What took Maokai out of the jungle?

Crispy0Snake·Apr 4, 2019·2 votes·3,220 views

When you filter for jungle champions, Maokai isn't there. I remember in Season 7 he was a meta jungle champion. I feel bad remembering a game where Peanut (on SKT at the time) was forced off of Lee Sin and was made to play tanks, and he just fed on Maokai so hard, and then Maokai was never played after that split.

So what happened to Maokai specifically that meant he fell out of the jungle class but other tank junglers stayed in?

Did his E damage to creeps get nerfed or something? Don't really want to trawl through patch notes if someone knows :)

13 Comments

Daddy AntsApr 4, 20193 votes

Any decent laner will see your ganks coming from a mile away.

You can't contest scuttle.

You can't duel meta junglers.

RagnaveilApr 4, 20191 votes

Same with any other said tank jg.

Death by GlamourApr 4, 20191 votes

He left the jungle and transitioned to toplane long before scuttle was a thing

InfernapeApr 4, 20192 votes

Last I heard, it was the Black Mist :P

But really, I do believe they nerfed his damage and his E, which nerfed his clear.

Crispy0SnakeApr 4, 20191 votes

I'm thinking, if that's the case, with the cinderhulk buff, maybe Maokai returns? Although I think you still have to start 3 pots and just give a scuttle up if the enemy jgl is there early

Also you only get enchantment cinderhulk at about 8-9min into the game so your clear is still meh until then

Salvor HardınApr 4, 20191 votes

I agree, The cinderhulk buff does not solve the problem of cleaning the tanks, as assembling cinderhulk takes time. It would have been better if they gave direct buff to those tanks, or if they improved item 3751 damage a little.

Ahri BakaApr 4, 20191 votes

That list simply shows the picked champions commonly in such a role That only means players themselves stopped playing him in jg

It's like Taliyah Last year , a mid laner but you can never find her in mid laners list Only as a Jungler

FOR JUSTICEApr 4, 20191 votes

perhaps the sapling and mana costs nerfs. that would more or less force a blue buff start which is pretty irrelevant in the current meta.

AIQApr 4, 20191 votes

Dueling, mana cost, clear speed, slightly high item dependency than most tanks. He's in the same boat as someone like Shen. Great ganks... that's about it.

ThingamajigApr 4, 20191 votes

You can't contest your early game Long cool downs Low damage numbers

you can transition into a great objective control tank with your E and have strong ganking but honestly his early game is too weak if you are in an elo that people don't abuse that weakness you can make him work easily

Daddy AntsApr 4, 20191 votes

Champion select filters only show what was played in that specific role in the previous patch.

faureApr 4, 20191 votes

takes 40 years from him to take a scuttle, and you have to pray that the other jungler doesn't show up

Death by GlamourApr 4, 20191 votes

If we are talking about s3/4 being able to deal with and out right solo renekton early lane phase (which was a big thing back then), not to forget his sustain in lane.

He was a very strong generalist that could basically take a beating from anyone in lane while his old ult granted % damage reduction that made up for a gold deficit.