Talk:Malzahar/@comment-20434720-20140415062141

I've been considering straying from the high-hp high-AP typical malzahar build and focusing more on CDR, simply because once you get 40% CDR some hilarious things start to happen. For example, your W is on an 8.4 second cooldown and lasts 5 seconds, your Q silences for 3 seconds and is on a 5.4 second CD (silence -> ult -> silence = 8.5 seconds of no abilities.... from one champion... man that sucks for them), your E has 119% uptime, and of course your ridiculously strong ult gets down to 48 second CD.

It seems like it would be lacking a bit in tankiness/100-0 potential (at least have less 100-0 potential, i'm sure it's still there), despite making up for it with substantially increased DPS and teamfight presence.

The main question I have to ask myself is if said build should rely on CDR runes/masteries/blue/elixir or go for 40% just straight off items. I guess ideally it would be a combination, so something like a 20% item and a 10% item, then masteries/runes/situational effects for the rest.

There aren't too many common AP items out there with 10% CDR, but I think the main ones (only ones?) to be looking at are twin shadows and will of the ancients. On the one hand, twin shadows gives an awesome chasing active (the thing malzahar has had problems with since forever), but the sustain from WOTA that his E fully benefits from (the closest thing to a single-target multi-target spell there is) would be awesome also. And for 20%, there are the obvious options like Morellonomicon and Athene's, but then there's also banner of command... worth it on AP Malzahar? All 3 of the mentioned items are the same approximate price with similar easy build paths.

Right now it looks like the best choices would be twin shadows (malzahar can finally chase) and Athene's (this item outclasses everything if anybody on their team does magic damage or if you use mana or in malzahar's case, usually both).

Making the full build Athene's, Twin Shadows, Deathcap, Void Staff, situational, Sorcs. With this build, though, you'd rely on hard-hitting spammable spells to hurt high-hp enemies compared to liandry's/rylai's. I think ROA would be a pretty good item to put in that last slot (although you would build it early of course), because you still need a decent pool, and you still need some tankiness, being a mid-range no-escape mage and all.