Underappeciated Not Underpowered: Malady

Introduction:

When there's mention of an AP/AS build the first thing that comes to mind is Nashor's Tooth. Unfortunately, Malady is left forgotten in the dust. But this does not mean that Malady is a bad item, it just means it's an unrecognized one.

So what makes Malady a good item?

First and foremost, let's look at Malady's stats:

Malady

2035 Gold
+25 Ability Power
+45% Attack Speed
UNIQUE PASSIVE: Your basic attacks deal 15 + 10% AP bonus magic damage.
UNIQUE PASSIVE: : Your basic attacks reduce enemy magic resistance by 4 for 8 seconds, stacks up to 7 times.

Now from just this, Malady doesn't seem to be too stellar.  Keep in mind, however, that you pay about 9 less gold than the Attack Speed and Ability Power bonuses are worth, and you still have to factor in  the On-Hit bonus you got for free. Still, do those odd stats and On-Hit passive justify using an item slot?

The answer is that if you can utilize it, absolutely! Don't believe me? Let's take a look at an in-game example.

Diana

Malady	V.S.	Nashor's Tooth

In both cases, assume Diana unleashes 3 basic attacks and her full spell combo.

Malady: The AP Ratio of Diana's full combo is 3.1. This means that just the AP from Malady will grant Diana 77.5 bonus damage to her combo and her target will recieve another 52.5 damage from Malady's On-Hit effect.  The total damage added is 130.

Nashor's Tooth: Again, Diana's combo has a 3.1 AP ratio. Nashor's Tooth provides 65 AP meaning her combo will deal 201.5 additional damage.

 

Analysis

At first glance, Nashor's Tooth appears to be obviously better, as it provides 71.5 higher damage to the combo. However, there is more to look at than just damage. The AS bonuses from both items are close enough to where it has almost no practical impact in a fight.  The only other factors are Malady's On-Hit damage and magic resistance reduction, and Nashor's Tooth's CDR.

As this is a short skirmish, it is unlikely that Nashor's CDR will come into the equation, so we can ignore that. However, there is the matter of Malady's On-Hit.

First, keep in mind that Malady's On-Hit damage scales with AP and AS. In that equation, the only variables were Nashor's Tooth's and Malady's base stats. If Diana has around 200 AP and some AS from other sources, Malady's On-Hit damage bonus will fall just short of the damage provided by Nashor's Tooth or even surpass it.  Furthermore, this quick calculation did not take into account any of Malady's magic resistance reduction, which could certainly have an impact on a fight, and even benefits Diana's team.

Nashor's has an early advantage, and an advantage on champions like Diana who have high ratios, however Malady scales very nicely later, and it's magic resistance reduction can benefit your entire team. As you can see, the item's are a lot closer in effectiveness than most players think! A choice between the two of them ultimately depends upon what stats you are trying to itemize for. Also, keep in mind that you can always make both Malady and Nashor's Tooth!

So who could use Malady?

Ok, so this seems like a silly question. Obviously anyone who has an On-Hit effect or is able to specialize in AP/AS  or who could normally build a Nashor's Tooth can pick up a Malady.

This list includes:

However, there's a bit more to Malady than just that! It sounds odd at first, and I'll spare you some of the matchcrafting, but hear me out!

Malady is actually strong enough that you can create an unconventional AP/AS build on many AP champions by utilizing the Spellblade Mastery, and both Malady and Nashor's, or perhaps a Guinsoo's or a Trinity Force. This type of itemization combo is similar to Muramana and Iceborn Gautlet, Infinity Edge and Phantom Dancer, or  Rylai's and Liandry's, though not as powerful.

It is important to note that doing so will almost definitely trade burst damage and surviability for a bit of sustained damage. In the long run, these builds can be less effective, as effective, or more effective than your normal build. This is high risk and also highly dependent upon being able to adapt your playstyle and stay safe. This type of build has its pros and its cons, but can be incredibly fun to play, and surprisingly effective when utilized to perfection.

 

Here is a list of some of the champions who are best able to utilize an unconventional AP/AS build:

Note that some of these are far more effective than others, but all are a ton of fun to suceed with! If you try it and at first it doesn't work, practice a bit more before giving up. It's an odd way to build and play and it takes a while to get used to!

 

Conclusion:

Malady is an underappreciated item which has potential for a lot of use. It may be unconvential, but it can be highly cost and slot effiecient when fully utilized.