lolclassicwiki
Malphite

Starter Guide: Armor Tank Malphite (Top) Top

For Malphite · By lolclassicwiki Starter

+Open in Planner
0

Item Build

Starting Items

Core Build

Situational Options

Total stats from Core Build
100 Ability Power140 Armor10% Cooldown Reduction450 Health45 Magic Resist500 Mana45 Movement Speed

Skill Level Order

18 Levels Planned
Ability 123456789101112131415161718
Seismic Shard Q
Seismic Shard
29101213
Brutal Strikes W
Brutal Strikes
314151718
Ground Slam E
Ground Slam
14578
Unstoppable Force R
Unstoppable Force
61116

Spells & Runes

30 / 30 Runes · 2 Spells

Summoner Spells

Flash Teleport

Rune Page

Marks

9 / 9 Sockets
  • 9× Mark of Attack Damage +1 Attack Damage (+9 total)

Seals

9 / 9 Sockets
  • 9× Seal of Armor +1 Armor (+9 total)

Glyphs

9 / 9 Sockets
  • 9× Glyph of Magic Resist +1.4 Magic Resist (+12.6 total)

Quintessences

3 / 3 Sockets
  • 3× Quintessence of Attack Damage +2.25 Attack Damage (+6.75 total)

Total Rune Statistics

30 / 30
Attack Damage +15.75
Armor +9
Magic Resist +12.6

Masteries

9 / 21 / 0

Offense

9
0/1

Summoner's Wrath

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
4/4

Fury

4 of 4 ranks taken
1: +1% Attack Speed
2: +2% Attack Speed
3: +3% Attack Speed
4: +4% Attack Speed
0/4

Sorcery

Not taken · 4 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/2

Butcher

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

4/4

Deadliness

4 of 4 ranks taken
1: +0.166 Attack Damage per level
(2.99 Attack Damage at champion level 18)
2: +0.333 Attack Damage per level
(5.99 Attack Damage at champion level 18)
3: +0.498 Attack Damage per level
(8.96 Attack Damage at champion level 18)
4: +0.664 Attack Damage per level
(11.95 Attack Damage at champion level 18)
0/4

Blast

Not taken · 4 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Destruction

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/3

Havoc

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
1/1

Weapon Expertise

1 of 1 ranks taken
1: +8% Armor Penetraton
0/1

Arcane Knowledge

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/2

Lethality

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/2

Brute Force

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Mental Force

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Spellsword

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/1

Frenzy

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Sunder

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/4

Archmage

Not taken · 4 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Executioner

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

Defense

21
0/1

Summoner's Resolve

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
3/3

Perseverance

3 of 3 ranks taken
1: Grants up to +2 Health Regen per 5 seconds based on missing Health
2: Grants up to +4 Health Regen per 5 seconds based on missing Health
3: Grants up to +6 Health Regen per 5 seconds based on missing Health
4/4

Durability

4 of 4 ranks taken
1: +1.5 Health per level
(+# Health at champion level 18)
2: +3 Health per level
(+# Health at champion level 18)
3: +4.5 Health per level
(+# Health at champion level 18)
4: +6 Health per level
(+# Health at champion level 18)
2/2

Tough Skin

2 of 2 ranks taken
1: Reduces damage taken from monsters by 1
2: Reduces damage taken from monsters by 2
3/3

Hardiness

3 of 3 ranks taken
1: +2 Armor
2: +4 Armor
3: +6 Armor
2/3

Resistance

2 of 3 ranks taken
1: +2 Magic Resist
2: +4 Magic Resist
3: +6 Magic Resist
0/1

Bladed Armor

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/2

Unyielding

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/2

Relentless

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
1/1

Veteran's Scars

1 of 1 ranks taken
1: +30 Health
0/1

Safeguard

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/1

Block

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
3/3

Tenacious

3 of 3 ranks taken
1: Reduces the duration of crowd control effects by 5% (stacks multiplicatively with Tenacity)
2: Reduces the duration of crowd control effects by 10% (stacks multiplicatively with Tenacity)
3: Reduces the duration of crowd control effects by 15% (stacks multiplicatively with Tenacity)
2/3

Juggernaut

2 of 3 ranks taken
1: Increases your maximum Health by 1.5%
2: Increases your maximum Health by 2.75%
3: Increases your maximum Health by 4%
0/1

Defender

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Legendary Armor

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Good Hands

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Reinforced Armor

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

1/1

Honor Guard

1 of 1 ranks taken
1: Reduces damage taken from all sources by 3%

Utility

0
0/1

Summoner's Insight

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Wanderer

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Meditation

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Improved Recall

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/1

Scout

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Mastermind

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Expanded Mind

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/2

Artificer

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/4

Greed

Not taken · 4 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Runic Affinity

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Vampirism

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Biscuiteer

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/2

Wealth

Not taken · 2 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/4

Awareness

Not taken · 4 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Strength of Spirit

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Explorer

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

0/1

Pickpocket

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/3

Intelligence

Not taken · 3 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →
0/1

Nimble

Not taken · 1 max ranks

See it on the mastery tree →

Guide & Strategy Breakdown

Armor Tank Malphite opens fights with Unstoppable Force (R), takes the enemy ADC's attack speed away with Ground Slam (E), and shrugs off the opening exchange behind Granite Shield.

Armor Tank Malphite opens fights with Unstoppable Force (R), takes the enemy ADC's attack speed away with Ground Slam (E), and shrugs off the opening exchange behind Granite Shield.

How it plays

If the enemy team's damage is physical, Malphite is the Season 3 answer to it. Granite Shield gives him a 10% max HP shield for free. Ground Slam (E) scales off his own total Armor, so the tankier he builds the more it hurts, and it cuts surrounding attack speed by up to 50% for 3 seconds.

What to buy

  • Starting Items: Doran's Shield and Health Potion (or Cloth Armor + 5 Health Potions into physical matchups).
  • Core Build Rush: Ninja Tabi (reduces physical damage taken from top lane AD champions), Sunfire Cape (Ground Slam E damage scales directly with Malphite's total Armor while reducing enemy ADC attack speed by 50%; Sunfire adds high armor and immolate burn), Iceborn Gauntlet (grants Armor, CDR, and creates a slow field on basic attacks after casting Seismic Shard Q or Unstoppable Force R), and Abyssal Scepter (increases Unstoppable Force R initiation damage while lowering nearby enemy MR for allied mages).
  • Situational Options: Randuin's Omen (slows attacking enemy ADCs and grants a 10% max HP regenerating shield synergy), Frozen Heart, Thornmail, and Banshee's Veil.

Summoners and skill order

  • Flash and Teleport (or Ignite).
  • Max E (Ground Slam) first against AD top laners for armor damage scaling and attack speed crippling. Max Q (Seismic Shard) second for movement speed stealing. Max W (Brutal Strikes) third.

New to the champion?

Combos worth drilling

  • Unstoppable Engage: R (Unstoppable Force) 5-man knockup -> E (Ground Slam) 50% ADC attack speed slow -> Q (Seismic Shard) chase slow.
  • Movement Speed Steal: Q enemy laner -> steal their movement speed -> walk up and E Ground Slam.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Don't miss R Unstoppable Force: R can be Flashed if enemy sees it coming. Use R from fog of war or on CC'd targets.
  • Don't trade without Granite Shield passive: Wait for 10% max HP white shield to refresh before stepping up to trade.

Playing it out

  • Early Game (Levels 1-5): Steal movement speed with Q Seismic Shard to trade. Reset Granite Shield passive by stepping out of combat for 10 seconds.
  • Mid Game (Levels 6-11): Look for Teleport or lane ganks with Unstoppable Force (R). R into enemy bot lane guarantees double kills.
  • Late Game (Levels 12+): Flash + Unstoppable Force (R) onto enemy ADC and AP mages. Hit them with Ground Slam (E) to cut their attack speed in half.

Did this build help you?

Vote on this build to help other players find the best League Classic builds.

Vote
0

Discussion

Loading the discussion…

    Optional account

    Keep your builds with you

    Browse, plan, and share without signing in. An account adds voting, comments, private cross-device drafts, and submission tracking.