Loading...
Playing Against Maokai
SupportPatch 16.2.1
What They Do
Maokai is a premier utility tank that specializes in area denial and point-and-click lockdown. He uses to control brushes and vision, while his and combo allows him to peel for his carry or lock down a priority target with zero chance of missing.
Abilities (What to Watch For)
| Ability | What You'll See | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
| Green glow on his hands | His next basic attack deals bonus damage and heals him. This cooldown (initially 30-20s) drops by 4s every time he casts a spell or gets hit by one. Don't spam low-damage spells on him or he will just out-sustain you. | |
| A shockwave on the ground in a line | Knocks back enemies close to him and slows everyone hit. If he gets behind you, he will use this to shove you into his team or his turret. It is his primary tool for interrupting dashes. | |
| He transforms into a cloud of roots and dashes | He is untargetable during the dash and roots the target on arrival. You cannot dodge this with movement once it's cast. If you dash/flash while he is mid-travel, he will follow you to your destination. | |
| A small sapling thrown to a location | Saplings last 30s and chase nearby enemies to explode. If thrown into a brush, they last longer (up to 80s) and explode twice for significantly more damage. They also provide vision. | |
| A massive horizontal wall of roots moving forward | A huge zone-control tool. The root duration increases the further the wall travels (up to 2.4s). It is slow-moving, meaning it is better for follow-up or cutting off escapes than for starting a fight from long range. |
Respect
- !Brush-enhanced →Saplings in brushes deal double damage over time. Stepping into an un-warded bush against him can easily chunk 15-20% of your HP at level 1.
- !The into combo→It's a point-and-click CC chain. If he gets in range to , you are guaranteed to be rooted then knocked back into his ADC.
- !Fog of war →If he casts his ultimate from out of vision in the jungle, you have very little time to react before the wall covers your only escape path.
- !sustain in brawls→In 2v2s, the frequent spell casts from four players reset his passive extremely fast, allowing him to heal 3-4 times in a single fight.
Punish
- +is on cooldown (13-9s)→He has no way to stick to you or reliably peel your engage. This is your primary window to all-in his ADC.
- +Maokai is low on Mana→His costs 60-80 mana. If he spams them for poke, he will quickly run out of mana for his and defense.
- +Level 1-2→Before he has all three basic abilities, he is quite squishy and lacks the full CC chain. Pressure him hard before he hits level 3.
- +has just been dodged→His ultimate has a massive cooldown. Without it, his team loses their best tool for forcing objectives like Dragon or Baron. Fight him immediately.
Laning Tips
- •Stay away from the lane brushes. Force him to use in the open where they deal half damage and are easier to outrun.
- •If a sapling is chasing you, run toward your own minion wave. The explosion will hit the minions instead of just you.
- •Buy early Grievous Wounds (Executioner's/Oblivion Orb). His healing is what makes him feel 'tanky' in the early game.
- •Do not Flash or Dash while he is mid-air during unless you are pulling him under your own tower.
- •Stand behind your minions if you expect a . While it hits through units, the knockback range is short; staying at max range prevents the displacement.
- •If he has his ready (glowing hands), try to kite him. He must land a basic attack to get the heal.
Teamfight Warning
- ⚠Don't fight in tight jungle corridors where his covers the entire path.
- ⚠The wall has small gaps between the roots. If you can't outrun it, look for the 'holes' to walk through without getting rooted.
- ⚠Maokai is an 'anti-dive' king. If you jump on his ADC, he will just you away and you in place.
- ⚠Ward your flanks. A Maokai coming from behind your team with is almost always a lost teamfight.
- ⚠Cleanse or Mikael's Blessing are high priority items to break his or lockdown on your carry.
AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached