Maw of Malmortius

What is Maw of Malmortius? 🔮

Maw of Malmortius is the magic damage survival item for AD champions — a legendary AD/AH/MR item whose LIFELINE passive provides a reactive magic damage shield when HP drops near the threshold of death. It is specifically designed for physical damage champions (fighters, marksmen, assassins) who face ability power bursters or sustained AP damage dealers that would otherwise kill them in a single exchange.

The LIFELINE passive is reactive, not proactive: unlike Sterak’s Gage‚s LIFELINE which fires from any damage type, Maw of Malmortius specifically absorbs only magic damage. This makes it the precision counter to AP burst — Syndra R, Lux R+E+Q combo, Viktor all-in, or sustained AP on-hit patterns that target the LIFELINE threshold. Against physical damage dealers or mixed-damage compositions, Maw provides no shield value at all; the MR and AD are the only relevant stats in those matchups.

At 3,100 Gold, it is priced at a premium for its stat combination — +60 AD and +40 MR is the highest combined AD/MR total among all items in the shop at this tier. Building from Hexdrinker (the 1,300g component with its own LIFELINE at lower thresholds), the item enables early magic damage protection before the full legendary is completed. Sell price: 2,170 Gold. ID: 3156.

📊 Base Statistics

🔨 Recipe & Components

Maw of Malmortius builds from Hexdrinker + Caulfield’s Warhammer with a 750g combine:

🛡️ LIFELINE Passive — Complete Mechanics Reference

Trigger Condition — 30% HP Threshold

LIFELINE activates when magic damage would reduce your HP below 30% of max HP. The trigger occurs at the point where the incoming magic damage, if it landed fully, would push you past the 30% threshold. The shield fires before the damage resolves — absorbing the qualifying hit and all subsequent magic damage during the 3-second shield window.

Critical rule: LIFELINE still triggers if damage is taken while ALREADY below 30% of max HP. If you enter a fight at 25% HP (already below the threshold) and take magic damage, LIFELINE fires on that first magic damage hit as long as the 90-second cooldown is available. This is not a one-time threshold-crossing mechanic — it triggers on any magic damage that qualifies while below 30% HP, provided the CD is ready.

LIFELINE — Full Mechanics Table

LIFELINE Magic Shield — Absorption Mechanics

The LIFELINE shield absorbs magic damage only. Physical damage, true damage, and mixed damage all pass through the LIFELINE shield without being absorbed. This specificity is the key design distinction: Maw of Malmortius is a precision counter to AP burst, not a general survival tool. Against a composition where the primary threat is physical damage (AD assassin, bruiser dive), LIFELINE provides no shield value — only the raw +40 MR and +60 AD stats matter.

At 200 bonus AD on a melee fighter: the shield absorbs 200 + 300 = 500 magic damage in 3 seconds. Against Lux R (60-100% AP ratio hitting for 500-800 damage in lane), the 500-point shield frequently absorbs the entire ultimate. Against Syndra R’s multi-sphere burst, each sphere is absorbed until the shield depletes or the 3 seconds expire. The shield is consumed by ongoing magic damage during its 3-second duration — it doesn’t just block the one triggering hit.

Omnivamp After LIFELINE — Combat Sustain

When LIFELINE triggers, +10% omnivamp is granted until end of combat — not for a fixed duration. Omnivamp heals for 10% of all damage dealt (physical, magic, and true damage; single-target and AoE at reduced effectiveness). The until-end-of-combat duration means the omnivamp persists through the entire fight window after LIFELINE triggers — every auto-attack, every ability, every item proc heals for 10% of its damage until the combat state ends.

At 300 DPS after LIFELINE: 10% omnivamp returns 30 HP per second from sustained combat. In a 5-second extended fight post-LIFELINE at that DPS rate: 150 HP healed back from omnivamp. This is not life-saving sustain on its own — but combined with the magic shield absorbing incoming AP burst and the +40 MR reducing all other magic damage by roughly 33% at typical mid-game MR totals, the omnivamp provides meaningful HP recovery during the window where the champion is fighting from the low-HP LIFELINE position.

🗺️ Map-Specific Differences

🎯 Best Champions for Maw of Malmortius

Maw of Malmortius is strongest on melee fighters and assassins who dive AP-heavy backlines or face specific AP burst threats. The melee LIFELINE shield value (200 + 150% bonus AD) significantly exceeds the ranged value (150 + 112.5% bonus AD), making it disproportionately strong on melee champions who can exploit the larger shield threshold in close-range combat against mages.

✅ Ideal Picks

• Irelia — High bonus AD melee fighter who dives AP backlines. Irelia’s dive pattern places her within AP ability range repeatedly — LIFELINE fires from Syndra, Viktor, or AP support burst during the dive. Her natural bonus AD from items amplifies the shield ceiling significantly (at 200 bonus AD: 500 shield). The +15 AH reduces Bladesurge (Q) CD for faster gap-close cycling.
• Zed — Melee assassin with extreme bonus AD scaling. Zed’s item build reaches 300+ bonus AD late game — LIFELINE shield at 300 bonus AD: 200 + 450 = 650 magic shield. Against AP mid laners (Syndra, Orianna, Lux) that would counter his assassination pattern, Maw provides direct survival. Typically rushed as a second or third item after Youmuu’s Ghostblade.
• Yasuo / Yone — High bonus AD scaling sword champions who engage at close range against AP threats. Yone’s kit deals both physical and magic damage, making the MR on Maw synergistic with his dual damage profile. Yasuo’s high crit AD builds create bonus AD totals that push LIFELINE shield values above 500+ in late game. Against AP mid laners who threaten the engage pattern, both benefit from the early Hexdrinker into Maw path.
• Samira — Melee ADC who dives into the fight center. Samira’s STYLE stack pattern requires being in the middle of ability ranges — LIFELINE fires from AP supports (Lux, Karma, Seraphine) whose abilities catch Samira during the dive. The omnivamp post-LIFELINE amplifies her sustained in-combat HP recovery.
• Tryndamere — High bonus AD bruiser. Undying Rage (R) makes him unkillable for 5 seconds — LIFELINE fires before R if AP burst brings him near the threshold, providing a shield while R is still active. The combination means Tryndamere can potentially have LIFELINE shield + R simultaneously against AP burst that tries to kill him at low HP.
• Darius — High base AD scaling bruiser. Apprehend (E) and the five-stack Hemorrhage empowerment give Darius significant bonus AD totals. Against AP supports and mid laners who chain damage against him in teamfights, LIFELINE shields through the burst pattern while his HP pool and the omnivamp sustain the extended fight.
• Katarina — Melee assassin with reset mechanics. Against AP mid lane matchups or AP bot combos (Lux support, Zyra support), Maw provides the reactive magic shield during Death Lotus (R) channel when she is stationary and vulnerable to AP burst. The +15 AH reduces ability cycling CDs.

Ranged Champions — Lower Priority

• ADCs (Jinx, Caitlyn, Draven) — situational: the ranged LIFELINE formula (150 + 112.5% bonus AD) is 25% smaller than the melee version. At 250 bonus AD: 150 + 281 = 431 ranged shield vs 575 melee shield. Against AP supports (Brand, Zyra, Lux) in the bot lane who burst the ADC, Maw provides legitimate value. However, Mercurial Scimitar (the other AD/MR item) provides a self-cleanse alongside similar stats. The choice is: Maw for magic shield survival vs Mercurial for CC cleanse + escape.

❌ Suboptimal Picks

• Against pure AD or physical damage compositions: LIFELINE provides no shield against physical damage. If the primary threat is Zed, Talon, or a dive-heavy physical comp, Death’s Dance (IGNORE PAIN damage reduction + CAUTERIZE healing on kill) or Sterak’s Gage (all-damage LIFELINE) provide better defensive value. Maw’s +40 MR also adds less effective HP against physical damage compositions.
• AP champions — incompatible: the +60 AD and +40 MR are valuable on physical damage champions; AP mages who face AP threats should build Banshee’s Veil (spell shield + MR) or Zhonya’s Hourglass (STASIS active) as AP-scaling MR alternatives.

⚙️ Recommended Build Paths

Zed / Irelia — Anti-AP Assassin/Fighter

1. Hexdrinker — First back vs AP burst threat (1,300g) — early LIFELINE fires immediately in the next trade or all-in; MR available from minute 8+
2. Youmuu’s Ghostblade — First or second full item — WRAITH STEP active MS + lethality; AD for LIFELINE shield scaling; AH for ability cycling
3. Maw of Malmortius — Complete from Hexdrinker — upgraded LIFELINE shield; higher shield from bonus AD accumulated; omnivamp combat sustain unlocked
4. Serylda’s Grudge — Third item — CURSED: % armor pen; slow on ability damage; high AD compounds LIFELINE shield further
5. The Collector — Fourth item — DEATH: execute at 5% HP + lethality; critical threshold synergy with LIFELINE’s 30% HP window
6. Edge of Night — Fifth item — ANNUL: passive spell shield absorbs one ability; combined with LIFELINE: spell shield blocks first ability, then LIFELINE fires on the second

Yasuo / Yone — Crit Fighter Anti-AP

7. Immortal Shieldbow — First item — LIFELINE any-damage shield at low HP; crit; AD; note: Immortal + Maw BOTH LIFELINE group — cannot build both; choose based on threat type
8. Maw of Malmortius — If choosing Maw over Immortal (against heavy AP burst specifically) — LIFELINE magic shield at 30% HP; start Hexdrinker early
9. Infinity Edge — Second/Third item — PERFECTION crit amplification; high AD scaling amplifies Maw LIFELINE shield simultaneously; 50%+ crit enables PERFECTION
10. Ravenous Hydra — Third/Fourth item — CRESCENT AoE; omnivamp from VICIOUS sustain; combined with Maw’s post-LIFELINE omnivamp for maximum in-fight HP recovery
11. Death’s Dance — Fifth item — IGNORE PAIN: physical damage taken deferred 30% as bleed; CAUTERIZE: 15% of pre-mitigation damage healed on kill; survivability layer over Maw’s magic shielding

⚖️ LIFELINE Group — Maw vs Immortal Shieldbow vs Sterak’s Gage

All three LIFELINE group items share the same group restriction — only one can be held at a time. The choice between them defines which type of incoming damage the champion survives through:

The decision framework is straightforward: if the primary survival threat is magic damage specifically — choose Maw. If the primary threat is any damage type from a dive composition — choose Sterak’s Gage (melee) or Immortal Shieldbow (ranged). Maw provides higher AD (+60 vs +20 Shieldbow; vs +0 Sterak’s) and the highest MR (+40) among the three — the tradeoff for the more specific magic-only shield trigger.

🔄 Similar Items — AD/MR/Survivability Family

❌ Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

• Building it against physical damage compositions: LIFELINE fires from magic damage only. Against a composition with no significant AP source — or an ADC-heavy physical dive — LIFELINE provides zero shield value. The MR and AD alone rarely justify the full 3,100g when Death’s Dance or Sterak’s Gage provide better defensiveness against physical and mixed damage respectively.
• Building Maw AND Immortal Shieldbow or Sterak’s Gage: all three are LIFELINE group items — only one can be held. If transitioning between them (selling Hexdrinker/Maw to build Immortal), the cooldown of the previous item’s LIFELINE does not transfer. Commit to one LIFELINE item based on the enemy composition and don’t waste item slots attempting to hold two.
• Not buying Hexdrinker early enough: against a fed Syndra at 10 minutes who one-shots in combination with your own jungler’s gank (or vice versa, being solo-killed), the Hexdrinker LIFELINE at 1,300g provides immediate protection from that pattern. Delaying Hexdrinker until a 3,100g full item back means 10-15 more minutes of exposure to the AP burst that Hexdrinker would have blocked.
• Misunderstanding the magic-only shield: LIFELINE absorbs only magic damage. In a dive scenario where the AP burst fires first (Syndra R) and then physical damage follows (ADC, physical jungler), the LIFELINE shield fires on the magic burst but the physical damage passes through immediately after the shield depletes. Position and manage HP accordingly — LIFELINE buys time against AP burst specifically, not the entire fight.
• Ignoring the omnivamp post-LIFELINE: the 10% omnivamp until end of combat is not cosmetic. After LIFELINE fires at low HP, the champion is in sustained low-HP combat with omnivamp active — actively attacking and dealing damage heals back meaningful HP. Don’t immediately back off after LIFELINE triggers; the omnivamp window combined with the absorbed AP burst creates a recovery window to continue fighting at low HP.

✅ Best Practices

• Buy Hexdrinker at first back vs AP threat: 1,300g enables LIFELINE vs AP burst immediately; the item fully upgrades into Maw at no gold waste; never delay this vs a fed AP mid laner
• Maximize bonus AD for LIFELINE shield ceiling: build high-AD items alongside Maw — Serylda’s, Collector, and Infinity Edge all increase bonus AD which directly amplifies the shield value; at 300 bonus AD the melee shield reaches 650 magic damage absorption
• Exploit the post-LIFELINE omnivamp window: after LIFELINE fires, the omnivamp is active until end of combat; continue dealing damage during this window — every hit heals back HP; do not retreat immediately when LIFELINE triggers
• Pair with Edge of Night: ANNUL passive spell shield covers the CC setup ability; Maw LIFELINE covers the burst damage; together they address both phases of an AP burst combo pattern on assassins and fighters
• In Arena: use LIFELINE every 30 seconds: the Arena CD makes LIFELINE a rotational tool; plan to trigger it in every Arena round against AP sources; the 5-second shield duration absorbs full AP rotations

FAQ

Q: Does LIFELINE fire if I’m already below 30% HP when magic damage hits?

A: A: Yes — the wiki explicitly confirms this. LIFELINE triggers if damage is taken while already below 30% of maximum health, not just on the moment of crossing the threshold. If you enter combat at 20% HP and take magic damage, LIFELINE fires on that hit (provided the 90-second cooldown is available). This is a critical distinction — it means LIFELINE can save you in extended fights where HP was depleted by physical damage first, and magic damage arrives as the finishing blow.

Q: What is the actual shield value on Maw with no bonus AD?

A: A: The wiki confirms: Maw of Malmortius grants a total shield of 290 (Melee) / 217.5 (Ranged) to LIFELINE with no additional bonus AD. These are the base shield values before any bonus AD scaling. In practice, most champions building Maw have at least 100-200 bonus AD from other items, bringing the melee shield to 350-500 range in typical mid-game scenarios.

Q: Can I build Maw of Malmortius and Sterak’s Gage in the same build?

A: A: No — both are in the LIFELINE group, and the limitation is 1 LIFELINE item. They cannot be held simultaneously. The choice between them is determined by the enemy composition: Maw against AP burst (magic damage threat), Sterak’s Gage against physical or mixed damage dive (any damage type). Similarly, Immortal Shieldbow is also LIFELINE group — melee fighters choose between all three based on threat type, knowing only one fires.

Q: How long does the omnivamp from LIFELINE last?

A: A: The +10% omnivamp from LIFELINE (or +12% in Arena) lasts until end of combat — there is no fixed timer. In League of Legends, the combat state ends a few seconds after the last damage event against or from a champion. In a continuous teamfight, the omnivamp persists throughout the entire engagement from the moment LIFELINE triggers until the fight concludes and the champion is out of combat. This is not a 3-second bonus — it can persist for 10-20+ seconds in an extended teamfight.

Q: Should I build Maw of Malmortius or Mercurial Scimitar against an AP mid laner?

A: They solve different problems. Mercurial Scimitar removes CC — it’s the counter to Malzahar R, Warwick R, or CC chains that lock you out of combat. Maw of Malmortius provides a magic damage shield — it’s the counter to AP burst that kills you when you’re at low HP even without CC. Against Malzahar (R = Suppression): Mercurial. Against Syndra (R = no CC, pure burst): Maw. Against Lissandra (R = stasis + burst): Maw for the burst absorption + potentially both Hexdrinker early and Mercurial Scimitar later (or QSS).

Q: How does Arena Maw of Malmortius compare to SR?

A: A: Arena Maw is significantly stronger in defensive output despite −10 AD. The LIFELINE cooldown drops from 90 to 30 seconds — LIFELINE fires in every Arena round against AP sources rather than once per extended fight. The shield duration increases from 3 to 5 seconds, covering full AP ability rotations that 3 seconds might not fully absorb. The omnivamp increases from 10% to 12%. Net result: Arena Maw is the strongest version of the item — trade 10 AD for dramatically better LIFELINE performance.