Malzahar vs Gangplank Counter Pick

Remove Scurvy is the reason this matchup inverts. Gangplank eats citrus to clear crowd control and restore health, cancelling Nether Grasp — the ability Malzahar builds every fight around. Take that away and he is a 580-health mage with 18 base armor facing a champion who reaches 2,568 health and 110.9 armor by level 18. The record reads 44.6% across 168 games on patch 16.13.1.

Gangplank rates 9 for mechanical difficulty against Malzahar’s 6, so nothing here is free. Powder Keg needs setup, and a barrel chain that misses leaves him at 125 attack range against a 500-range opponent with Malefic Visions already ticking. Parrrley plunders gold per kill, so a Gangplank left undisturbed builds items faster than the win rate implies.

Malzahar’s realistic path runs through the wave. Void Swarm and Malefic Visions push relentlessly, Voidlings body-block barrels, and constant pressure denies the free time his kit requires. Void Shift matters as well, since damage reduction and crowd control immunity after a quiet moment survive the first Cannon Barrage.

Trial by Fire sets his target alight every few melee strikes, so even a Gangplank who never lands a barrel chips health away for free, and his 345 move speed against 335 means those strikes are available whenever he wants them. Both run on mana, which caps how often the citrus arrives. Holding Nether Grasp until Remove Scurvy is on cooldown converts a losing exchange into a kill.