Malzahar vs Vladimir Mid Matchup

Why Malzahar is favored

Malzahar can keep Vladimir pinned under his tower with E/W waveclear, then hold R to stop him from entering a teamfight or completing his burst. Vladimir can avoid the suppression with Pool, but if Malzahar waits it out, Vladimir's usual in-and-out fight pattern is much harder to execute.

How to play as Malzahar

Prioritize E/W waveclear instead of spending early mana on low-value trades. In fights, hold R for Vladimir's entry and wait until Sanguine Pool(W) is unavailable before committing.

Malefic Visions(E) and Void Swarm(W) let Malzahar keep the wave moving into Vladimir, whose early waveclear is weaker; this gives Malzahar priority even when he is not winning short trades.

Vladimir can use Sanguine Pool(W) to become untargetable and avoid Nether Grasp(R), while Malzahar's suppression and Q silence can interrupt Vladimir's attempt to enter a fight.

How to play as Vladimir

Respect Malzahar's shove rather than trying to match every wave, and step back when your Q is empowered so you do not give him an easy all-in. Keep Pool(W) available to dodge his R if you need to enter a fight.

Sources

These notes come from r/MalzaharMains, checked against the champions' abilities.