Thornmail Malphite Build

1. You rush Thornmail and stack as much Armor as you can.
2. You become auto-attackers' worst nightmare.
3. Hit or miss. Works great if the enemy team is full of physical damage and auto-attackers. Less effective against full AP - but still viable since players auto attack anyway.

1. You can rush Thornmail as the first item against a full AD team.
2. Against AD team, you can max Ground Slam (E), or even Thunderclap (W) for sweet Thornmail damage.
3. You are the spikiest when your Granite Shield (Passive) is up, thanks to tons of additional Armor from your Thunderclap (W).
4. You don't need boots for this build. You have good mobility - Seismic Shard (Q) for speed, Snowball / Unstoppable Force (R) for reach.

Getting started

1. Start with Bramble Vest and Ruby Crystal. Rush Thornmail #1, then keep stacking Armor items.
2. This build is aimed to counter AD comps. Since you don't know the enemy team before loading in, you need to adapt. If they are heavy AP, you can just fall back to a regular tank build.

During fights

1. Stay in the middle of fights as long as possible. The more enemies hit you, the more damage Thornmail reflects.
2. Randuin's Omen is great for engagements - it slows enemies on activation and reduces their crit damage.
3. Late game, you can consider selling boots for a 6th item - for even more sweet Thornmail damage!
4. You can use Bandlepipes to give your whole team an attack speed boost whenever you CC enemies. Great synergy with auto attackers.

Runes

1. Remember to consume your Grasp of the Undying procs!
2. Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

1. Universal skill order: default Seismic Shard (Q), Ground Slam (E) for countering auto attackers, Thunderclap (W) for Armor stacking builds.

Granite Shield (Passive)

1. Wait for your Granite Shield (Passive) to be up, before engaging or going in and to prevent poke. You will be more tanky and survive longer.

Seismic Shard (Q)

1. Chasing someone? You can use Seismic Shard (Q) on minions for speed buff, then for example Unstoppable Force (R) the target.
2. While not playing strictly AP builds, you can prioritize using Seismic Shard (Q) on enemy carries in order to cripple them.

Ground Slam (E)

1. Save Ground Slam (E) for enemy carries that rely on auto attacking, if possible.

Unstoppable Force (R)

1. Sometimes it is better to hold on your R, rather than using it if you are not sure if you hit it. It puts pressure on the enemy, as they need to take into account your R.
2. Want to hit more Unstoppable Force (R)? Surprise enemies by facing other directions before using your R.

1. Armor naturally reduces the rate that attacks go through Granite Shield, so Brutal Strikes will strengthen the shield against physical damage.
2. Despite his abilities scaling on Armor, some games require Malphite to get Magic Resist. When those games occur, try getting Aegis of the Legion, Mercury's Treads, and Guardian Angel.