Yasuo vs Malzahar Mid Matchup

Why Malzahar is favored

Nether Grasp(R) and Malefic Visions(E) are not projectiles for Wind Wall(W) to block, while Void Shift(P) can stop an initial airborne setup when its shield is active. Once that shield is gone, Yasuo can threaten to interrupt Nether Grasp with a stacked Steel Tempest(Q).

How to play as Yasuo

Play aggressively at levels 1-2 with Sweeping Blade before Malzahar gets his full kit: wait for him to put Malefic Visions on a creep, dash onto him to pop his shield with basic attacks, and dash back out.

Use Wind Wall(W) only when you can place it across Call of the Void(Q)'s portal projectiles; the two portals make the angle matter, so it will not reliably block every cast.

Voidlings spawned by Void Swarm count as separate enemy units for Sweeping Blade, providing Yasuo with extra dash targets to close distance or disengage.

How to play as Malzahar

Freeze the wave just outside your tower and avoid early trades; when retreating from Yasuo, never cast Void Swarm because he will dash through your voidlings to chase you down.

Never cast Nether Grasp if Yasuo has a stacked whirlwind ready while your passive shield is down: if he buffers Q3 right as you ult, the airborne knockup cancels your suppression channel.

Nether Grasp is a targeted suppression channel, not a projectile, so Yasuo's Wind Wall cannot block it or interrupt the 2.5-second lockdown.

Void Shift grants Malzahar crowd control immunity and 90% damage reduction, absorbing the knockup from Steel Tempest and preventing Yasuo from activating Last Breath until the shield is popped.

Sources

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