Maloch Counters 2026: Best Counter Picks & Builds

Maloch

Fighter

Health

Damage

Skill Effect

Difficulty

Heroes That Counter Maloch

Maloch Maloch is a fighter who plays the Dark Slayer Lane or support, famous for his true damage. His passive Plunder Plunder gives him twice the attack range of other melee heroes, and when his skill 1 Cleave Cleave or his ultimate hits an enemy hero, Maloch enters Plunder: his basic attacks deal true damage and heal him, and his skill 2 also becomes true damage. While his sword is empowered, Cleave also heals him based on the number of heroes hit; his skill 2 Souleater slows nearby enemies and adds a shield layer for each soul taken (up to 3 layers), and his ultimate Shock Shock marks an area, then dives down and knocks back every target inside. Maloch’s weaknesses: Cleave has to charge up before it strikes, he has no mobility apart from his ultimate, and his sustain depends on healing. His counters include Florentino, Bolt Baron in the Dark Slayer Lane, Eland’orr, Aoi, Nakroth in the jungle, Tulen, Lauriel in the mid lane, Thane, Gildur at support and Hayate, Violet in the Abyssal Dragon Lane.

Florentino

Cleave has to charge up for a moment, and Florentino ‘s skill 1 Blossom Blossom throws a flower that stuns right at that moment, keeping Maloch from entering Plunder. The dropped flower also restores Florentino’s energy and resets Triple Threat , three slashes that each add bonus true damage based on max HP, perfect against a high-HP fighter. When he casts his ultimate Gentlemen's Duel , Florentino Duels Maloch for 5 seconds and becomes immune to all crowd control, so the knockback from Shock Shock and the slow from Souleater are useless, while Maloch has his armor reduced. The passive Shuffle Shuffle makes Assault heal when it hits heroes, helping Florentino hold out in the duel.

Bolt Baron

Maloch’s ultimate Shock Shock slows anyone trying to enter or leave its area, but Bolt Baron has his own way out: his ultimate Gathering Thunder grants 1.5 seconds of CC immunity, 30% bonus movement speed and passes through walls. Skill 1 Thunder Plunge dashes forward with a 2-second shield, enough to dodge the Cleave Cleave slash once you see him charging. Skill 2 Thunder Blast explodes to knock enemies back, and the closer they are, the farther they’re pushed, shoving Maloch out of range even with his doubled melee range. Dodge Cleave and escape Shock, and he gets no Plunder.

Jungle Marksmen/Assassins That Counter Maloch

Eland'orr
Aoi
Nakroth

Eland'orr

Maloch only has his ultimate to close the gap, while Eland'orr has two layers of evasion. Skill 1 Butterfly Wings dashes in the chosen direction to avoid the slash after Cleave Cleave charges up, and after casting, Eland’orr can reactivate it to return to the spirit lantern, escaping the Shock Shock zone that was just placed. When Maloch tries to follow, the ultimate Metamorphosis knocks him back and sends the Metamorphosis spirit flying straight on. Without being locked down, Eland’orr stays out of range stacking marks with basic attacks and lets the passive Soul Steal burst for magic damage, while Maloch can’t do anything.

Aoi

Aoi Aoi ‘s Skill 2 Dragon Claw fires a claw into terrain, then dashes or flies; it holds 2 charges, and Aoi is immune to crowd control throughout. That means neither the slow from Souleater nor the slow at the edge of the Shock Shock zone can hold her. Her ultimate Dragon's Wrath launches her into the air untargetable, hooks into Maloch and slows him, then dashes back and deals damage based on missing HP in a large area — perfect for finishing him off before he can heal. Tip: when you see Maloch charging Cleave Cleave , use Dragon Claw to reposition immediately.

Nakroth

Maloch’s slow, telegraphed kit has a hard time landing on Nakroth Nakroth . Skill 2 Death Sentence lets Nakroth blink backward right as the charged Cleave Cleave strike is about to come down, then return with a sweeping slash. Skill 1 Jury Fury dashes in with a knock-back and can be recast for free within 5 seconds, perfect for hit-and-run. While casting his ultimate Judgement's Blade , Nakroth can’t be crowd-controlled, so even Maloch slamming down with Shock Shock can’t interrupt the blade combo. Passive Dread Judge knocks back on every 4th attack, keeping Maloch out of his rhythm.

Mid Lane Mages That Counter Maloch

Tulen
Lauriel

Tulen

Tulen Tulen ‘s skill 2 Lightning Strike stores up to 3 charges, and each blink deals damage at both the starting point and the destination, so Tulen can dodge the Cleave Cleave slash while poking at the same time. Enemies hit repeatedly by this skill within 5 seconds are slowed by 90%, decaying over time, so Maloch, who only has his ultimate for mobility, can barely chase. The ultimate Thunderbird can be cast while moving; the lightning birds strike the chosen target, and killing a hero triggers the passive Thunderclap and greatly reduces cooldowns. Save Lightning Strike to escape the Shock Shock zone.

Lauriel

Maloch needs to stay close to steal souls with Souleater and land Cleave Cleave , while Lauriel Lauriel constantly repositions. Skill 2 Wings of Purity dashes in a chosen direction and fires 3 beams of light, and hitting enemies reduces its cooldown, so she has enough dashes to dodge both the charged slash and the Shock Shock slam. While standing inside the Great Judgment circle, Lauriel’s cooldowns recover twice as fast. At 4 Heaven’s Punishment marks, passive Heaven's Punishment detonates to heal her, deal AoE true damage and slow, keeping Maloch out of range at all times.

Support Heroes That Counter Maloch

Thane
Gildur

Thane

Cleave Cleave needs to charge up, and Thane Thane ‘s skill 1 Valiant Charge dashes in, repeatedly pushes Maloch back and then knocks him back when the skill ends, breaking that charge-up. When Maloch has just dived in with Shock Shock , skill 2 Avalon's Fury knocks him back and slows him right where he lands. The ultimate Excalibur deals true damage plus 15% of the target’s lost HP, and Thane gains 20% damage reduction and is unstoppable while casting it. The passive Royal Power heals based on max HP and grants brief damage immunity when Thane drops low, helping him survive Plunder’s burst of true damage.

Gildur

Maloch has to dive into the middle of the enemy team with Shock Shock to be effective, and his landing spot is exactly where Gildur Gildur is waiting. The ultimate Indulgence creates a magic circle that continuously deals magic damage, slows and stuns enemies inside, pinning Maloch in the middle of the trap. Skill 2 Extravagant stuns from range, ideal for interrupting the Cleave Cleave charge so he can’t enter Plunder. Passive Midas Touch grants a shield on every skill cast, and every 4th basic attack knocks the target back, keeping Maloch away from your marksman.

Dragon Lane Marksmen That Counter Maloch

Hayate
Violet

Hayate

Maloch is a tanky fighter who heals more the longer he stays in a fight, while Hayate Hayate has a way to deal sustained damage to a single target: after 6 attacks hit the same target, the passive Blood of the Dragon makes his attacks over the next 4 seconds deal bonus true damage. Skill 2 Shadow Step dashes in the chosen direction and can cross terrain, enough to dodge the Cleave Cleave slash once you see him charging. Skill 1 Shuriken Toss boosts movement speed while throwing shurikens, helping you poke and keep your distance at the same time. The ultimate Kunai Blitz blinks to the chosen spot, useful for getting away from where Shock Shock lands.

Violet

The passive Plunder Plunder gives Maloch twice the attack range of melee heroes, but it’s still shorter than a marksman who knows how to keep distance, like Violet Violet . Skill 1 Tactical Fire rolls and briefly increases attack range, and rolling toward an enemy also grants 50% movement speed for 2 seconds, helping dodge a charged Cleave Cleave . The passive Reload Reload reduces the roll’s cooldown by 0.5 seconds each time she hits a hero. Skill 2 Fire In The Hole slows for 1 second, while the ultimate Concussive Rounds deals an extra 12% of lost HP as physical damage, perfect for finishing off a worn-down Maloch.

Items to Counter Maloch

Activating Stasis makes you invulnerable and immobile for 1.5 seconds, then grants a shield for 1 second. Use it right as Maloch dives in with Shock Shock or when the Cleave Cleave slash is about to land and you take no damage, and if Cleave misses, he can’t enter Plunder either.

Activating Unyielding grants 35% damage reduction for 3 seconds and can be used even while crowd-controlled, so you can still pop it after being knocked back by Shock Shock . The Sluggish passive slows the first enemy hero hit by a skill by 30% and reduces their damage by 20% for 3 seconds, cutting into the true damage burst from Plunder.

The Freeze passive slows the target’s movement speed by 5% – 10% for 1.5 seconds whenever you basic attack or cast a skill, stacking up to 2 times, while Chill adds bonus physical damage. Apart from Shock Shock , Maloch has no mobility skills, so constant slows mean he can’t stick to a fighter or a kiting marksman.

Frozen passive: every damaging skill slows the opponent’s movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds. When mages like Tulen Tulen or Lauriel Lauriel poke Maloch, he slows down noticeably, making it hard for him to get close enough to take souls with Souleater or land a hit with Cleave Cleave .

The Judgment passive: damage from basic attacks or skills reduces the target’s healing by 40% for 3 seconds. Maloch heals whenever an empowered Cleave Cleave hits a hero and on every attack while in Plunder; cutting off this source means he can’t last long in teamfights.

The mage version with the same Judgment passive that reduces healing by 40%. Every skill from Tulen Tulen or Lauriel Lauriel that hits Maloch cuts down the HP he recovers from his passive Plunder Plunder , helping your team take him down before Plunder makes up for all the damage.

How to counter Maloch in a 1vs1

Dodging Cleave is the key: Cleave Cleave has to charge up for a moment before it strikes. When you see Maloch Maloch start swinging his sword, step out of the slash direction right away; if Cleave misses, he doesn’t heal and can’t enter Plunder.

Stay outside his doubled range: Thanks to Plunder Plunder , Maloch attacks from twice the range of other melee heroes, and Souleater slows nearby enemy heroes. Don’t stand close to trade basic attacks with him; kite him from outside his range.

Trade while Cleave is on cooldown: Right after he misses a slash, Maloch can only rely on Shock Shock to enter Plunder and has no other dash. This is the time to dump your skills, just remember to avoid the area where he could dive in.

Build anti-heal early: Maloch heals from Cleave, from Shock once his sword is empowered, and from every attack while in Plunder. Curse of Death or Tome of the Reaper keeps your trades from being healed right back.

How to counter Maloch in teamfights

Spread out before Shock: Shock Shock knocks back every target in the chosen area, and if it hits a hero, Maloch instantly enters Plunder. Don’t clump up, so he can’t open a teamfight by hitting your whole team with one cast.

Watch the edge of the zone: Anyone trying to enter or leave the Shock zone gets slowed. If you weren’t hit directly, wait outside instead of walking through the zone to save your teammates.

CC him the moment he lands: After diving in, Maloch has no mobility skills left. Save Gildur’s Indulgence or Thane’s Valiant Charge for exactly this moment.

Don’t trade while Plunder is active: During this state his basic attacks and Souleater deal true damage that armor can’t block, and every attack also heals him. Back off or switch to another target, activate Voidsteel Blade if you get caught, then come back once the state ends.

Tips for Countering Maloch

Strengths to Watch Out For

Twice the attack range of other melee heroes.
Plunder makes his basic attacks and Souleater deal true damage; outside it, all his hits still pierce armor.
Heals from every attack while in Plunder, and from Cleave and Shock once his sword is empowered.
Shock initiates wide-area teamfights, knocking back and slowing.
Souleater adds a shield layer for each soul taken (up to 3 layers), and the shield gradually turns into HP.

Weaknesses to Exploit

Cleave has to charge up before it strikes, so it’s easy to dodge.
Plunder only activates when Cleave or Shock hits an enemy hero.
No mobility apart from Shock, so he’s easy to kite.
Relies on healing, weak against anti-heal items.
Shock has to mark an area before diving in, giving opponents time to spread out.