But modern problems require modern solutions. So we pick up Malzahar and click those naughty carries and make them sit in the corner for like five minutes with our ult. And since we’re already standing there, making sure they don’t skip detention, we might as well look good while doing it. Malzahar has quite the catalogue of skins – and we’ll attempt to rank all of them here, taking into account what they bring to the table as well as their price.
10. Vizier Malzahar
Released: June 1st, 2010 Price: 520 RP We’re going to start the list off with Vizier Malzahar, as I do think it’s the least-worth getting. It’s just a color swap – and a bad one to boot. Like seriously, most chromas do a better job than this. His cool hood just looks like a really cheap wizard hat. And his scarf makes me feel itchy just looking at it. The splash art isn’t terrible, but it is far from impressive as well. Overall, a really cheap skin that came out a decade ago that never received the tweaks it needed in order to stand out. If nothing else, I would wager that it’s pretty rare, as it’s both a legacy skin and kind of ugly. So at least you could feel unique.
9. Shadow Prince Mazahar
Released: June 1st, 2010 Price: 520 RP Although it came out on the same day as Vizier, Shadow Prince Malzahar aged a bit better if you ask me. It’s also a color swap skin, but the new design works just as well as the old one. His character model and his splash art really give this desert mage a vibe that could have been top tier, if his abilities changed as well. Even a simple color correct could have done wonders for this skin. But I can’t say that I mind all that much as it is. Especially since it’s so cheap while still looking decent.
8. Hextech Malzahar
Released: October 18th, 2018 Price: 10 Gemstones Here’s a skin where the price aspect severely nerfs its ranking in my mind. The skin itself is pretty cool. The animations are slick, the splash art looks cool as hell, and the in-game character model fits the theme perfectly. However, I do think you can get skins that have similar themes, and that have done a better job, while being at a lower price. If you want a futuristic skin, I think Battle Boss does a better job. And if you want the whole “arcane magic” deal, Worldbreaker would be my choice. So this is not a bad skin by any means, but it’s a skin that is not quite worth the extremely high price tag.
7. Overlord Malzahar
Released: September 19th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Although the splash art looks extremely old by modern League standards, I do have to say that this skin held up nicely over the years. In terms of theme, it’s basically still Malzahar. But he decided to armor up and slightly change his attitude. By that I mean the animations got a new coat of paint and are now more suited to his dark, edgy theme. Overall, the skin is just okay. The character model looks decent and so do the animations. It also gets a weeb brownie point for the name – but that doesn’t change up the ranking at all.
6. Debonair Malzahar
Released: December 9th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP Man, this skin was just a mess at release. First off, the Malzahar community was not pleased to see how Riot treated their boy. He lost the Legendary status to Zed, and got a shared splash art where he’s not even the focus point. And the fact that there’s no new voice over for this skin means that any chance of elegance falls into the water. But even beyond those complaints, we have to acknowledge the fact that Riot is making every champion hot – which I’m not a fan of – and this character model is a perfect example of that. So what about playing with Debonair Malzahar? Well the Q has a really nice animation, but a weak sound effect. The W is rather brilliant all-around so that’s a plus. And both the E and the ult honestly look more like healing abilities than damaging ones. You do get a really cool backing animation and some nice chromas, but honestly this skin is filled with way too many nitpicks to be all that high up – even though it’s one of the newer releases.
5. Beezahar
Released: March 4th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP If you like silly skins, this is number one without question. Riot somehow made Malzahar absolutely adorable and I do not use that phrase lightly. Just look at his little bee minions! They make little angry faces while attacking, and then have their eyes crossed out when they die! Malzahar even has that stupid cozy hat on. And don’t get me started on the little wings on his back that flutter about as you move. Everything, and I mean everything about this skin is adorable. So if you do not want to be a dark magician, whip out that credit card and get ready to buzz. I’m only putting him this low because ridiculous concepts like this aren’t for everyone, and do lose their charm after a while. Also because they didn’t call the skin “Malzahive”.
4. Djinn Malzahar
Released: February 1st, 2011 Price: 520 RP This is one of those skins that just works, regardless of how simple it is. Malzahar now looks like he just finished filming Aladdin – and that makes complete sense in my tiny little monkey brain. It isn’t just a recolor, but rather a proper make-over, with Malzahar getting the iconic head piece plus baggy pants combo, as well as some very pointy shoes. All of his abilities makes sense with this look. And nothing really feels out of place. Sure, it might not be as mind-blowing as Beezahar or the following skins. But it’s so cheap that it’s a crime not to give it some recognition.
3. Worldbreaker Malzahar
Released: April 9th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP This skin just looks epic. Although I was initially skeptical when seeing the splash art, as I worried he would look too plain in-game. But my worries were quickly lifted when I saw his model and his abilities. It all gives off very strong arcane vibes. Like he’s protecting an ancient temple from some screaming Vikings or something. His passive shield is way more subtle than in the base model, which I really like, and his little minions look equal part mystical and terrifying. The fact that his Q, E, and R all have mystic writing or statue faces pop up, just adds to the ancient wizard thematic – and I for one am very pleased.
2. Battle Boss Malzahar
Released: August 8th, 2017 Price: 1350 RP If you’re a true gamer, this is the ultimate Malzahar skin, without question. It takes that old-school geek/computer culture aesthetic and just cranks it up to 100. The base model looks like a villain from the 90s. And all of the animations have that old-tech style that we know and love. His W basically spawns little virus-looking creatures, and his ult places down what appears to be a wormhole. And his E, oh man his E. Not only does it play a sound cue like you just died at the arcade, but it also displays a loop of ones and zeros going around your body. It is absolutely brilliant, and yet it doesn’t seem like it’s the all-time favorite among Malzahar players. Which brings us to our number one spot…
1. Snow Day Malzahar
Released: December 15th, 2014 Price: 975 RP It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this skin so beloved, but I’ll give it a shot. Visually it’s top-notch, with a well-designed character model, good animations, and even a good splash art. The animations are also very slick, especially the auto-attack animation – which makes landing your abilities and CSing slightly easier. But the biggest thing that makes it so loved is the fact that it’s perfectly balanced. It isn’t so flashy and quirky that you‘ll get bored by it, but also not so monotone to blend into the background. Thanos would be proud – and that’s why I’m giving it the number one spot on this list. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
