I> Introduction:
- As a tree the jungle is absolutely where Maokai belongs! Despite him being a beast at both supporting and top laning his recent buffs to his clear speed allows him to tear through the jungle and provide massive impact with his ganks and teamfights!
- The reason why I play Meo'Kai is because I think he is a really strong pick right now. He has a good presence in fights with his ultimate but also the potential to stick to someone. His vision control is one of his strong perks because of his saplings giving vision and he can throw them from far away. Furthermore he also does really well against Bard so if someone ever steals my Bard I will be able to counter them with this pick.
1. Pros & Cons:
a. Pros:
- Easy to get vision
- Good ult for objectives and disengage
- Damage is high for being a tank
- Good Crowd control
- Really tanky
- Good engage
- Easy to peel for ADC
b. Cons:
- Early game is weak
- Very team dependent
- Low mana pool
- Needs to scale
2. Maokai tips and tricks
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Before engaging with your Twisted Advance W, always check the positioning of your ADC. You shouldn’t go in unless your ADC is in a position to follow up.
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When roaming around the map, place Saplings Sapling Toss E in nearby bushes to scout for vision. You can also place Saplings Sapling Toss E in the bot lane
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Maokai’s Ultimate Nature's Grasp R is great in team fights. Once you engage with your Ultimate Nature's Grasp R, fall back and protect your ADC and peel for them.
3. Combos of Mao'Kai:
- Basic: Q + Flash
- Basic: W + Flash
- Medium: W + AA + Q + AA
- Medium: E + W + AA + Q + AA
- Hard: R + E + W + AA + Q + AA
II> Builds:
- Mao'Kai build guide:
1. Maokai Summoner Spells
2. Maokai Starting Items:
3. Maokai Runes
4. Maokai Skill Order
- Abilities: Q > W > R > E.
5. Maokai Items
Situational items:
- Solstice Sleigh
- Kaenic Rookern: This item gives you a magic shield when you've been out of combat for some time. Good versus heavy AP teams.
- Knight's Vow: Helps to protect your allies. Effective against burst damage dealers, as you absorb some of the damage your ally would otherwise take.
- Liandry's Torment: Liandry's is good against tanks. Pick it up when the enemy consists of multiple tank champions.
- Abyssal Mask: It’s good whenever you need more defensive stats to deal with AP champions. It’s also good when your team's AP dominant, as it reduces nearby enemy's magical resistances.
- Frozen Heart: Recommended whenever you need to 1) increase mana usage; 2) reduce enemy attack speed. It's effective against AD champions who rely on basic attacks (Jinx, Tristana, Vayne) or use their abilities frequently (Yasuo, Riven, Zed).
III> Game plan
- Early game:
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Try to place your saplings in the lane brushes and take control of them. This will help you a lot when trying to all-in enemies and picking them off in the enemy jungle.
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You should start ganking at level 3. Your Twisted Advance W and Bramble Smash Q make up for some excellent lockdown and CC, while your Sapling Toss E can dish out some damage to the target.
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Getting your Ultimate Nature's Grasp R will be a massive spike in the game. This is important for the rest of the game, and you can easily catch out enemies and initiate team fights.
- Mid game:
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In the mid-game, your main goal will be to look for as many picks as you can. Work with your Jungler to help them invade while planting your Sapling Toss E sapling in the Jungle brushes.
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You should be really tanky during this phase of the game. Peeling for your carries should be your primary goal after you manage to initiate the team fights.
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The river and choke points would be a great place to fight as your abilities will lock down multiple enemies. Just go in on the highest priority target and try to CC lock them.
- Late game:
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Your Ultimate Nature's Grasp R will be on a short cooldown during this phase of the game. Make sure you use it regularly to catch off enemies and get frequent kills on the enemy.
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The fog of war is going to help you a lot during this phase of the game. Prepare some brushes with your Sapling Toss E saplings and just all-in the enemy as soon as they come close to it.
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You will be very powerful during this game phase, and your tankiness will be really high. Just make sure that you don't leave your backline unguarded, else you will have a hard time winning the game.
