Talk:Maokai/@comment-10561475-20130923214649/@comment-8505783-20131010080424

For me picking Maokai on your team is very dependent on the other champions on your line-up. It's true that Leona has much more kill potential in lane and tons of CC and defenses in teamfights, but Maokai has a few different things in his kit especially coming into late-game.

You have to have an ADC who can spam spells like Ezreal. This really helps in your laning phase as you get to proc your passive more often and trade more safely. If you're going low on HP, Maokai, unlike Leona, still has the option to play passively as he has his sapling both to ward and to poke with. Just be careful never to go oom as this is one of Maokai's biggest weaknesses early on.

In other lanes, only pick Maokai if there are is another tanky character on your team (Most likely your top or your jungler, hopefully both). This is crucial in your gampelay because this is where Maokai shines more than Leona as was previously mentioned. If there are other tanky characters on your team, they get to benefit more from the Vengeful Maelstrom damage reduction. 20% means a lot in a teamfight, especially to a team with already a lot of HP and resistances. Dropping your ult takes more skill and decision-making than Leona, who just has to drop it the moment she sees 3 people grouped up together.

TL;DR Choose Maokai if you feel that he can benefit from your team and vice versa :)