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Just picked up Maokai, he is super fun. Can I have some good tips for him?

RedPannda··2 votes·295 views

First off what roles can he pull off besides top? Can he be a decent support? Played a few games top, first against an Ornn and I got buttblasted. I couldn't trade with him at all and he was able to just dive me under tower and kill me at will. It was my first game with mao so I'm sure I misplayed but it just felt like I had no chance even when I was building full armor/hp. Second game was against Trynd and it was pretty funny. I just dominated him, anytime he came to wave I just autoed and Q'd and he never had a chance. Rushed bramble and then randuins and he couldn't even hurt me.

Top is my least played lane though, I am trying to get better at it but I am a jungle main at heart with a dash of support on the side. So I would love it if I could bring him to either of those rose without sacrificing team viability.

Thanks for any advice and have a nice evening.

[slayer-jinx-wink]

3 Comments

scribbles7822 votes

I'm no Maokai main but here is what I know:

He is best as a mid laner built full AP.

https://youtu.be/WupUMbrzP04

(if you want real tips just find a guide on mobafire)

420 grams1 votes

He's really good on Twisted Treeline

Mianta1 votes

{quoted}

I'm no Maokai main but here is what I know:

He is best as a mid laner built full AP.

I'm pretty sure his damage was nerfed so he wouldn't be such a huge threat as an AP support... Thus I'm not quite sure how up-to-date that info is. That being said, I only ever personally see him built as a support tank, played as a Vanguard (think leona or malphite) in top lane. He has a lot of CC and if you're not using that during trades to peel for your carries then you're not using him to his fullest potential.

I'm not sure how you're pulling off your combo but I definitely recommend throwing your sapling behind your enemy // in their escape path // before you engage or after you root them. It makes you stickier because the slow it applies & can keep them from getting away. It's not always the best strat to constantly throw them in the bush to harass your opponent down. You also can't go into the lane expecting to dominate or apply huge amounts of pressure, take tower, etc. He's no lane bully or split-pusher by any means. I would coordinate with your botlane by keeping a deep ward for you to teleport to so you can backdoor the enemy adc/supp when they're overextended. Roaming mid when you're able to is also a great thing to do.

Then again, that's just how I would take advantage of Maokai's kit. I'd rather build him as a full-on tank than an AP burst mage relying completely on your saplings to catch someone walking through a bush.

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