Maokai is a tank champion in League of Legends who controls team fights with strong crowd control and vision. His kit makes him a reliable frontline in any composition. This guide breaks down his abilities, gameplay phases, strengths, weaknesses, and how to counter him.

Maokai’s Abilities Explained

Sap Magic (Passive)

Maokai’s passive heals him based on his max health. It activates after a cooldown that gets reduced when he casts spells, hits enemies with his Sapling Toss, or gets hit by abilities. This ability resets his attack timer and only activates if he’s below 95% health.

Bramble Smash (Q)

This ability sends out a shockwave that deals magic damage and briefly slows enemies. It does extra damage to monsters. Enemies close to Maokai are knocked back and stunned.

Twisted Advance (W)

Maokai dashes to a target while becoming untargetable. When he lands, he deals magic damage and roots the enemy. This is one of his main tools for engaging.

Sapling Toss (E)

Maokai throws a sapling that gives vision. The sapling chases nearby enemies, explodes, deals damage, and slows. If tossed into a bush, it becomes empowered—dealing more damage in bursts and revealing targets.

Nature’s Grasp (R)

Maokai summons a wave of brambles that spread forward, speeding up over time. The brambles stop on contact with enemy champions, dealing damage and rooting them. Hitting enemies gives Maokai bonus movement speed briefly.

Early Game Strategy (0–15 Minutes)

Maokai becomes a threat at level 2. Combining Twisted Advance with Bramble Smash gives him early lockdown potential. He gains a bigger advantage if he lands poke damage from Sapling Toss before engaging.

Control lane bushes with saplings. They zone enemies and deal high damage if they step near them. Once Maokai reaches level 6, his ultimate makes him a strong team fight starter. Roaming becomes easier after buying boots, allowing him to help jungle skirmishes or secure vision.

Mid Game Strategy (15–25 Minutes)

During mid game, Maokai becomes tanky enough to survive longer fights. He should use Nature’s Grasp often, especially in narrow spaces like jungle paths and river entrances. His role is to look for picks, initiate fights, and peel for his teammates.

Working with the jungler helps. Saplings offer vision and control in the enemy jungle. Landing a combo on a priority target can force objectives or team fights.

Late Game Strategy (25+ Minutes)

Maokai shines in late-game team fights. His cooldowns are shorter, and he can tank a lot of damage. Using Nature’s Grasp from fog of war can lock down entire teams. Saplings placed in brushes control space and can bait enemies into poor positions.

He must stay near his carries to peel and stop flankers. His CC chain makes it hard for enemies to reach the backline. With proper positioning, Maokai can turn team fights around even from behind.

Maokai’s Strengths

Maokai has reliable crowd control and durability. His CC chain makes it hard for targets to escape once he commits. His passive gives him sustain in fights, and Sapling Toss helps control vision-heavy areas like jungle paths and objectives.

Nature’s Grasp allows him to engage from long distances, especially when used from fog or near walls. When paired with allies who can follow up, he creates strong engage opportunities.

Maokai’s Weaknesses

He is weak in early levels and can be punished by ranged champions. Healing is a big part of his sustain, so Grievous Wounds items reduce his impact. If enemies ward flanks and stay grouped, it becomes harder for Maokai to find good initiations.

He also struggles if his team can’t follow up on his engages. Without support, his CC alone won’t secure kills.

Playing Against Maokai

Laning Tips

Don’t stand near the bottom side of the lane. That’s where Maokai usually places empowered saplings in bushes. These deal high damage if triggered.

Try to hit level 2 at the same time or before him. If Maokai reaches it first, he can all-in with Twisted Advance and Bramble Smash.

Use range to poke him, but stay at max distance so he can’t close the gap with his W.

Team Fight Strategy

Avoid fighting in tight jungle spaces or near neutral objectives like Baron and Dragon. Maokai excels in close areas where he can hit multiple targets with Nature’s Grasp.

Keep track of where Maokai is during fights. He may try to flank from the side to get a better angle for his ultimate. Warding flanks helps prevent surprise initiations.

If your team is split up, he will pick off isolated targets. Stay grouped when sieging or contesting objectives.

Power Spikes to Watch

Maokai becomes strong at level 2 and 6. Level 2 gives him his core combo, and level 6 adds long-range initiation. Once he gets multiple ranks in Nature’s Grasp, he becomes more threatening in team fights.

His damage increases sharply once Bramble Smash is maxed out. Around that time, his saplings also hit harder, especially from brush.

Final Thoughts

Maokai offers consistency and control. His crowd control, vision tools, and durability make him a solid pick in many team compositions. If used well, he can lock down high-priority enemies and peel for his backline at the same time. Playing with or against Maokai comes down to understanding his windows of power and how he controls space during fights.

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