Maokai: The Twisted Treant

Maokai is a champion in League of Legends primarily played in the Support role, classified as a Vanguard (legacy: Tank/Support). He uses Mana (375 – 1220.6 at max level) and is a Melee champion with 125 attack range. Released on February 16, 2011, Maokai is currently in patch V26.04. With a 52%+ win rate across multiple data sources, 2% pick rate, and a consistent A-tier ranking as support, Maokai is one of those picks that people constantly underestimate – until they walk into a bush full of saplings and lose half their HP before the fight even starts. The honest truth about Maokai support: he doesn’t have the flashy plays of a Thresh or the lane dominance of a Nautilus, but what he has is consistent vision control, guaranteed engage, and the ability to make the entire enemy team terrified of walking near any brush on the map.

📊 Base Statistics

💡 Key Identity: Maokai’s base stats scream “tank.” 665 base HP (one of the highest for supports), 35 base armor, and 32 MR mean he’s naturally durable even before items. Combined with Sap Magic’s % max HP healing, Maokai simply refuses to leave lane. The tradeoff? 125 melee range and no ranged poke – you have to commit when you go in. This isn’t a poke-from-safety support. This is a “walk into their face and dare them to fight” support.

🌳 Passive: Sap Magic

INNATE: Periodically, Maokai empowers his next basic attack to have an uncancellable windup and heal him for 4% – 14.1% (based on level) maximum health after a 0.25-second delay. Sap Magic resets Maokai’s basic attack timer, and will NOT trigger if he is above 95% maximum health.

Each time Maokai casts an ability, hits at least one enemy champion or epic monster with Sapling Toss, or is struck by an enemy champion’s ability, Sap Magic’s cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds (modified to 1.5 seconds if hit by a large or epic monster).

💡 Pro Tip: In lane, the enemy team is CONSTANTLY reducing your Sap Magic cooldown by hitting you with abilities. Every Brand W, Caitlyn Q, or Jinx W that hits Maokai brings his heal 4 seconds closer. This creates a paradoxical situation for the enemy: the more they poke Maokai, the more opportunities he has to heal. At level 1 (4% max HP heal with 665 HP), each Sap Magic proc heals ~27 HP. By level 11 with tank items (say ~2000 HP), you’re healing 180+ HP per empowered auto. The heal also resets your auto-attack timer, so the combo is: auto → wait for Sap Magic → empowered auto for an instant double-tap.

🌳 Q: Bramble Smash

Cost: 40 Mana | Cooldown: 7 / 6.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 5 seconds | Cast Time: 0.3 | Target Range: 600 | Effect Radius: 325 | Speed: 1600

ACTIVE: Maokai sends a shockwave in the target direction that deals magic damage and slows enemies by 99% for 0.25 seconds. Enemies near Maokai are also stunned for 0.5 seconds and knocked back up to 300 units. Bramble Smash deals bonus damage to monsters.

⚠️ Key Mechanic: Q has TWO different effects based on distance. Enemies at range get slowed by 99% for 0.25 seconds (basically a micro-root). Enemies directly next to Maokai get the same damage PLUS a 0.5-second stun AND a knockback of up to 300 units. This makes Q incredibly versatile: use it at range for poke/slow, or use it point-blank after W for guaranteed stun + knockback. The % max HP damage also means Q is effective against tanks and squishies alike. At max rank with 4% max HP scaling, hitting a 3000 HP tank deals 120 bonus damage from just the HP scaling.

🌳 W: Twisted Advance

Cost: 60 Mana | Cooldown: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 seconds | Cast Time: NONE | Target Range: 525 | Speed: 1300

ACTIVE: Maokai dashes to the target enemy while being untargetable. Upon arrival, he deals magic damage and roots them for a duration.

💡 Pro Tip: W is why Maokai support works. It’s a point-and-click root that CANNOT be dodged (only blocked by spell shields like Sivir E or Banshee’s Veil). During the dash, Maokai is completely untargetable – tower shots, abilities, and auto-attacks pass through him. This means you can W under tower for ganks, W through incoming skillshots, and even W to dodge crucial abilities (Karthus R, Caitlyn R, etc.). The guaranteed root into Q knockback is the bread-and-butter combo that makes Maokai’s engage so reliable – no skillshot to miss, no prediction needed. Click on enemy, they’re rooted, Q them into your ADC. That’s it.

🌳 E: Sapling Toss

Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 Mana | Cooldown: 18 / 17 / 16 / 15 / 14 seconds | Cast Time: 0.25 | Target Range: 1100 | Effect Radius: 175 / 350 / 475

ACTIVE: Maokai flings a Sapling to the target location, granting sight of the area. The Sapling remains for 30 seconds or until it reacts to a nearby enemy, chasing them for up to 2.5 seconds. It explodes on contact, dealing magic damage and slowing by 45% for 2 seconds. Damage capped at 300 vs non-champions.

BRUSH EMPOWERED: A Sapling placed in a brush lasts 30 (+ 1.5% bonus health) seconds, deals 66.7% increased damage on explosion, attaches TWO Saplings to non-minion targets (exploding every 0.75 seconds over 3 seconds), slows by 45% (+ 1% per 100 AP) (+ 1% per 100 bonus HP), and reveals for 3 seconds.

⚠️ This is Maokai’s Secret Weapon: Brush-empowered saplings deal DOUBLE the damage of normal saplings. At max rank with some bonus HP, a single brush sapling deals 300+ damage to a squishy champion. That’s from a support ability on a 14-second cooldown. Place saplings in the bot lane river bush, tri-bush, or lane bushes and the enemy ADC/support will walk into 300 damage + a 45%+ slow without even seeing it coming. They’re also the best non-ward vision tool in the game – each sapling grants sight and lasts 30+ seconds in brush. You essentially have permanent brush vision without spending any gold on wards.

🌳 R: Nature’s Grasp (Ultimate)

Cost: 100 Mana | Cooldown: 130 / 110 / 90 seconds | Cast Time: 0.5 | Target Range: 3000 | Width: 240 | Speed: 100 / 400 / 700 / 750 (accelerating)

ACTIVE: Maokai summons a colossal wall of five thorny brambles that slowly advance in the target direction, accelerating over time. Each bramble stops when it collides with an enemy champion, dealing magic damage and rooting them. Hitting at least one enemy grants Maokai bonus movement speed.

💡 Pro Tip: Nature’s Grasp is deceptive – it starts slow (100 speed) and accelerates to 750. This means enemies close to Maokai have plenty of time to dodge, but enemies at MAX range (3000 units!) get hit by fast-moving brambles that root for 2.25 seconds. The optimal use is to R from FOG OF WAR at maximum distance toward the enemy team. By the time they see it, the brambles are already moving fast and the root duration is near maximum. Also, the wall is FIVE brambles wide – it covers an absolutely massive area, making it almost impossible for grouped teams to all dodge. Use R to start teamfights from a screen away, or use R behind retreating enemies to cut off their escape. The 60% bonus MS on hit also lets you follow up with W immediately.

🌿 The Bush Control King: Why Maokai’s E Wins Games

This section exists because Maokai’s brush-empowered saplings are the single most underrated mechanic in League of Legends support play. Understanding WHY they’re so strong is the difference between a mediocre Maokai player and a terrifying one.

• Free Vision Without Wards: Each sapling placed in a bush grants vision and lasts 30+ seconds. On a 14-second cooldown at max rank, you can maintain permanent vision on 2 bushes simultaneously without spending a single gold on control wards. This frees your ward budget for deeper vision elsewhere.
• Zone Denial: Enemy supports KNOW saplings are in the bush. They can either walk into the bush and take 300+ damage, or avoid the bush entirely. Either way, you control where the enemy team can and can’t walk. Before Dragon fights, litter the river bushes with saplings. The enemy team loses all brush access.
• Catch Potential: Brush saplings slow by 45%+ and reveal for 3 seconds. An enemy ADC who walks into a bush sapling is slowed, revealed, and now an easy target for your W → Q combo. The sapling doesn’t just deal damage – it sets up kills.
• Scaling Damage: Sapling damage scales with bonus HP and AP. As you build tank items (Solstice Sleigh, Locket), the damage keeps climbing. Late game, brush saplings deal 400+ damage to squishies – from a support ability. ADCs who facepath into river bushes simply die.

⚠️ Honest Take: The reason Maokai isn’t played more at support despite his strong win rate is simple: his E setup requires anticipation. You need to place saplings BEFORE the enemy walks near a bush, not reactively. Players who can’t predict enemy pathing won’t get value from E. But if you learn to read enemy movement and pre-place saplings in their path, Maokai becomes one of the highest-impact supports in the game – particularly around Dragon and Baron where bush control dictates the fight before it even starts.

🎯 Strategies and Gameplay Tips

Early Game (Levels 1-6)

• E the Lane Bushes Immediately: At level 1, if you take E, throw a sapling into the nearest lane bush. It’s free vision, free poke, and forces the enemy to avoid the bush. If they walk into it, 100+ damage at level 1 is a significant chunk of HP.
• Sap Magic Trading Pattern: Walk up, auto (consume Sap Magic heal), then back off. Every time the enemy pokes you, your passive cooldown drops by 4 seconds. Combined with the heal, you out-sustain almost every lane opponent through trades.
• W Engage at Level 2 or 3: The kill combo is straightforward: W (root, untargetable dash) → auto (Sap Magic proc) → Q (knockback toward ADC). If your ADC follows up, this is a guaranteed summoner spell burn or kill. The root is point-and-click – there’s no counterplay except spell shields.
• Mana Management: E costs 60–80 mana on a support budget. Don’t spam saplings without purpose. Place them in bushes where they’ll get value (lane bush, river bush), not randomly in lane.

Mid Game (Levels 7-13)

• Pre-Place E Before Objectives: 90 seconds before Dragon/Rift Herald spawns, start placing saplings in river bushes. By the time the objective spawns, you have 2–3 saplings covering all brush entry points. The enemy team either walks into 600+ combined damage or gives up bush control entirely.
• Roaming Power: Maokai’s W is one of the best gank assistance tools. Walk into mid lane, W the enemy mid laner (guaranteed root, untargetable gap-close), Q them toward your mid, and they die. Simple, effective, impossible to outplay.
• R for Teamfight Initiation: Use R from fog of war at max range. The wall accelerates, so distant enemies get hit by fast brambles for up to 2.25-second roots. A good R hitting 2–3 enemies wins the teamfight before it starts.

Late Game (Level 14+)

• Baron/Dragon Setup Mastery: This is where Maokai truly shines. Fill every bush near Baron/Dragon with saplings. Ward the gaps. When the enemy team tries to contest, they walk into 400+ damage saplings, get slowed, and then you hit them with R from max range. They’re rooted in the open, your team collapses, fight over.
• Peel or Engage – Your Choice: Maokai can do both. If your ADC needs protection, W the diver (point-and-click root) and Q them away (knockback). If your team needs engage, R into W into Q combo locks down the enemy backline for 3+ seconds.
• Sap Magic Is Massive Late: At level 16+, Sap Magic heals ~14% max HP. With 3000+ HP from tank items, each empowered auto heals 420+ HP. In extended fights where abilities are flying everywhere (reducing your passive cooldown), you’re healing multiple times per fight. This is why Maokai feels unkillable in drawn-out teamfights.

❌ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Placing Saplings Outside Bushes: Normal saplings deal HALF the damage of brush saplings and don’t attach for overtime damage. Unless you’re zoning an enemy from a specific path, always place E in a bush. The damage difference is enormous – 150 damage vs 300 damage at max rank.
• W-ing Without Follow-Up: W puts you in melee range of the enemy team. If your ADC isn’t in position to deal damage during the root, you’ve just dashed into the enemy with no escape. Always check that your ADC is ready before W-ing in.
• Using R Point-Blank: R starts SLOW (100 speed). Using it at close range gives enemies all day to walk sideways. Cast R from max distance or from fog – the brambles accelerate to 750 speed and become nearly undodgeable, with 2.25-second roots.
• Ignoring Sap Magic Passive: Many players forget to weave in empowered autos. Every spell rotation should include at least one auto to consume Sap Magic. The heal adds up massively over a fight – ignoring it wastes hundreds of HP in sustain.
• Spamming E on Cooldown: E has a long cooldown (18 seconds at rank 1) and significant mana cost. Placing saplings randomly drains your mana and leaves you without your vision/damage tool when you actually need it. Be intentional with every sapling.

⚙️ Recommended Build and Itemization

Core Items (53%+ WR Build)

• Solstice Sleigh: First completed item. Provides HP, ability haste, and a movement speed boost when immobilizing enemies – which Maokai does constantly with W root, Q stun, E slow, and R root. This item synergizes with literally every ability in his kit.
• Boots of Swiftness: Maokai needs to get into melee range for W. Swifties provide the highest flat movement speed, helping him reach targets for W engage. The slow resistance also helps him navigate through enemy CC.
• Bandlepipes: Team-wide magic damage reduction aura. Combined with your natural tankiness and Sap Magic healing, Bandlepipes makes your team significantly more durable in fights where the enemy deals mixed/magic damage.
• Locket of the Iron Solari: Team-wide shield active. After engaging with W → Q, pop Locket to shield your entire team. The shield scales with your bonus HP, which Maokai stacks naturally.

Situational Items

• Thornmail: Against healing-heavy compositions. Maokai’s immobilizes (W root, Q stun, R root) apply 40% Grievous Wounds, making this incredibly easy to proc.
• Trailblazer: Movement speed aura for your team when moving toward enemies. Synergizes with Maokai’s engage-forward playstyle.
• Protoplasm Harness: Additional tankiness with HP stacking. The bonus HP also increases Sapling damage and Sap Magic healing.
• Unending Despair: Drain-tank item for extended fights. Combined with Sap Magic, Maokai becomes nearly impossible to kill in prolonged teamfights.

Runes

Primary Tree (Resolve): Aftershock (keystone), Font of Life, Bone Plating, Unflinching

Secondary Tree (Inspiration): Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight

Rune Shards: Adaptive Force, Health Scaling, Health Scaling

Summoner Spells: Flash + Ignite

Skill Max Order: Q → W → E

💡 Pro Tip: Aftershock is non-negotiable on Maokai. After landing W (root) or Q knockback on a close target, Aftershock grants bonus armor and MR for 2.5 seconds, then explodes for bonus damage. Since W guarantees Aftershock proc, every engage gives you a defensive steroid that makes you tankier WHILE you’re in the enemy’s face. Font of Life turns your roots and slows into healing for your ADC. Bone Plating reduces burst from trades. Unflinching gives tenacity that scales with missing health – the lower you get, the harder you are to CC lock. Biscuit Delivery solves early mana issues, and Cosmic Insight provides summoner spell CDR for more frequent Flash + W plays.

⚔️ Counter Picks & Matchups

✅ Maokai Counters (Favorable)

1. Pyke

Why: Pyke needs to land hooks and capitalize on picks. Maokai’s W is point-and-click, so he doesn’t need to worry about Pyke’s mobility – just click and root. Sap Magic heals through Pyke’s poke. Void Shift-equivalent tankiness from passive makes Pyke’s assassination combo ineffective. Your R also outranges and outwidths his E stun. Pyke can’t sustain through your sapling damage in bushes.

2. Xerath

Why: Xerath is immobile and squishy – exactly the type of target Maokai destroys. Every Xerath Q that hits Maokai reduces Sap Magic cooldown by 4 seconds (free healing). Once Maokai reaches level 3 with W, Xerath has no escape. W → Q knockback → ADC follow-up kills Xerath from full HP. Your saplings in lane bushes also zone Xerath from positioning aggressively.

3. Mel

Why: Mel is a newer support with limited mobility. Maokai’s point-and-click W bypasses whatever defensive tools she has, and his natural tankiness lets him survive her damage output. His bush control with saplings denies her positioning, and R covers enough area that she can’t dodge it reliably.

❌ Maokai is Countered By

1. Taric

Why: Taric’s ultimate (Cosmic Radiance) makes his team invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. Maokai’s entire engage combo (W → Q → R) gets nullified by Taric pressing R at the right time. Taric also out-sustains Maokai in lane with his own healing, and his stun can interrupt Maokai’s engagement. He’s a scaling enchanter-tank that Maokai simply can’t burst through.

2. Braum

Why: Braum’s shield (Unbreakable) blocks Sapling projectiles, R brambles, and Q shockwaves. He single-handedly negates Maokai’s ranged abilities. Braum also matches Maokai’s tankiness while providing more consistent peel for his ADC. His passive (Concussive Blows) stuns Maokai after 4 hits, punishing close-range W engages.

3. Neeko

Why: Neeko support outranges Maokai with constant poke from E and Q. She can disguise as allies, making Maokai waste W on wrong targets. Her R (Pop Blossom) stuns your entire team if you group for engage. Most importantly, Neeko’s burst at level 6 combined with her ADC’s damage can kill Maokai through Sap Magic healing, which most other supports can’t do.

FAQ

Q: Can Maokai W dodge abilities like Karthus R?

A: Yes. During W’s dash, Maokai is completely untargetable. This means he can dodge anything that targets him, including Karthus Requiem, Caitlyn Ace in the Hole, and even turret shots mid-flight. The timing window is small but extremely powerful once mastered.

Q: Why is Maokai played support instead of top/jungle?

A: Maokai support has a 52%+ win rate versus 50.4% top and 49.7% jungle. Support works best because: his point-and-click W doesn’t need gold to be effective, his saplings provide free vision that supports need, and his kit provides engage/peel without requiring farm. Top lane Maokai struggles against modern fighters, and jungle Maokai has slow clear speed.

Q: When should I max E instead of Q?

A: Almost never. Q max gives you more consistent damage (% max HP scaling), shorter cooldown (5 seconds at max rank), and better peeling. E max is a gimmick – the saplings deal more damage but the long cooldown and high mana cost make it impractical for support Maokai. Q max is the statistically proven choice (53.1% WR).

Q: Is Maokai good for beginners?

A: Yes. Maokai has one of the simplest support kits: W (click on enemy, root them), Q (press Q, knockback), E (throw sapling in bush), R (press R in teamfight). No skillshots are required for his core combo. The main skill expression is knowing WHEN to go in, not HOW – which is game knowledge, not mechanics.

Q: How do I use R effectively?A: Cast R from maximum range and from fog of war whenever possible. The brambles accelerate over distance, so distant targets get hit by fast-moving brambles for 2.25-second roots. Close-range R gives enemies too much time to sidestep. The ideal combo: R from fog → brambles hit and root → W onto rooted target → Q knockback → Aftershock procs → enemy is dead.