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Maokai
Maokai is a rageful, towering treant who fights the unnatural horrors of the Shadow Isles. He was twisted into a force of vengeance after a magical cataclysm destroyed his home, surviving undeath only through the Waters of Life infused within his...
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Core
Weak Against
HARD
Strong Against
EASY
Synergy With
DUO
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Xin Zhao Early Game
Maokai early lane is engage-or-disengage. Start Relic Shield + Refillable. Trade only when your engage ability is up — wait for ADC sync.
Level 2 spike is huge: full CC chain unlocked. Look for early Flash + engage all-ins on ADCs without escape. Ward tri-brush at 0:30 — gank danger high.
Mid Game
Bloodsong (quest complete) + Mercury's Treads + Locket of the Iron Solari is your spike. Engage = win teamfights. Maokai initiates, frontlines, soaks damage.
Roam to objectives 30s before spawn — engage on enemy team while jungler smites. Knight's Vow at 3rd item links you to ADC for shared damage.
Late Game
Frontline engager. Maokai starts every teamfight. Land your CC chain on a priority target (ADC or mid), peel back for your team's follow-up.
Gargoyle Stoneplate active = 100% bonus HP when 5 enemies near. Use it during dives. Build Anathema's Chains vs fed enemy hyper-carry to halve their damage to you.
Win Condition
Find 1 pick → snowball lane → engage every teamfight. Maokai wins by initiating; lose by waiting too long.
Win: 3+ kill participation from engage CC + 2+ towers from snowball. Lose to: poke comps that out-range you (Lux + Caitlyn) — build Mercury's Treads + Banshee's earlier.
Power Spikes
Level 2 — second ability + full CC unlocked. Level 6 — R for guaranteed all-in. Bloodsong (quest complete) — gold income lets you build tank items early. Locket of the Iron Solari (2nd item) — team shield in fight. Level 11 — R rank 2 + 3 items = unkillable initiator. Knight's Vow (3-4th item) — share damage with ADC.
Tips & Combos
Combos:
- Engage ability -> CC chain -> R (extended CC) -> peel back for follow-up
- Pre-flash through wall to bypass minion block, then engage on unsuspecting ADC
- Use ult as anti-engage (Locket + R) when enemy ult priority is on you
Anti-tips:
- Don't engage 1v5 — wait for full team setup
- Don't blow Flash + R for non-priority target (e.g. tank engage)
- Don't tunnel — peel back to ADC after first engage CC
Pro tricks:
- Aftershock keystone gives 80+ armor/MR for 2.5s on first CC — guaranteed survival window
- Ult ADC's Flash range to predict engage angles
- Stand 500 behind ADC pre-fight to engage from unexpected angle
// lanelore · patch — · stats aggregated daily from solo queue ladder