP to further hinder their enemies engage/escape, while AD historically made use of their stacking high AD items with auto attacks, at which point the rune becomes an almost invaluable replacement for Rylais.

Even choosing which ability to rank up first would have great impact on what you wanted to achieve, with safer pokey builds probably opting for Q max first, AD and kill pressure builds wanting W maxed first, and all in or supportive builds wanting the longer charm from maxing E first.

On the whole the number of viable builds available on this version of Malzahar are massive!

Ok, so onto Combos?

Well obviously hitting E, throwing down a Q under them, and then summoning the Voidborn from the Q is the easiest option. Though the Voidborn would be weak, it would be pretty strong harass and punishment for miss-positioning.

Throwing down a Q in the minion wave to zone your opponent away from it, then throwing out your voidborn to clear the wave, then following up with a second void Portal next to/on the enemy to give aggro from the voidborn is another good option, especially if you manage to land an E with it!

If they come in on you, you can Ult, then E while they are knocked up, and follow up with the W and Q, but remember the angle of your Ult will also play a big part of whether your can successfully shut them down.

There's a LOT of options for combos with this kit, and all of them revolve around timing, positioning, and aiming to counter your opponents plays.

None of these would 100-0 someone outright (unless the SERIOUSLY screwed up), but Malzahar isn't meant to be doing that anyway unless you tower dive him. Being able to harass the enemy before will likely give you the ability to take them down, but this requires timing and skill, not just wait until 6 then spam everything as quickly as possible and hope they die before your suppression ends.

So there you guys have it. My Recreation of Malzahar. It's Lore accurate, it fits his playstyle and identity as a Champion, allows for counterplay AND it's interactive.

I hope you all enjoyed reading the series as much as I did writing it, and hopefully Riot will consider using some, if not all, the parts of this to create a Rework that does both the Champion AND his Lore justice.

Final thing, for those paying attention, I mentioned I would be asking for you guys to help with part of this, so here's what I want you to do:

First I want an Upvote. I've spent hours on this so please show your support xD.

Secondly, with his Voidborn evolving, I want to know what VISUAL changes you think there should be. We know from Lore they go from sinewy pale creatures into darker, carapaced monsters, but they also need to evolve in some way to be different from their fellows based on what they eat. Pictures and descriptions welcome!

That's all from me. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

-- Loki --